Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 291, 25 August 1893 — Untitled [ARTICLE]

Asu iiow we have the usnal wcekly fia*nci*l «t«tenient b»-fore our with its uaunl reti»arkab!e halaiK-e maile of borrowed tn->noy, cuufiscate*l Cr*>wn 1.hu«1s eweuue», i and money *aved bv not j*aying just au«l due debts. lu prt»enting Ihe !-titerneut il 8pi»oars that Miuister IKimon made a iew reaiarks conceriiing the finances whieh ehowe that the criticistn of his govemmenl’e fiuancia) condilion by the Bulletin has annoyod him to eome txteut. However like u aenaib!e nia i instead of damning the newsj>a|«ers, he goo» to work and eiplaiu» or endeavors to exjdaiu a» iiv the Hulleim’sc<>nclusion8. In duing this, however he simply (while ch»rging the Bulletin with • lbe same < ff-nce) shows his ekill in nianii)ulating figures and facts. Fiudii g that he cou!d not refute the slatement lhat the P. G. had overrun the constable iu their txj»eiid.lure8 while Ksseuing their ineome, he pr.»ceeds to do tne usual coi jtiring hash of the expert aecouutaiit aud exulaaisthat to ahow what ihe P G. hes done, ;t is uecessi.ry to tack on six months of the tuonsrcby to them aud then c*»mpare tbis brsndled hybnd I»r»»duction with a previous twelve nioulli» of a!l monnrchical finance. By tliis wondert‘ul process he pr >vts that the 1*. G. finances are, have been, aud wili be, in a most H •i’rishinj: coudition in every way vustly superior to en effete mon. rchy’s purse-9triugs. Now if this is nol juggliug with figureg, we w.-uld like i» km»w what it is. Oue ha!f rn<>narchy, one hnh' !*. G., oiake» the result s > ealisficU>ry to Mr. Hamon thatheatonce holds out the miraculous hermajihrodite ns Hbs<iluto j.n>of that the P. G. have had the moet eeonomieal adniiuislraiiou tha c->untry has ever kuown. lt is suspIciously like lbe l'ianter’s mouthIy bond editonal in the Advertiaer the other dav — one half whiskey and one hal! ginger-ale. But \vhat r;chness, what exj>ert skill. do we seein the finaneial feat. The P. G. are accused of exlr »VHgance, and sjjendmg more thau their ioeome dunng their seveu m >ulhs of exislence, aod forlhwitn >’r. Dtmon etej»s into the arena aud says: Gentlemeu. we are «cvu»ed uf bcing «xtravagant, and sj>eudiug more th»n we hnve m>.ived. Now. l’ll sh«>w vou thnt is nul jH.«sibie, because if you take the iast »ix months of tbe mouarchy aud it» savings. and put it to our t»»t«l, you will see, that we h«ve iheu fur ihe whoie year made an immeuee saring. lt is trae '*ur • x monti>8 hare spent nearly aii thal saring, but you look et the whoie year. iX>n’t look »1 our six n» nths, Gentlemeu. ererrthiug is lorely. and the gooee hangs bigh. Tben «oMe e er: The Bulletiu aud otber Koralist newspapers ought to b« m ihe guofte’a poailioo. Now. thts i* really rery aerious for a gentiemau in Ilr. Damon’s kpoeilkm to throw dust ia tbe eyes lbe pubiic aud bta eoileaauea of r . J

j the counci!s in this way. M hen 1 v j cor«ider that all exj>endilure «in r*ads. bndgrs. wharves, waterw.ths. h.«rb»r dre*Igmgthe surreyine i-partm€nt, aud in f.ct, every- ’ thu g > f pob!:c utility. hsd t<> be slopptd for want of m<»ney. Th.nl i ev»rv wor‘< iiuth'.riz-ei bv the law- ■ . f.il leg st <ture <>f the conntry has j had to be jsstpoued t<» allow for ihe j <yiiient ot the milit <ry. That 1 the revenues <>f the cr»wu lands 1 were c*>nfiscited t<> swell the re- ! ceiptsandtot.dcoverfinancialbankruptcv. That n»oney has heen b<>rrowed, and the country’s debt swelied to that exlent. That bills are not paid when duc. Again,when we consider all these tbir.gs il seems to us somewbat renoarkable that ine alleged halanee isn’t mueh | larger than it is said to be. But il I wiil take more than Mr. Damon’s j bare assertion Jto make people believe that these niodes of forcing a halanee are eilhei correct or seund financial policy. or that tbey are of anv benefit to the country. A policy whieh sjjends |17.0'.K) a uionlh in military despotisnQ, in such a way that it benefits people abroad, but not at home, and whieh taiks about sj>eiidii g a pussible ; 110,000 a monlh on nseful puhlie works, while actually employing convict h»bor to Ihe exclusi<>n of free m<chanics. and whieh makes its halanee loo;t large by leaving its debts uupaid. and goes on paying heavy interest on long overdue notes is not calcclated to make the j>eop!e of this country helieve the finauces are in a sound coudition. No! You will have to do something real and practical, Mr. Dara>n, and n<»t merely talk nnd mingle figiire8 with a practised hand, if y<»u wish people to believe the couutry is not being extravagantiy an<l foolishly administered.