The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1907-02-08
THE ONE MAN POWER FEATURE.

| The ONE MAN ION EN- rEAl ,hiS'
Years ago, about the time the late
"Jake" Sharp manipulated the New
York Assembly so that he got one of
the most valuable franchises in the
State without payment, except to the
assemblymen, vaudevillist, who did
Dutch business at the old Comic theater,
wrote song in which the street cars
and the mayor figured. 1t went some
thing like this:
az wish 1 was de Mayor I bet you dere
d be no fuses
I'd take off de cars and pull up de
tracks and put off der omnibuses
Such thought would imply that the
mayor was a man of mighty power,
such power as Charlie Achi had in mind
when he drafted his municipal bill
from the charters Of the getty and
County of San Francisco; the City and
County of Napa and the County Act of
Hawaii" If there is any power that
Charlie has not delegated to that Off
cial it is something he overlooked in
the rush to envelop him with every
other power held by an official. The
new charter provides that:
"Any bill containing several items
may be vetoed as whole by the mayor
or he may decline to approve certain
items. In such case he shall append
to the bill, at the time of signing it,
a statement of the item or items to
which he objects and the reason there
for and the items so objected to shall
not become effective unless passed not
withstanding the mayors objection
Each item so objected to shall be separ-
ately reconsidered by the board in the
same manner as bills which have been
disapproved [sic1 by the mayor
The duties of this official include the
issuance of proclamations of election
and in case of tie vote he shall order
special election to be held in the
same manner as a general election.
In case of the impeachment and re-
moval of any elected official the mayor
shall fill the vacancy. This power is
conveyed to him to the extent that
he shall fill all vacancies caused by
death, removal or resignation.
The qualifications of the office are
that he be legal voter and a resident
of the county three years prior to his
election to office. He shall appoint a
secretary at a salary of fifteen hundred
dollars a year and a stenographer at
twelve hundred dollars, both of whom
shall hold Office during his pleasure.
He shall appoint all officers of the
city and county whose election or APP
pointment is not provided for and he
shall fill vacancies not otherwise pro.
vided for.
From the provisions of this bill
coarse, thoughtless persons will suspect
graft and desire on the part of Mr..
Achi to gather in enough votes at the
first election to win the job. 1t is
certain that no official within the con-
fines of the Territory would be so
kow-towed to as the mayor of Homo
lulu if this bill goes through in its
present shape. Considering the OPP
portunities for reaching" the man
who gets the place should be willing
to serve without salary.
The Board of Supervisors will have
the same powers and privileges con-
ferred upon the present body and a
few more thrown in. For instance the
board shall
Establish, maintain and regulate and
change, discontinue and reestablish
city and county jails, prisons and
houses of detention, punishment, con-
finement and reformatories, hospitals
and almshouses.
Except as otherwise provided for in
this charter to regulate and control
locality and quality of all appliances
necessary to furnish water, heat, light,