Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 100, 30 April 1894 — The Appropriation Bill. [ARTICLE]

The Appropriation Bill.

♦ Tbe pass9ge of an appropri ition bill foi tbo comitg two years bv a provision!i! govemaient is one of tbe most astoondmg actions tbat Dole <fc Co. v* t b«ve comtoilted —on tbat we will say sometbing. It c;tn only be | described as a pieee of gross impmlenee to tbe couutry «nd to tlie taxpayers. Tbe provisionaI j government bas sigmfied tliat its ) existence is to be terminated in a few wecks l>v calling a coustitniional conventioii fur the purpose | of forming a perruanent, and, it i is to be boped, a respectable government by tbe people. Tbe passage of tbe appropriation bill seems to iudicate tbat tbe consti- i tntion to be passed bv tbe eonvention is olreudy raanufactured . . * and that it will provide f<»r the continunnce of tbe presont gov ernmeut “ad iufimtum.” If it was tbe programme to pnss a decent constitutiou, and imraediate!v bold an election, and ea’.l a i legislature, it woukl be botb im- | proper and ridiculous for tbe p. g to bave speut its time raaking a bill tbat most probab!y woukl meet witb disapprovai by the regular legislature, anel eonseqneutly woukl bave to bo mude over again. Tbe action of tbe p. g. gives color to tbe repor( tbat tbe new const;tatiou will make Do!e president for 10 y6ans —wi(bouteIectiou—aud will make ! tbe present councils hokl office for life. If Hawaii quietly will - accept a fundaraeuial law witb | >ncb provision all we eau say is tbai sbe deserves to get it. Tbe appropriation bill in itself is a remarkablo affi*ir. It is to appear in tbreo volumes. For wbat reasons we cannot see. At present we are told tbat all salaries nre provided, for yet we see notbing of tbe salaries for tbo military— perbaps tbey serve for notbing, or perbaps the government is «shamed to sbow the sinful waste of tbe taxpayers' money in tbat departraent. Some day an appropriation bill w.ll liave to be tnade, aud it , slion1d certainlv be made so specific~tbat everybody ean see bow muoh be pnys for tbe pleasure of “edacating” u nuraber of loafers and giving regi ' I meulal (?) bops. Tbere are no signs of retrencbmeut. Some salaries bave beeu ; cut down aud otbers bave been raised. W. O. Smitb wbo in 1892 pointed out tbat be ruther would be jailer j in Oahu Pr;sou witb $1500 a year tban cbief-elerk witb 53000 bas cbanged bis miud and spoke i warmlv for a raise iu tbe sa!arv. • • His reasons were tbat tbero were st preseut quite a diflerent kind I of prisoners, mneh more dan- i . gerous, tban two years ago. Is that one of the bentfits tbat tbe | country has gained since tbe idvent of Stevens’ immacalate goverument? The extravagance 1 ia tbe |>ay of tbe legation in Wasbington bas already been , commeuted ou. Tbe heat witb whieh tbe government fongbt for «n increase in tbe salarīes of tbe i emp!oyees of tbe itgation and tbe great importance tbey placed on tbe senioesof tbe show-fiend aod his barmless clerk proves that. whieh basbeeo sa:dtothecoQtrary i V/ Umi p. g. {imi, Uw £Uwauaa i

question is yet t verv live qnes- ' tion in V ' irgtoa Tbe Lojrslists sril: pi»*ase take not ; ce. Ue-f-*re tbe apj ropriation «&s p sāc<i «e sbon!d Lave thongbt it g->od sense and poltcv f.»r the Minister of Pin.inee to bave pl iced the otLer %wo volnmes before lbe coontry to sbow bow mneh the total txpenditnres of tne coantry is e>tim.ited at. and tben he ui:gbt at tbe same time bave pre sented an €5timate (an bonest one) of ihe revenues for the same neriod If be bad done that the Conncils won!d bave known wbat they were about and how mueli money tbe cor.ntiv cjq atfor.l on- ; der t .e present circomstance> to pay in saUries. As it ;s now tlie l>r.>sj*ects are tb it tne whole bill will bave to be r< considered nnd the next govermuent forced tocnt tbe coat accorJifig to the cloth The Advisory Cotineil by tbe way seems to be as interested in piih'ie works aiul iruproveraents as is the Execntive. But wby both>r aboat the puhlie i.s long as they bave Soper—and bis uuifono.