Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 343, 11 December 1891 — Platform of Principle OF THE HAWAIIAN NATIONAL LIBERAL PARTY. [ARTICLE]

Platform of Principle OF THE HAWAIIAN NATIONAL LIBERAL PARTY.

independen|ojs of the cquntey PRINCIPLE ŌjF GOVEKNMENT AND CON STITUTION. 1. We deemi thāt all Government ehould be fouii(Jed on the principles of Liberty, Equatity and Fraternity; we hold that all me|ii are born freeand equal before the law |and are endowed with inalienable riglits to life, to liberty, to propertp, to the pursuit of happiness and to self-protection against arbitrary concentration powei*, irresponsible weaUh, and unf|air competition. We be lieve that just government existe only by the consent of the People, and tbat, when it beeomes necessarv for the publie welfare, they may abolish esisting forms and establish more advantageous and equitable s>|-stem; and, as the present Constitutiob of the Hawaiian Kingdom never has had the approval of the People, but was establisded bv iniimidatien and fraud for the benefit gf a eertain class t t :ierefore we favor the adopMon of a new and more libfral Constitution, to truly secure a Government o/ the People, % the People and for the People.

.TTTDICIARY REFORMB 2. Out of consideration for the inherent rights and present opinione of the na» tive popnlation, I we dersire to retain the indei»endence Country and defend its autonomy, under a liberal and popular form of government; butour Treaties with Foreign Powers, and especially with the United States of Araeriea, should be revised, eo as to better meet pre«ent necessitiea and to obtain more equitable advantagee in exchange of those granted by ue. TAXATION 4. Ā more just and perfect system of Taxation must be inaugurated.* to abo. lish the present inequalitiee, by whieh the property of the poor ie exeesßively taxeid, whiie mueh of the rich man's goods are under*valued for assessment or escape taxation; we ahall therefore demand the passage of laws that will more effectually subject the property of corporati ns and rich citizens to their just proportion of puhlie burdens, while j granting more liberal exemptions to the poor; and a& *4neans of d\scouraging the locking up oflarge tracts of »ncultiv»ted lands, a differeßtial tax should be levied in addition to the usual assepemen/ eu valuation»which Bhould be in proportion to the fertilitv of the soil. We shall slso favor th« e&> tablishment of a graduatetl ineome tax ( and thuB expect to obtain ample funde for oonducting the government andattendi»g to all necessarv puhlie improve*' aents without any furttier calls on the I ■i,iasses. : I MOXOPOLIKS I r>. We shall use our efforts to ohtaiii I hiws by wliioh »11 iavoritism in the j i rnment and all monopolies, trusts and l>rivileges to s|¥»cial elassos sh.\U lie i iiden\l imposssfcle, bv full, definite 1 mar.datorv itutes. ! IWtter h>ws 4hould regulate the Ci- | vil Senne. The| .pnnoiple Of the ei*#oj li n of olli«vrs of the governnient by ;i suoaM Vh> 4Ugv\»\t īk K1 m»>re . :ii;oi wnūst salane <»«»« ald N» avUqiju»te coi«|HMisj\tiv.n for ih-»sarvioes »i>ntU|r-Hl. A»1 e\t«essive sa» ' i:ir«»»8 shouM he rvdmvd ,:nd all (i»nec»ir s or sur«»rtki<i>ns ot!ieeB )>bolished. rT?oTKcndK TO homk i»rsrMKs 7. We are in fayor of encf>urasjins» all l oi»ie agncultur4 aiul mdustrWs amlali >ur nati\v proch|ctts. hke ru>\ c*>rtW» vv >oK tol»am>, etc. shouUl 1h» nrotfote<i <nd phn* k r tHriff wM?idst < yn.l >it »m:st t!.e d«i*v «»f thc : : vi, in its o«m\raois aml other t»pcrav as, to give nation«t proU *t* ow imw>rted onee.

.* . PUB#jIC SERVAJRW. . XjOCALBiBLF-<i»VBBMMEI«t B.' We des:re a more liberal p(AUaj tfK Wanle tbe different lslands of 4he Kisig- , dom, outside of Oahu; they- ah.oqld xecei\T a fairer proportion of the pobiic moneys for ihe dev* lopmenl of tlteir re- . eoiirces and tne satipfactirii of thipir wante» In fact € the prineig}§_ of loeal. Belf-governm«nt shonīd b,e extended t wliereby giving looalHiee may chow®e the most important of their loc»I executive officerg, and levytaxes for the purp«se 1 eal imDroyements of a Dublic natare. PROTECTION "TOTHE LABOUj^G* CLASSES 9. We ahall endorse' all measure tending to irmprove the condition of the workingclasses, and ctmsequently, with- ; out injuring any vested rights. we wfll advoeate laws to prevent.all further iniportation or employinent of contractlabor of anv kind, ujon conditions whieh will bring it into a ruinous aai<i degrading competition with free Hawai ian or white labor. We ehall also, m the interest of tlie better- protection oi the poor, ask for more l.beral exetnption& of their property from forced sale on execution, aua from seizure in bankruptcy proceedings. SMALL FARMfNG AND HOME STĒADS.

10. The wealthy fraction of onr population have hitherto prevented the developmont of an independeni class of citi?rene; the pubīic lands have been acqusred and have been tied up in a fe\v hands or parcelled to suit favontes, and small farmers and planters have been drlven out by corporations or -->nbmation6 ol capitalists r but a» smali 'ming is eondueive to the stabilitv oi the State,- it should pe encQuraged by a new more„liberal Homestead act, ;by wheh I the ownerehip of small trī»cts of land |and the settīement thereon of lamilies of our present populaiion,—and eepeeiali \y of the native Hawai ians who have been left almost homeless in there eoun-try.-should be rendered posK»ble. To that end, the Qovernment and Oowa lands, ( in so far as can be done witl>out invadmg vested rights ) should be devoted 'an soon, as possible to homesteads. and conferred upon bona-fide eettlerß free of taxes for a limited period It should bethe further aini of government to, at onee, so far improve Uie meane ol transport tion,—kJcal', national and internationala« to proYide, in allthe districts, cheap,ssiea&B ofcoitveying the pr«doct of the eoil to market.

FLECTORAL RIHGT 11. We hokl that npright and ftonest manhood, and &ot the poeeeeaioii oi wealth, arbitrarily fixed, should constithe right to vote lor nobleB as well as representatives, and no more power should be accorded to the ba!lot of the rich man than to the bailot oi the poor man. The digcrinunation ia favor of wealth now made in oar Const!tntion is contrary to all the et*rn*l principles iof right and juetice and muBt be abo)isk> i ed. To tiiis end. we wll favtr a *evel- ! ing of the preeent dieti ction of wealUi and clasees whieh hlemieh our laws with respect of the ris?i:t to vote for no« blee, thereby reBtoring to the native HawaiianB privilegeB whieh pertain to them in their owa country, and of whieh they have been un)nstlv cteprived. INTBRNAL IHl k KOV KMENTS 12 We favor the expenditure ol su&> cient sums to sec«re a nui»ber of needed public impro\»ements «r • hu and otl>er l6lands: schōol, and harbora aad wharvea, pub> »t;ht,iMd atsfra thorough ByaU iu « ' r» r\ i >rf ;m) water«works, not onlv » r .-ulū but thri»u«h-out th»* <t 1 i