The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-11-26
ENDORSE PLANS
FOR NEW CHARTER
Q ontlnued 1rom Pnge ono. J


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/ "Uuder this form of government, -
said the speaker, "a few officers are
elco ted to a few important Offices.
/ Democracy is restored and the power
goes to the people instead of the ma
chine. The long ballot is the delight
Of the bosses. The elector, unable to
investigate the qualifications of so
many candidates, goes to political
| expert, in other words the boss, and
delegates him to make the selection.
The boss makes up the slate and tells
the elector whom to elect.
1t is an exploded theory that the
greater the number of elected officers,
the greater the measure of popular
/ government.
Popular government is recognized
now, not by the number of officers
elected, but by the control the people
have over them.
Politicians may be elected under
the new form, and frequently are, but
it is wonderful how they change un-
der the limelight.
1.-The result has been that as a
rule, good men are chosen and the per-
centage of good citizens who 90 to the
| pOllS is ldTpelI luclcdseu. /,
"Under the present form of govern
ment there is no individual RESPONSE
bility and dissipated collective re-
sponsibility.
The Governor said that while this
new form of government is not by any.
means perfect as yet, he believed that
it was far ahead of the present sys-
! TEN and would prove of the utmost
benefit to the city.
Explains Proposed Plan.
In explaining the plan, the speaker
said that commissioners elected were
usually five in number elected at large
for four years, and that the tendency
at present is to elect them in rotation
so giving the advantage of greater
continuity.
He thought that the time of the
city election should be different from
that of the territorial. In this way
the ballots would be shorter and it
would assist in making the elections
for Honolulu nOnpartisan.
The mayor, he said, is usually elect
ed as such, but the tendency is now to
elect him as n supervisor and permit
the supervisors to choose one of their
number for mayor.
Other features of the system, he said,
are the direct non-partisan primary,
wherein the electors all vote in one pri-
mary for the men they prefer and with
out regard to party and the candidate
getting the mapority of all the votes is
elected without the necessity or ex-
pense of second election.
The initiative, referendum and recall
features, he said, have been recon-
mended in the Democratic territorial
and county platforms. He had no OBJ
lection to the initiative and referen'
dunn, but under the present conditions
could see no gain in their adoption.
The Governor said he had heard OF
, some objections to the recall, but he
could see no harm in it. The supposed
dangers of the recall he said, had not
= been realized in practise; it had been
e used hut rarely and had proved effect
i've IN good causes and had failed when
it was not warranted. He thought
however, that no recall should origi
c nate without petition bearing the
names of large per cent of the voters
q running anywhere from fifty or ever
:. sixty per cent. Other safeguards, he
; said, were to require that recall petit
g ton could not be instituted until after l
n certain period, so giving the man elect
II ed chance TO make good