Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-09-06
THE CHARTER CONVENTION.


Il will nominate no candidates and promulgate
no platform, but its activity should be far more
permanent than nominations or platforms
This convention is the result of a demand
on the part of the people of Honolulu for bet
terscity charter. Stand-patters who take the
position that there is no need for much revision
Of the present charter must be blind ITO the
signs OF the times and to the results of the last
TWO city Elections. In both of these elections
city administrations which had failed to make
good were busted, but in neither case did the
allure lie altogether with the ineumbents in
oiIice. In both cases they were fatally handi-
capped from the moment they took office by a
eliarter which makes for inefficiency. 4
The present charter has the great defect of
Iailing to coordinate city activities. The
mayor, scant as his powers may seem, still is
1ble by reason of his control of the appointing
lower to run several city departments for poll
tics instead of efficiency, if he wishes to do so,
and experience is demonstrating how often he |
fishes to do so. The sheriff rules in a little
municipal world of his own, virtually beyond
the control of the supervisors. A brief session
rf the Hawaii investigating commission held
here number of months ago in order to get an i
insight into Honolulu's accounting system
showed lack of coordination between the audi
|of' S and treasurer's offices. Under the pres
emit charter they work with little interdepend-
tnce. There have been constant complaints /
hat the road committee of the board of super
fisors attempts to run the engine, ing depart i
Uent and vice versa. All the faults are
tf0uped around the one great fault of lack Of
.entrahzation. The mayors luau incident of I
Unhappy memory showed how impossible it is /
% pin to any official the blame for aEpublicI
blunder
Gradually the citizens are coming to realize
that II is not enough every two years to vote
IA d Set of officials and vote them out two years
|ater They are coming to realize that in
AMERICAN cities good government often must
depend on lack of opportunity for bad govern
nent. In other words, in the degree that the
ehanees for inefficiency and patronage politics
1re eliminated in that degree will an averaged
Set of officials be helped toward good govern
ment In that degree will they be freed from
The burden of caring for votes and voters that
went right in the last election and hence
1laim their consideration when it comes to
landing out jobs. "
The present charter has thus come in for in
creasing criticism More than two years ago,
||AlOI 70 tue lJlOI6SlSldtuTe, tleTe was Str0nSj
movement for charter reform Governor Frear
named committee of twenty five, which. did
much good work in drafting charter but
jailed at the proper time TO present bill to
the legislature to substitute the new for the
bid charter form.
But the movement was not dead. Like all
right movements. it persisted. Sentiment
among intelligent citizens has kept getting
stronger and stronger for a new charter and
the bill which passed the last legislature au-
ihOrizing this charter convention, is the result
Il is the result of very widespread feeling
eEystallized in the group of men who submitted
to the legislature this proposal for a charter
convention
So that the convention which meets tomor-
row is no overnight mushroom affair. 1t is the
result of at least four years of agitation and {
more than two years of active work.
The sixty three delegates who compose the
convention have an unusual opportunity to I
write themselves down as progressive, patriotic,
Intelligent and public-spirited men. They can
make the convention an ignoble failure or a |
splendid success. Mere patching of the present
charter, leaving in all the dissolving elements,
ali the elements that make for discord, leaving t
in the opportunities for cheap politics, will
make an ignoble failure. Vigorous and funda-
mental REFORM shortening the ballot, harmon S
izing and coordinating city functions and
offices, will make splendid success