Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 110, 11 May 1894 — Constitutional Government in Hawaii. [ARTICLE]

Constitutional Government in Hawaii.

StuJonts of governmentil t!.eorv aml phenomen i ean observe mneh that is calculated lo iu terest and arnuse them goi«g on at Honolulu just now. Ex-Pres-iJcut Harrison, who JeclareJ to the l niteJ States S -nate that the so-calleJ revolution of January, 181*o, w,is a j>opular uprising of the Hawaiiau people, and was not in anyway promoteJ by -be representatives of tuis govern ment, ean finJ a gooJ «ieal of special instruction in the f.ict that only five hunJreJ votors have registereJ for participation iu tho coiningelection of members of the constitutioual convontion. The instructive character of this information will be broaJeneJ anJ <b‘( j»eufcj if he bears in m nd the further fact that the ktal vote of the islands is thirt«*on tbousauJ («>n the basis of a fr mcliiso whieh exduJeJ a Iarge , j>roportion of the native ponula*j tion. Senator Morgan, who“se enthusiastic joy over tbo s]iread 1 of iejiublicau institutions of gov- ) ernmeut in tlns western hemis phere leJ him to Jeclare that Hawaii “is au Aoierican St ite embraced in the Amenean e >m mercial and inilitary svst m, whioh entitlos lier t.> in«lulg»*nt consideration, lf not active sympaty. in her endeavors to release her people from tlie odions a itirepublican r«*gime whieh subor-( JiuateJ them to the supposedi Jiviue right of a monarch whos > title to such Jivinity originate«i iu the uu>st slavish condition> of pagau barbarity." sbonld be »blei to view Ihe present poIittcal Jevelopments at the islands v ith a great Jenl of complacency, forJ they corroborate the uot«riousj fact tb.it he is a man of iare perspijiacitv aml sounJ judgmont. au«l that he knows r3pabli.au; iustitutions of government bv their touch and laste just as a moust* knows cheese. The Hawaiian system of applying rej ablieau principles of government to the practical atfairs of life se?ms' to imlicate that tho Hawaiiaul. idea of what oonstitotas a repub 1 liean forru of governmeut JitFers' »idely from that of Abraham Liueoln. who defined a repoblic to be “a governmeut of the j>eople, by the people, aud for the | people;*’ it ditfcrs also from :hat| ( ■ of the framers of oor Declaraciou of InJejiendeuce, who avow6il it: to be a self-eviJant truth :hat goveruraoats derlve *‘their jost| powets from tbe «?onseat of tbe ; gorerneJ. T.»k«. for eumpie.! 1 the matter of the “uow coasiita-1 * tkm” whieh is beiag so mueh« ( t.iikeJ of Just mnv. TLe coavea-, i tion, wLieh is being calied for t the purpose of drafting it,will ! a

not rneet nntil next month. aml ! t e !n?tnber> »ho are to com{>ose iic -ire not yet l>oen eleote*l — | -i ;a ts. in vtew of the genen! • euvir nr;ents aml ppevailing eon<1 tions. it would be more accarate ito say selected. Tet ve are iold. , in' tbe latest correspondence. that : “ever sioce tbe retirement of President Dole from tbe office of Minister of Foreipn At!airs be I bas been engaged in drawing np a “new constitution.” In tbe f;ice of this fact it would seem as . tt;or._'i. tw is a work of | dnity for tbo p-.»triotic five hun‘>lred foi«iga ndvj ut ir<*rs t>> go | | through the trouble of registering , and holding even a sham eleotion ! of deiegates. Tbe i.istrnment. as draft 1. is what ono of the forrner Senators frorn California would b»ve designated “a bord. It provides th >t the new government is to t ike ber plaee araong tiie nations of the earth uuder one of two titles —the Comraonwealth.of Hawuii or the Hawainui g >vernment. As fhere is nothing eommon about t .>i> reraarkable governiuent organizatiou, the latter would seem to be tbe more appropriate naihe Tbe functions of govermue .t are, as provided for iu tliis ‘ constitntion,’‘ to be performed by and vested in a President, a Vioe-Preaident, an Execntive ('ouneil. a Senate and an ' Assembly. Tfaere is a solemn silence as to how the President :ind Vice-President are to acqnire titl(i to tho respectivo ofticos. ! Probably it will be by that “divme right' ’ whieh Seuator Mor gan bolds in sncb ]irofonnd eoutempt when it is connected with “pagan barbarity.” Ths divine rigbt nf a missionary (or tlie son of a missionary) who has robbed the Siv;iges be h;is professedly lieen labi-ring to couvert is. however, a superior art:cle of divinity.' 1 and wiil pa.ss muster in Hono j lulu just now. The Executive Counc:l is to be au ex-ojjficio body aud wi!l cousist of tlie all-power-fnl Ministers of State. Jt is wheu \ve eome to the Legislatnre. \ tho essentially representative brauch of all governments, that \ the full beaut\' of republican in- ! stitutions of government, as they are uuderstood in what Seuator Morgan designated “an American i State,’ appears. Tlie coraing Hawaūnn Seuate is to beappointed by the Presideut, Vice-Presi- ' dent and Executive Couucil. It will cor sist of twenty-four members. The condng Hawaiiau lttssemb;y will cousist of forty j j mcmbets. who will be appointed ; bv the E\ecutive Oonneil and l the Senate Thus \ve have ai scheine of government whieh, j tbongh it is divided iuto dep irt- | ments, is so exquisitely &maiga- ■ mated tliat friction between its eomponeni parts is almost an im- ; possibi ity The oulwanl forms aud nomenclature of repnblican i iustitutions uf governmeut has ■ been as carefully preserved as j their spirit—the conseut of the governed -has V>eeu avoided. i l*uder the old Hawaiian mouar-1 chy, Pariiament, wiiieh was elected by a fall aml free vote | of tho j>eo| Ie. ruled. The Queen's prerogntives were merely nomiual. l>at, as Senator Morgan justly remarked. the raonarchy i restcd on the divinity of pagan barbarity, whieh is not half so : niee as the diviuity of a missionary of the one iiving and true God who has, with sacer I dotal uuotion, despoiltd his eon-1 verts of all the property they pos-; sessed .»nd fiuully wrenched from them the emj>ty right to a voice in the aft tirs of their own eountrv.—6. F. Xc n Let(er.