The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-04-14
susrA,N THE GOVERNOR.

The Governor has vetoed the County
bill on grounds which commend MN
To every man who believes In doing
the public business by standards OF
principle.
AS much cannot be said of the mo-
tiyes of those legislators who believe
the County bill to be a bad thing yet
vote TO carry IL over the Governors
veto simply because of the fear that,
~ the County measure fails, the Re-
publican party will lose support in the
next election. Whether the thing is
right or wrong does not seem to count;
whether or not 1t Is expedient is the
main question.
Even on the lower ground the AS
vertiser insists that bad measure or
a weak and unavoidable one should De
rejected. Any man or any party Is
safe in doing RIGHT and letting the
consequences take care of themselves
and per contra, any man or party Is
unsafe in legislating badly for the
sake of votes. The study of the career
of the late George F. Hoar OF Massa-
chusetts ought TO be useful to politl-
clans who propose to sacrifice principle
on the altar of expediency. Senator
Hoar never did that. He often OPP
posed his party and the president
elected by his party, and though the
majority of the Republicans OF Mas
sachusetts did not agree with him at
such times they believed in the man
and kept him in the Senate while he
lived. Had he been a mere time
server and vote-seeker. he would have
lff
The Republican party of Hawaii can
better meet the charge of defeating
bad bills than of enacting them.
In this particular case 1t may be
urged that pledges are involved; that
each member of the Legislature has
committed himself to the principle OF
County government. But 1t should be
borne in mind that nobody pledged
himself in last falls campaign to vote
for an unavoidable or extravagant Dill
Here is a measure which does not pro-
vide for county support but WHICH,
when financed by virtue of other
measures, would add largely to public
expenses and deprive the Territory or
the control of its own taxation. 1t Is
an Inadequate. mischievous and prob
ably unconstitutional measure Be
tween it and the well-guarded mex
pensive and practical County bill which
the candidates promised to enact Is
wide gulf. No legislator Is bound to
pass a graft bill, for example, because
he has promised to vote for a good one
dealing with the same set of circum-
stances.
We repeat that no legislator was
pledged i'm the campaign to this par
ticular bill. But every legislator was
pledged to efficiency and economy in
local government and to the best in
terests of the people. 1t is the duty or
the Senate, the House having been
negligent in this respect, to stand out
against the grafters, jobbers and Of
fice-seekers and sustain the Governors
veto. In no other way can the duty
of a legislator be faithfully executed.
To take the position that the Senate
must do the wrong thing because 1t
has not found way to get the right
thing, would be to ignore principle for
the sake of doing politics" The Sen
ate of Hawaii should be above that.
This morning will determine whether
or not the Senate has the backbone to
stand for what is right, ignoring the
bowls of the hungry job-chasers and
the threats of the men who, with their
arms already barred to reach into the
public funds, find themselves check
mated.