The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-05-11
CONCURRENT NONSENSE.


the endless TRADES of Mr.. Emmeluth
against Governor Dole or to perform
the empty rite, which he inspires, OF
passing votes of want of confidence In
the Territorial Executive.
BY letting Mr.. Emmeluth have SO
much time for wreaking his personal
spite, they simply emphasize the charge
that they. rather than the Governor,
are responsible for the delays which
make a Jest and by-word of their Leg
islature. And in passing such resolu-
lions as those of yesterday the Home
Rulers expose themselves to destruc-
tive ridicule The resolutions amount
to nothing, achieve nothing and are
foreign to the scope of American poll
tics and craftsmanship. A vote OF
want of confidence is unknown in
American legislation, and in Hawaii is
an unhonored survival of the time OF
the discarded monarchy.
The Emmeluth concurrent resolution
is not only alien in spirit and in the
worst of taste, but it shows that the
House that passed it has no conception
of the rights and duties of the Cover
nor. We quote it here, as elsewhere,
in full:
Concurrent Resolution of the Legislature
of the Territory Of Hawaii:
Whereas, the Governor of this Terri
tory has communicated to the House OF
Representatives the fact that he signed
Senate bill S. relating to terms of the
Supreme Court, six days after the close
of the regular session of this legislature
and,
whereas, if such action was considered
legal it would have been also legal for
him to sign the County bill. and the Pure
Food bill, both being of vital Importance
to the political and physical welfare of
the voters of this Territory; and,
Whereas, the Governor failed to yield
his signature to the bills named; now,
therefore be it
Resolved by the House of Representa-
tives, the Senate concurring, That it is
the sense Of this Legislature that the
Governor of this Territory is not in &C
cord with this Legislature and the voters
it represents.
Resolved. That this Legislature, by it's
vote on these resolutions, expresses its
want of confidence in the ability of the
Governor of this Territory to properly
interpret the Constitution of the United
States, the Organic Act creating this
Territory and the rights of the people
Hereunder JOHN EMMELUTH.
Inc ODJecllOuS 10 Ills pTOHuUClduicHtO
are as follows:
l. 1t holds that because the Governor
signed a bill he approved of he was in
duty bound to sign bills that he did
not approve of or which he found to
be defective. The absurdity of such an
argument need not be pointed out.
Q. 1t holds that the Governor of the
Territory is not in accord with the Leg
islature and the people it represents,
admitting all of which merely estab-
fishes the fact that the Governor is true
to his party, and to the American ad-
ministrative idea A Republican Pres
ident would feel ashamed to find him
self in political accord with a Demo
cratic Congress and the people it stands
for. The same is true of a Republican
Governor, in his relations with a hos
tile Legislature and body of voters
Governor Dole represents the Repub-
| lican idea of Territorial administra ton,
not the Home Rule idea; and If he aban-
doned the one to take up with the other
President Mckinley would be justified
| in removing him. We live under a
government of parties and the party
which controls executive functions in
Hawaii is not that which controls and
disgraces the legislative
powers of the Territory. From this
point of view Governor Dole may be
supremacy Indifferent as to whether
the Legislature has confidence in him
or not. We assume that he is, and we
know that his party is. Neither could
be benefited by Home Rule vote OF
thanks.
8. The concurrent resolution is piece
of impertinence, in that it assumes a
right of the Legislative branch of the
Government to dictate to the Executive
branch in other ways than by the pass
age of a bill over veto. A Governor S
right to sign or veto a measure is not
restricted by the wishes of the Legis-
lature which passed the act, any more
than the right of Legislature to pass
or defeat a bill is restricted by the at
titude of the Executive. Each moves
in free zone.
On these accounts the passage of
the concurrent resolution by the House
was an impudent waste of the peoples
time. If the document ever reaches the
President it will either go into his waste
baskets or be kept merely as curio.
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