Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 139, 15 June 1894 — NEW CONSTITUTION [ARTICLE]

NEW CONSTITUTION

First Act of the Farce Ended. — In twe!v»» d«y* the 39 wi.seinen wh»> «lec** , d themselveB to frame h c«>nstitntinn, have £n nbed the fin-t ren>1inn « f the in«trument i pr**«enle<l to tli*.-uj l»y 1) ile. Smith aml C«rU*r. That is indee<1 por.<l work and it prnves tbe 1 preat superiority whieh the thirty-nine jk>ss over their f>»llowmen >n othcr land c . To frame a sat sfact«ry censtitation whieh sha'l pr«vo just aml acceptahle t« nll classes Jns here- ( t< f->re 1>< <*n c«nsi<lere<l n work whieh romman<1ed brains, education, inlellipenee nud ex- ; l>eri< i nc • and even in nsseniblies p »h<**--*d <»f snch qnalitiefi a matun*. ml carefnl c«nsideration i bi*«n c>>nsidered nece«sary. N«t so in Hnwaii. Tbirtv uiue meu «f wh<>m n«t nine know enoupli t« t*e adniitted to a pre—liminan cinss nf any university liave in t»elve divs deoided on n coiistituti<>n whieh is snpp«He<l to pr«iii< te <md <ecure the pr«sp<>rity «f hII ciasses and whieh j <-mu«t be am<-nded for four years to eome. Vorily the gigantic | braius <>f hiawaiian st>tesmeu ahonhl excit<- the uubounded ud 1 miialion «f all the nations of the the world—even tlie Xew York ; >>/iM7i—aiul vet thev don't. I he instrument ; s now passed ' i> extremely enule. It is lnuted and stated in tho p. «. orguis lhut it will be tn itenallv altered ( «t the second re«ding. We il>*ubt it. Altbough tl.e original <ln»ft bas be» n samewb*it iraprov— • >'<l on,during the llrst reading it has become evuleut th>»t the fumilv eoiupae» contr<*l (he conveution, I aiul prop«se ti> limg ont« thn p«\v- | er iind bi*odl<> now vestediuthem j Tlie most ch«rncteristic fe!ilure of ' tLe deb.ite lntiierto c«rrie>l on in the conventiou is the frankness * with wliieh « uuiuberof menibers liavii ,idiuitted tli!it t!ie iloininaul party as they motIes(lv eall theinselves is in a sad minority, aud ( that it is necessiry to fence in,its ‘*dominant positi«n by such elanaea iu the coiistitutioii whieh will preveut the majority «f ; the |*eople from boing beard. The presideut lias nttempted —and partiy succ**eded —in eonceutrutiug t)ie whole j*ower of the goverouient in himself. Nov>r in any constitution*l monarchy 1 «r republic did tho ehie! of the goTernmeut exercise tuo jn*wer j whieh Mr. D«le pr«jH>ses to exer cise. Wh«t r.ghts he haso’t w>cure<l for the pre«i<ient he has i vo>te«l iu his four uuuisters who simply nro his ttH>'s. Wliat the ministers eannol «b».tho Oouneil of State oau d«> nn 1 a more ubortive attempt t>f a republican institutioD th*o tiie Oonueil <>f State, has never beon invented Huvwiiere in tlie wt>rld. Anvthing that can’t be done by the presideot, the mniisters and the Oounoil of Slate—aud that is verv little—eau be d«ne by them with the holp of tlie S*uate j whieh aimply represeuts the sarue eUeaea. the same iuter«)iits, yes, j*erhaps tbe miihp men as the otber botlies uienti«ned. Tbe only l>ody that eau do nothing is that coustituted t*f tue re;*re- | seotatives of the j*oople. luiagiue a systenl of goveimuent | iu whieh the masses are grauted ; fifteen reprefieutatives aml the classes fifteea. Wbere in the : wor!d has auythiug similar ever been bearvl of or seen? Several < pn>visiousteud tobringthe judges ( of the Supreme Court iuto the vor- j I tex of po!itics They have been j there bef«>re we admit, but for j the sake of decency they had to i do their wire-pullings on tbe *ly. Mr. DoIe’s constitntion makea the »ly busīness uuneces- j e sary. The judges iu the fatore a wiil exeroiao more pulitioal power f than ever, aud be more unfit for ] their po*itioo6 and for a fair and t

i impartial e: erciae of justice even than tbey n »w *re. We coutd eonimue forcolumns 1 in demoost -at:ng the icf*mons «eheme eon octed by tbe miaaion- j ary f»mily compact, and oar ' r voice ahouh be beard all over tt«e land in denonncing the oii- I gvrcby whi< b inteods to masker- ! «<le under be name of tbe Hawaiian Re; nblic. liut we all know tbat t le proposed constitution «od pi >posed republic will l«e «tiIl-boi i. If a repablic is to l>e formed m Hawaii, well and g H»d B.:t it will Ue a true repohlie w:th a government of the j>eople, for the «nd by the people. N« w, tbey ean amn<e tbenselves *-th the second reading »nd the cirtain will droj» for the farce.