The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-08-28
ADVANTAGES TO FOLLOW n
GOVERNMENT BY COMMlSSTO|

Editor Advertiser: congratulate
you on the showing you have made in
favor of government by a commission;
and again congratulate you on the
inability of the other side to makesan
argument against the measure which
Is at all convincing.
Anyone who knows what war base
means is conscious that 1t must have a
government which cannot be meddled
with in an executive or legislative
sense by the voting elements living
within its sphere-especially If those
elements are, in their majority aspects,
irresponsible. capricious or raclally
hostile. The administration of war
base need not be wholly military in
time of peace, but 1t must be conducted
by the direct appointees of the COM
lmander-in-chief of the army and navy
the President-so that, in any emer-
gency, II may be made to conform to
military needs. That is the raison
d'etre of the Philippine commission;
and 1t is the motive OF the suggestion
which the Schroeder board is said to
have made for the government of Ha-
wall.
The need of a change IN our admins
trative system, from the war base
standpoint is made acute by the GER
tainty that, in a few years, japanese
born on this soil, will control the cleo
torate. A birth rate this last year of
2400 Japanese as against 1875 Americans
tells no new story. That sort of thing
has been going on for years; and pref
ty soon we shall see the results at the
polls, and in the county ana territorial
legislatures. If nothing is don to pre-
vent. those of us who are beyond mid
die life may live to see japanese in
control of the legislature and county
governments and of the city of Homo
lulu and having hold of the purse that
supports the police, militia, tax and
road departments. They are also GER
tain, in their capacity of citizens, to
take up the remaining lands and al
ready they are reaching out towards
the control of certain industries. Does
anyone think, for moment, Mr.. Edi-
tor, that the Federal government will
permit its great Pacific war base to
come under conditions such as these?
Recognizing as 1t does that the Japan
csc are our only probable enemies in
this ocean,. is that government going
to expend millions here upon stra-
tegic object and then let those people
control the political administration
which will have so mucn to do with
the preservation of the local peace, the
| building of roads. the protection of
property, the levying of taxes, the de-
velopment of food industries and the
maintenance of order?
AS things stand, governmentally, the
Japanese born on the soil may, under
any aspects of the territorial situation,
claim their constitutional rights; but
| If the territorial form is abolished. and
the District of Columbia system insti-
with it and the Japs Ike the rest of
us, are left out. There is no other
| lawful way for Congress to proceed to
remove our Japanese incubus: and as
for ourselves, we shall be better with
outsa vote than to be outvoted annual
ly by a clan of Japanese citizens. who.
at heart, will be loyal to their racial
sovereign.
AS to the benefits of government by
commission, they occur to me as fol-
lows: The Federal government would
pay the commission and would at least
divide with our own people the lesser
public expenses. Possiblyait would pay
them all. Assuredly 1t would take
charge of roadmaking so as to assure
roads and bridges of a quality to per-
nit the rapid and secure passage of