Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 276, 9 September 1891 — A RETROSPECT. [ARTICLE]

A RETROSPECT.

When the Queen -engaged in a Conflict with her deceased brother's cabinet, the Leo aided by some of the highest minds in Ilonolulu, i :ade a strong fight for her prer-o gatives. The Bulletin was as usual on the fence while the Advertiscr was decidedly hostile. But the historical and constitutional arguanent of the Leo and the determincd thunder of its political batteries, were a credit to its writers of tbat day and have since been recognized and admitted as having had a large irjfluence in determining the succe?sful result.

The appointment of a new cabinet whieh followed was unfortunately &ccompanied, by "āll the and deception that had character - Jzed similar events in tbe previous Xdgune. - Tbe Queen's true course Was plain.enough; she should have named a cabinet from among the leaders of the popuiar parties; the T?arty that had stood by her loyally and stood ready to take up arms against the niisBionary reformere who were, and have been einee, lndulging in disloyal mutterings

But the Qaeen got utterly led astray, and oeglectmg the advice of ier true political friende, rather capitulated to her arch-enemies, "who practiced all the wiles of de«igning sycophants. With the ex <eption of the Mioister of Interior ; however, the new cabinet proved lairly acceptable, embracing as it did one man who was a leader of ihe National Party.

The Leo bowed in respect and applauded their entry into office t and penned its prettiest eompliments to the Premier and his eolleagues, believing in their p.itriotIsm and loyalty, and expecting that they wo.uld be true to the po)iticalparty with whom they eameinprominence and would respect its platform. principles and policy. In fact the National Party had good reason to believe that the new cabinet were designedly appointed to be their standard bearers, and %o vindi«ate the insolent treachery of their predecessors. _____

But what a &isappointz&ent have the people suffered as a result. We have .bee» utterlv deceived in the Premier and his cabinet. Like their predecessprs. thev gradually drew away from the men who were their real allies and supporters ānd allowed themselves to be manipulated by designing cliques, wire pullers, who were seeking their own self-interests: Oradually thev made it apparent that they propoBed to repudiate the National Pftrty and its principles, either desigoedly or through sheer indifFerenee; and linally, by their action Cind utterances, they dropped the mask and boluiy up|x i areil as the tools of the miBsiouary sugar-plant-er class; they beguiled the Queen snto showin£ asd anuoungijig an open %»eferer»ce for tke they are the apolftkg pl*omisc3 and tb' y g?orv in a ooneeil

that the wealth of the plantets will! win the eleeiion and sapport then> in office, and they afiect a contempt i for the industrial classes and for i the native Hawaiians.

Having kicked aside the waiional leaders and the national poliey, what line of policy have they adopted ? None! what have they done, and wha.t are; they doing ? Nothmg ! They are simply drifting, without anv intelligent purpose, and are trying to do as little as possible to earn the high salaries that j are paid to them as the executive offieers of the nation. The duties of office or the necessities of tjje state worry them not. The method, of handling the delicate tools v of government or of guiding the afFairs i and destinies of a state is a higher | branch of education whieh-they never attained. Premier, in the|_exuberance of his boyishness, is more inclined to be a sport of the turf, a knight of the green table or a petted lothar Tbe Attorney General, t to epicurian pleasures: ; . T . The Intetior man to a study ofhow to put off to-morrow what should and oiight to be done to-day, and how to get rid of the false promises that cqme home to roost: The Finance Minister at first was supposed to have been selected on purpose to shoulder the duties and burdens of the other three, but the load has already proved too heayy v arid it is every j day getting more apparent that he is ineapahie to face the duties of | his own ©ffice and that he will soon have to drop it. Meanwhile it | would appear to be an open ques tion whether we have an adminis trations at all, and jf we have. what are its vi#ible function outeide of thē routine work of its clerke.

The Leo, more especially in its native eolunin, has perhaps been unnee» ssarily severe in its strictu res on the Queen and her politieal conduct: But it was done in no spirit of disloyalty or spiteful venom, but because we realized that ehe was being misguided and was drifting away from the path of her*manifest duty, from the dignified, non- partisan but considerate rule necessary to insure the confidence, respect and love of her people. * That our adviceand warnings were not amiss is proved by the fact that she has been led into errors whieh unfortunately have had a tendencv to alienate the feeliftgs of the Hawaiians especitJly, and it is bec4use the Leo foresa2w this ? that wē sought by vigorous delineations to warn the Queen agaiust these very errors. But the cabinet are largely responsible for this, and we are bound to beliov(vthnt the Queen fetill lias at honrt thewelfare of all <-lusses of the people. we must repeat that thv fruition of such a wish, and the peaee and dignity of her reign, will depend upon the intelligence, ability and prudence *of i'lie advisers she listens to, and upon a dueregard for the modem principle.s of popular government. The present men have side-tracked the Crown aud the Executive, and brought the ship of state to a stand-still without knowing where are : or what thev oame there for.

This l»rings uh «o toe ptv4ent sUuniion in wlnoh tl»e vario6ian» du-t: ial tln» MnaU eapita-

l!sts aml rettraders, who eompiise the Natiohal Party, are becoming rest^si ; and dißContended because the tendency of government appears to ignc*re ihem and their party-struggiel for political recognitīon, and td favoi; a plutocracy as against certain weli defined interestB of tfee less favored classes. The native Hawaiians, and the intelligent and educated class cf young Hawaiians of mixed parfintage also feel kneely the slights and insults whieh are persistently heaped upon them by the cabinet, \ andi the manner in whieh they are ejected and kept out of tHe civil service in favor of alien foreigners It wounds their pride, loyaltv' nnd» ambition. All of these thing nave combined to' create a mistrust and want of confidence in the whole status whieh is agitating the public mind and will probably find materealized expression at the polls in February, if it doeS not vent itself any sooner.