The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-10-18


January IL is to be hoped not The
objection that the Star had To legisla-
ton upon county and municipal govern
ment at that time, was not based upon
any objection to county and municipal
government, but il was based upon the |
almost absolute certainty that any act
at that time would be crude and UNI |
digested, and the event proved the Wis !
dom of the objection. The county bill |
MAS born and anything more crude and
more undIgested, anything showing ut
ter lack OF capacity to meet existing
conditions, anything more likely to
have mace the CItzens OF the Territory
curse county government instead of
welcoming 1t, would have been hard TO
put together.
Ihat We need county government is
most uuuouUted, put better the present
ceutraizeu - stem tnau county govern
ment, or mIsguN eminent or practical
anarchy wmcn the county bill OF the
Home Rule party-Drougnt forward, too
late in the session,-wnIch it was pro-
posed to toIst upon TINS Territory. OF
those who voted tor its passage, undis-
cussed in the Senate, how MANY knew
the responsibilities which county gov
eminent would entail upon the citizens
property holders and workers or each
and every county? AS far as a locker
on could judge the words county gov
eminent We're regarded as some gem
eral panacea, a sort of abracadabra,
fetish which would charm away all ills
and bring an era Of peace and prosper
ity, sort of early millennium upon this
favored Territory.
Many realize now the mistake that
would have been made at the last legis-
iature, and some of these would still go
on under the present centralized sys-
TEN if they could have their will. In
this they are wrong The moment we
became a part of the United States of
America we had our swaddling clothes
stripped from US and though we might
find our limbs somewhat cramped and
unusued, we must get upon our feet and
walk into our birth right Of local self
government We must learn to manage
our own local affairs and thus show
that we are eligible for statehood, be-
fore we talk of statehood and complete
emancipation from all congressional
control.
Moreover it is not merely the three
fundamental measures of revision of
taxation, county government and muni-
cipal government which have to be CON
sidered, but there are many other mea-
sures of almost equal Importance, while
there are countless others which must
of necessity be purely party measures.
But if the arguments of the writer have
been understood his aim must be clear
that the three fundamental measures
are not party measures at all, they are
the peoples measures. What we want
then is to interest the people thoroughly
an these measures and make them tho
roughly acquainted with what these
measures mean.
This brings us to the question of how
we shall prepare ourselves, which was
asked at the beginning of this article.
Questions which are as fundamental as
these must be taken interest in by all,
since they are not for the benefit of this
or that party of the Territory, not for
the benefit of the rich as against the
poor, or the poor as against the rich,
but for the benefit and freedom of all.
No hasty gathering Of people here and
there to be roared at by political
spielers is required. A few meetings in
Honolulu, in Hilo, in Waikiki is not
what is wanted. What is wanted is
that every village and hamlet should
take an intelligent interest in the move
ment 1t is not a political campaign
of heated discussion and mutual recri-
mination that is called for. We have
had enough and to spare of that al
ready, and shall be deluged with it
again in 1902
If one can venture advice upon this
subject, it seems as if citizens COM
mitteee should be formed, irrespective
of party, a committee which could en-
brace Republicans, Home Rulers, De-
mocrats and those who keep aloof from
all parties, and that such a committee
should strive TO arouse discussion in
every part of the Territory upon the
important subject of self government
totally apart from political bias. 1t is
a campaign of education that is need
ed. Every one is vitality Interested, but
every one does not know how far. Then
when the real elections come there Will
be intelligent voting, and intelli-
gent instruction to representatives and
Senators. When we are laying big
blocks of stone we require the full force
at our disposal When the fathers of
the American Republic laid their foun-
dations, foundations that have never
been shaken, they sunk all divergence
of opinion and acted as a unit We are
laying the foundations of very minute
structure in comparison, but just as
there is plan and order in the micro
scopic shell, as in the gigantic Ocean In.