Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 339, 7 Kekemapa 1891 — Platform of Principle OF THE HAWAIIAN NATIONAL LIBERLA PARTY. [ARTICLE]

Platform of Principle OF THE HAWAIIAN NATIONAL LIBERLA PARTY.

lndp:pp:ndexck of the couistry PRINCIPLE OF GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTIO2\. 1. We deem that all Qovernment ehoald be founded on the prineiples of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity; we hold that all meu "are born free and equal before the law and are endowed with i inalieiiable rights to life, to liberty, to i propertp, to the pursuit of happiness i and to self-protection against arbitrary t concentratiQn of power, irresponsible I wealth, and unfair competition. We be* ; lieve that juet government exists only I by the eonsent of the People, and tbat, when it beeomes neces,sary for the publie welfare, they may abolish existing forms and establish more advantageous and equitable system; and, as the present Constitution of tlie Hawaiian Kingdom never has bad the approval of the People, but was establieded by intimi- j dation and fraud for the benefit of a certain class/therefore, we favor tlie j adoption of a new and more lil>eral Coni stitution, to truly secure a Government! | o/ the People, hy the People and for tlie | People. ■ ' .TIJDICIARY REFORMS j 2. Out o{ consideration for the inherent | rights and present opinione of the na- i tive popnlation, i we d*ersire to retain the i independenee of the Countrv and defend ! its autonomy, iinder a lil»ral and popu- | lar form of government; bnt ouv Treaties witli Foreign Powers, and especially with the United States of America, should be revised, so as to better meet present neeessit|ies and to obtain more equitable advantages in excharigeof those granted bv us. 3. Onr Judiciary svstem and Code of Procedure must! be submitted to a thorough revision. so as to secure a eheap and prompt administration of justice,free of all sectarian or patisan >-pirit> «ml to render the J vidges moi-e directly responsible to tlie iPeople; and we are in favor of a more liberal interpretation of ConBtitutional $cuarantees of the i'reedom of speech and the press . T \XATION 4. A more just and perfe< t svstein of Taxation must l>e iija'igurated/ to abo, lish the present inequalities. bv u lūeh the property »f ;the poor is excessively taxed, while niueh of the rich man'k goods are under-valued for asseesment or entirely escape taxation; we shaīl therefore demaiid the passage of laws that will moi effectoally snbject tlie property of corporaticns ānd rich citizens to their just proportion of puhlie burdens, while iiranting mort: libcral exemx>tions to the poor; and as a means of discouraglng j the locking up of large ti*acts of uncnltivated lands, a differe«tial tax should be levie<l in additiou to the usnal assesdmenr mi valuation.which should in proportion to the fertility of the soil. v\'e shall also favor th« establishment of a graduated income-t«x, and thus expect. to obtain ample funds for conducting tke !joveriiment and atlending t« all ne<-eesary puhlie iinprovements witliout j nny further calls on ihe masses. MONOPOMK* n. \Ve shall use »»ur vilbrts t»» obtuin laws bv whieh all tHV(nitism in the iiooerninentand ;\U nionnpoiiea, trusts and privilegoa to elassfs shall ha rendeml imjK>ssible, V»y full, definite and mandatorv |statutes. (». lietter laws ro£iilale ih« CivtfSeryiee. Ttie pnneipīo o> the lion of otKoeis| v»t the tfovernment bv tlie people shouJd he estabU»hed. and no man sbould hei alloweii to hoW nwre than v one oftiee hf protiU vvhilst salaries shonld l>e add<iuato cu«pt>usaiion Jor the sarviiY*. renderfd. All >a!aries sliould l»e mluced ,md all sinecures or sou>erfinous oiluvs aboludied, j PROTKCTiON Ti» IiOME I OrsTK!KS j We are iu favoi- «>t ,d5 home asrricnhureand mdustr:ey, audati our nat ive pro*hicUs Uko ruv, .x>ffe«s wv>ot. tobaeco, eie. should aud tostcred hv; proin>r taritr rt*ulation; and also it m>ast be the duty oi the ment. in its cy>ntraovs and other opera* tioni», to \»ive preferonee to national durt> o\er ioin«rtM one*.

PUBLIC SBRVABTB. * 8. We desire a more liberal policy towards the different Islands of the £mgdom, ootside of Oaliu; they sho«ld receive a fairer proportion of the puklie moneys for the devt.lopment of their re~ sonrces and tne 6atipfactirn of their wants. In fact, the principle of loeai Self-government Bhould be extended, whereby giving locaiiti&s may ehooee th« most important of their loeal executive officers, and levy taxes for the purpose 1 eal improvements of a Dublic na|ūr6. t PROTECTIOy J THE LABOUHIN(i 9. «We shall endorse all measure tendir.g to improve tiie condition of the working cla. Q ses, and consequently, without injuring any vested rights, \ve wfll advocate laws to prevent all further importation or employment of contractlabor of anv kind, «pon conditions whieh will bring it into a ruinous and degrading competition with free Hawai ian or w r hite labor. We shall also, m the interest of the better protection oi the poor, ask for more hberal exemptions of their property from forced sale on execution, aud from seizure in bankruptcy proceedines. SMALL FARMING A2iD HOME STEADS. 10. The wealthy fraction of our population have hitherto prevented the development of an independent class of citizens; the puhlie Lands have been acquired and have been tied up in a few hands or parcelled.to suit favorites s and small farmers and plaiiters l»ave been driven i out by corporations or Tjbmations of 1 capitalists; but as smali ! ;rnilng is eonducive tothe stabilitv of the State, it j should pe encouraged by a new auu |-mx>re liberal Homestead act, by wheh i the ownership of pmall tracts of iand | and tlie settlement thereon of families i of our present population,—andespeciali I ly of the native Hawaiians who have been left almost homeless in there eoun-try.-should be rendered« possible. To | that end, the Government and Orown | lands, (in so far as ean be done withont. i invadmg vested rights ) should be devotjed as soon as i>ossible to hombnteads. | and conferred upon bona-fide settlers free of taxes for a limited penod. It should be thu further aim of government to, at onee, so far improve the means oi tranBporti tion, —loeal, national and intemational,—as to provide, in all the districts, eheap »eans of convey- | ing the product of the eoil to market. KLEGTORAL.RIHGT I 11. We hold that upright and honen. | manhood. and not the x>osseesion of i wealth, arbitrarily fixed, should oonstithe right to vote for nobles os well as i rcpresentatives, and 110 more power ! should be accorded to the ba!lot of the ; rich man than to the ballot of the : poor man. The discrimination iia favor of wealth now made in our Constitniion | is contrarv to all the et«rnal principles ; of right and jnstice, and must be aboli.*h- ; ed. To this end, we w*ll fāvor a Jevel- ! ing of the preBent distinction ot wealth j and olasses whieh blemish our la\vs with respect of the right to vote t*or noj bles, thereby restoring to the native i Hawaiians privileges whieh pertain to them in their own country, and of whieh they have been nnj«fstlv deprived. !NTERNAL IMI»ROVEMENTS 12 We favor Uie expenditure of j cient sums to secure a number of needed I puhlie improvements onOahu and other | lelands: railn»ds and harbors | And wharveB, public light 5 and also a thorough syatem of reservoirs and | water-works, not only for Honolulu, hnt | tlirou«h-out the other lslan<ls.