The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-06-23

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been to too much government. Too
many public officials, too much divis-
ion of authority, too little concentra
tion of responsibility.
'1u a republic, as in a democracy,
the ruling must be the people them
selves, and whatever kind of govern
ment they want they can have it if
they will assert themselves"
TIE ex-governor then discussed var
iCus forms Of government.
There is criticism nowadays at
what is called the tendency to execu-
tive interference. During my term as
governor | heard much of this in my
state, and | see that Governor Wilson,
my successor, is meeting with the
same criticism. But if good legisla-
tion is to come, this cannot be avoid.
ed. The President of the country and
the governor of a state are the only
persons who represent all the people
in the respective territories. The
executive makes promises in the cam
paign. 1t must do so. 1t tries to
carry them out The legislature is
usually willing to comply, but the in
nuences behind it frequently try to
prevent, and succeed many times.
Nothing but a strong hand on the part
of the executive can do any good, and
what Governor Wilson calls the pitt
less publicity by exposing these sub
terranean influences will result in Sc
curing good legislation. If the eXecu-
tive can be truthfully said to be in
terfering, it is largely the fault of the
people, because they are demanding
that of him, and placing upon him
more responsibility than has even
been the case in the previous history
Of the republic
I'VE are seeing this in Washington
in the present controversy on the tar
if, and Canadian reciprocity. Pres
ident Taft finds himself in a position
where his own party in a large part
are opposing what he proposes, and
what l have no doubt is the will of
| the people.
81 have always been an advocate of
| the tariff-a protectionist of the ag-
gressive type, but we must recognize
the facts The revision of the tariff
should never take place as a whole.
1t has led to ubiquitous schedules and
/ bargaining by one interest with an
other-it is a most unsatisfactory
way of revision. Two methods only
are open, and those are: first by reel,
procity agreements with other coun-
| tries, and secondly revision by SEIZED
ule through reports of commissions
after careful study of the particular
/ subject. If it were possible under
our constitution to have a tariff com.
mission with power to fix rates
! should be strongly in favor of it,
and thus remove the whole subject
from the field of political contest. |
am not sure whether the power to fix
tariff by the constitution is broad
enough, or wether any other method
could be found to 40 this.
Those who are interested in the
tariff, and l believe almost every
American business man is, would
! ,,aaoo,,i,o +bo Co ut +bot ~ iS bigb on
most articles, and that notifications
must be made if the tariff is to be pre-
served and the pendulum is not to
swing backwards and the people rise
in their might and make the mistake
of giving us practical free trade
through an alleged traiff for revenue
only"
Stars and Stripes Not Seen.
The Governor turned his attention
to trade in the Orient, and said that
it was one of the most humilating
things on his trip that he had not
found the Stars and Stripes on any
ship of commerce between the Straits
of Gibraltar and Shanghai. 1.-TWO
facts were evident" he continued
First, that Great britain was every.
where with her war fleet and her
ships of commerce, and that Ger
many and France were rapidly com
ing along to the same position. 1t
was a lamentable fact that notwith'
standing the enormous trade that
passed through the Suez Canal last
year not a single merchant ship car
rying any freight under the American
flag had gone through that canal. We
have been so engrossed with our do