Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 338, 4 Kekemapa 1891 — Platform of Principle OF THE HAWAIIAN NATIONAL LIBERAL PARTY. [ARTICLE]

Platform of Principle OF THE HAWAIIAN NATIONAL LIBERAL PARTY.

INI)EPES:pE>'C£ 0F THE COUNTRY PBINCIPLE 0F GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION. 1. We deem that all Government should be fotmded on the principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity; we hold tbat all men are born free and equal' before the law and are endowed with I inalienable rights to life, to liberty, to ; propQrtp, to the ]»ursuit of happiness | and to self-protection againet arbits9ry | concentratipn of power, irre&pon«bte ■ wealth, $nd ufifair competition. We be* ! lieve that just government exists only | by the conseut of the People. and that, when it beeomes necessarv for the pub- > lie welfare, they may abolish existing' forms and establish more advantageous ' and equitable syStem; and, as the present Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom never has had the approval of the People, bnt was establisded by intimidation and fraud for th% benefit of a 6ertain class, therefore we favbr the adoption.of a new and more liberal Con- j stitution, to truly secure a Govērnment i of the People, by the Peoplē and for the | People. j JUDICIARY REFORMē 3. Our Judiciary system and Code of Procedutē must be submitted to a thorough revision, so as to secure a eheap and prompt administration of justice,free of aU sectarian or patisan spirit, «nd to render the Judgēs more directly responsible to the People; and we are in favor of a more liberal interpretation of Constitutional gaarantees of the freedom of speech and tiie press. TAXATION 4. A more just and perfect system of Taxation must be inaugurated, to abo. lish the present inequalities, by whieh ihe property «f the poor is excessively taxed f while mueh of the rich man's goode are under-valued for assessmenf or entirely eeeape taxation; we ahall therefore demand the passage of lawa that will more effectually subiect the property of corporatā< ns and neh citissen» to their just proportion of public 1 urdens, while grantmg more liberal ' exemptions to the poor; and as a means of discouraging the locking up of large iracts of ancultivated lands, a differeatial tax should be levied in addition to the usual assesBmenf en valuation»which shoold be in prōportion to the fertility of thesoil. Weehall also favor tablishment of a graduated income-tax, and thus expect to obtain ample funda for condncting the government and attending t» all necēssary puhlie improvement« without any further calls on the maeses. MONOPOLIEB We shall use our effort« to obtain' laws by whieh *U favoritism in the go/ernment and all monopoliea, tnists and to epeeial clasj*« shall be rendered impossifcle, by full, definite and mandatorv statntes. * 6. Better laws should regul&te Uie Civil Sērvice. The principle of the eieetion of o!liivrs ol' the g**vemment by the people shonld he ostablished. and no man should be allowed to hold more than*one oHiee ot piotit, whilst salaries ahouid l>e ada<iuate oomperwmtiou ior theearvi<«es rendered. Ali e.xc*&sive salaries shonld bē mlnee»! and aH sin«cures or ;*uperfinous offii>ee abolished. PRIVTECTION T0 HOME INr>USTRIE? 7. We are in favor of ent\>ur;iging all home and *ndati our native produets, like rice, wool. tobai\\>, etc. ahouhl nrotected and foatered by pmper tariff r*gulatiou; and alsoit nmst l>e t he duty uf the Govment, in its contrāets and other oper«to givo preterefiiv to «aiioiial «oct» oter ioai>orted onos.

PUBJLIC SERVANTB. LOCAL BELF-GOVERNMEST 8. We deBire a more liberal t>olicy towardg the different lsla*u]e oi the Kin«zdom, outside of Oaliu ; tliev fchould r**-' ceive a f«ihev proportion 6f ilie pnblkv moneye for t'nt devt.lopinent of their resomees and the Hatif-fac'Livn of their wants. In fact, the prindple of lot ai . Self-governmēnt >-houid be extende<i. Avhei;eby giving looalitiefi may eliooee th# moet important of their loeal exeeutive officer.«, and levy taxes for the pnrpo?e •leeal improvementE of a Dublic nature. PROTECTION TO THE LABOURIN(i CLASSES — . 9. We shall endorse all Tiieasnre tending to improve the condition of the \vorking classes, and consequently, without injurmg any vested rights, we wfll advocate laws to prevent all further iruportation or employment of contractlabor of any kmd, upon conditionp whieh will- bring it into a ruinous and degrading competition with free Hawai ian or white labor. We ahall also, m the interest of the better protection oi the poor, ask for more liberal exemptions» of their property from forced sale on execution, aud from seizure in bankruptov proceediōgs. SMALL FARMING AN D HOME. STEADS. 10. Thewealthy fraction of ourpopulation have hitherto prevented the development of an independent clasg of citixens; the puhlie lands have been acquired and have been tied up in a few hands or parcelled to suit favorites, and small farmers and planters have been driven out. by corporations or combinations «f capitalists: but ae small farming is eonducive to the stability of the State, it should pe encouraged by a new aud more liberal .bv wheh the ownership of small tracts of land and the settlement thereon of familie», of our present population,—and especiali ly of the native Hawaiian» who hav** been. left almost homeless in thcrecoun-try.-should be rendered poss.ble. To that end, the Government and Crown ( in m far as ean be done without invadtng vestedrightB ) shonld be devotled as Boon as possible to homesteads. and eonferred upon bona-fide settler6 free «f taxes .for a limited period. It ehould be the further aim of government to, at onee, so fa? unprove the zueans of tranßporti tion,—loeal, national and international, —ae to provide, m all the districts, eheap meaae of conveying the prodnct of the soil to market. KLECTORAL RIHGT. 11. We hold that upright and honert manhood. and ndt the l>osseseion of wealth, arbitrarily fixed, should constii the right to vote lor nohlee ae w'ell as i representatives, and no more power j should be avcorded to the baUot of the i rich mwi than to the bāllot of the | poor man. The discrimmation in favor | of wealth now made in our Constitution | is contrary to all the eternal principles | of right and justice, and ipust be abolish- ! ed. To this end, we will favor a leveling of the present distinetion of wealth and clasees whieh hlemieh our laws with reapect of the right to vote fcr nobles, thereby restoring to the native Hawaiian6 privileges whieh pertain to them in their own country, andof.which they have been un)uBtly deprived. INTERNAL IMPRQVEMEXTS 12 We favor the expenditure of su®cient sums to secure a number of needed puhlie improvemente on Oahu and other Islands; school, railroads and haVbon? and whan-ee, puhlie light, ajwi also a thorough syatem of reservoirs and water-works, not only for Honolulu, bnt throueh-out the other Islands.