The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-07-15
WEEKLY DISCUSSION OF
PROPOSED COUNTY ACT
An Address On the Subject by the Secretary
Of the Commission...Q Question Of Hearing
From the Public Discussed

are that 1t may go up against Section
so, and be wrecked.
And therein lies the difficulty of our
work. The demand for county govern
ment springs from a desire of the peo-
pie to manage their own affairs through
their own chosen representatives. If
the strict construction possible to be
given to Section so is sound. then this
demand cannot be carried out without
further Congressional legislation. We
cannot on the principle of local control
manage our schools or the public
health without a central board and a
local board in each district; but they
would have to be appointed by the Gov
ernor. So that the Governor, who is
not elected by the people, and in a
political sense is not responsible 10
them, would have in his hands the en-
tire machinery of government just as
he had, when Congress authorized the
Legislature to establish counties, towns,
and cities and provide for their gov
ernment, a provision inserted in the
/ Organic Act, 1 claim, to enable The
Legislature to decentralize the govern
ment and to make it the kind of gov
ernment referred to by Gov. Carter in
| THESE "OTuS, Wfltn lie Cdlltu lfle lt-l
| special session of the legislature, nan'e-
ly: AS the authority to call the Legis-
! lature rests with me, 1 would not feel
myself true to Hawaii's best interests
if failed to take this responsibility. If
Hawaii is ever to fit herself for a place
in the union of sovereign States, we
must show that we have a government
here, not only of the people and for
the people, but by the people,
II have thought of several expedients
| for attempting to evade the appoint
ment of our county boards by the Gov
ernor; but they are not sound in prin
ciple, and would be difficult to carry
out in practice.
For example, 1 thought that our act
might provide that the people shall
select the supervisors for the Governor
to nominate; but the Governor would
not be bound, and such a void provi
sion might affect the whole act.
But even if it did not, and the Gov
ernor should start the machinery by
nominating the supervisors selected in
each county, they could not appoint
school board, road board, or any other
board, because this power would lie
with the Governor.
Il wish the commission could have
the views of our citizens, legal and lay,
upon this proposition; for upon it's de-
cision hangs the nature of the whole
county act.
Three courses are open to us, two
of which we can follow at once, name
ly: % recommend that our Legislature
petition Congress to amend the Organic
Act so as to remove the apparent limi-
tationS upon our right to establish
county and municipal government with
elective boards; (2) draw a county act
providing for elective boards, and con-
form it's provisions to the systems of
our States and Territories, and provide
that the same shall not go into effect
until after its ratification by Congress;
go draw a county act carrying in it
the power of the Governor to nominate
all boards. We can conduct such "A
system until Congress amends the Or
ganic Act. Then the succeeding legs-
lature can amend our county act, un-
less our people decide to maintain our
county system permanently under ap-
pointment by the Governor.
1--WE shall have to decide before we
get much further in our work what
touiS VIC niiili Bui sue ''iiN We siio'''
invite opinions from every source upon
these propositions.
"And this brings up an important fac
tor in our work. namely, the co-opera-
ton of the Governor This commission
has adopted the plan of inviting sug-
gestions and help from every quarter.
Any citizen, no matter whom, can give
us his views, and if they commend
themselves to us, we will use them. If
that be true of the citizen, it applies
also to the Governor. our work must
be reported to the Legislature through
him, and conference with him in the
course of our proceedings will have the
effect of preventing any differences of
opinion between us upon the final result
of our work.
Again | think we should consult
with our Delegate to Congress, Prince
Kuhio. He is in position to advise us
as to how far we should go i'm the mat
ter of seeking congressional action; and
we will be interested in his views upon
the character of our act, whether it
should be simple or comprehensive.
Il desire il TO be distinctly under
stood, that my views are not final. l
have come to this work with a virgin
mind, Since | drew the Long Municipal
Act, over year and half ago, l have
done no work of this kind, until l sat
down to the preparation of this state
ment Doubtless many views now held
boy me viii either be modified or chang
ed, as We discuss these matters from
week "a week, and are brought face
Ca face with questions both OF law and
policy,
Whatever act We draw, whether Tor
uuFussl0nll ratification or not Ia
WON having a simple one, ANA having it
follow, Hs closely as possihlp. our prrs-
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