Nuhou, Volume II, Number 15, 16 September 1873 — OUR OPPOSITION [ARTICLE]

OUR OPPOSITION

To ihe pre*ent Ministry' "has been uniform, unvarying and persistent sinee ttreir first incumbency of office. In the first numbers of this ioumal, we discussed our need of men, with some policy, and the ability to defend their policy; We asserted then that the men placed in power had neither the capacity of ideas nor of action; and no other policy but that of laissez faire and to wait for something to turn up. It is now manifest to the whole community ? foreign as well as narive, that we did not thus criticise them unjustly or in vain. They have fulfllled to the letter } our estimate of their official character. Their respectability of means l whieh is their sole elaim to eonsideration, has not been fbund of any avail when danger threatened the State and society. In the late emergency, whieh afforded a good opportunity for a test of the courage, presence of mind, mental resource and persuasive ability of public'men, thejr were found entirely wanting. Owing to negligence on their part, being oceupied ēither with their private affairs } or engrossed in social relaxation, they were entirely ignorantof the progress of the mutiny, and when their attention was fully aroused $to its gravity, they did not concert any intelligent plan nor assume any personal risk in attempting to meet the crisis, but had to trust to the royal inAuenee; and such weak dependency on their part must make one thing patent to every refiecting mind. how superfluous they are in their official function as an aid e to the Sovereign. If the Kin'gs person must ahvays stahd in the breach when danger threatens, what need has the country of these costly, §upernumerary clerks ? lt has no more need of such men than it had of mutinous soldiers, — who both may be equnlly mischievous, the one by inaelion, as mueh as the other by actiQm It is justly said, that in diplomacy and aifl\irs a blunder is worse than a crime,—because the butigling work of a timid man ui public affairs may entail more disaster to puhlie welfare, than some arbitrary, wrohgful a t of a strong willed man, who still keep> tlu people undeT"contrōi/'' Our ue juSt the men to commit blunders, because thev don't know what to do; their nerve ahd presence of miiul <mitirely fail a public exigency, aiui Hawaiian public funetioiwries it must be said of them, (hat hot one, not even excepting the two who are irtost espcciallj ulentifiod witii this eountry, areeapableof nddre?sing \vith any degree of persuasive ability a Hawaiiau assemblage. In view of thes» statements, and that on enquiry, it will ,t>e found that we now represent the sentiment of a !arge majority of the people of thi* country, it will be wdndered at by' those stranaers ob«erv;\nt of tyir nffairs. how s\ich

men ever £ot eham; of the Government. o o Like, ās it is sai'd inrespect to Aie? in amber ; the \vonder wili be— ** Not that they are so neh and raro, But how the devil thej ever got there."' lt will not be difficalt for almost any intelligent resident in this community to explain the intrigue and a certain judicial influence, taking'advantage of iuexperience whieh led j mainly to the formation of the present Cabinet. It owes its existence, to a great extent, to the iniluenee of certain speculative interests and to the financial whieh it seemed to represent, without any reference to the real interests of the country. And now, not only the native people, but a majority of the foreigners are ready to declare their want of confidence in-such men as public- officers ; _and in view of such general dissatisfaction, but tnore especiallj r in view of their own positive failure to sustain in their persons the dignity or honor of the Sovereign, and their utter inability to carry with them any \veight- of authority, or prestige of office, it would be simply decent— an act of eommon sense on theirpart to surrender to His Majesty the commission for the exercise of public functions whieh they have utterly failed to fill, or to honoi*. Let them calmly consider our words, because we feel that we represent in this matter an opinion that will, if unheeded, speak to them more potentially in some ■other form.