Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 162, 17 February 1893 — Untitled [ARTICLE]

The. "Advert ~er in yesterd»y - i$sue a»?<rrt. s that ihe H>»l*>ml'a attacke ail respeclable people and itidui‘re s in rier*onal abuse. W e reque s t the i>dit‘>r of the “Advertit»er ' lo point out t> us a single instance in whieh we have all.ided to, or abused the private Iife or atFair- of any of our political opp<ments. We cnticize in etrong. aud, we feel assured. truthful ianguage, the puhlie act>ons of the men who have heeome eonspicuous {K>litically by their aetions in the community, but nobody ean say that we ever |»rint anything for the scandal-monger or j>runent to delight in. The “Advertiser,” on ihe contrarv, in neariy every issue indulges in vi'.e nersonal slailders against private people, and it never discusses the opinions and actions of the men opposed to the Keform Party’s Governmeut, but only tries to find and pub!ish snme malieioua and untruthful slur against the private life of such men. The ‘*Advertiser” favors annexation and wishes us all to heeome Atnericans and adopt American iustitutions. At the same time it whines over our f>rm of journalism, whieh every American newspaper-man will stamp as the milk and water sty e compared to the American style. and wants every p:.per 6uj»pressed whieh throws the light of truth on the policy of the ‘‘Adverti»er” clique. Should the “Advertiser” wish. though, to iniliaīe an era of personal jour.ialism here such as it hae started in its attacb on Messrs Kenyon and Norrie, we shall, however objectiouable it may be lo our feelings, fol!ow suit, and we think that ihe family e rapact will then feel very shortly very sick indeed, and wish the skeletons whieh we ean conjure up, back to their respective family-closets again. We recommend to the perusal of the Provisional Government and the “Advertiser” editor Mr. Thurstou’s s}>e«ches in the Legislature of 1892 on the occasions when certain members of the House went after the scalp of the “Advertiser” editor. Altough the “Advertiser” publisbed the mosl insulting articles against ihe Hawaiiau and against tbe Nalional Reform Party, Mr. Thurston always held that the country and especially anybodv of puhlie men whieh sbould attempt to suppress free apeeeh and liberty of the press were not worthy to hold rank in the civilization of the 19th century. When we get leisure, we shall hunt up the speeches of Messre Thurstou and Smith on this puint and reproduce them. The re{>ealing of the law providing for a third district maglstrate at Hilo is the most remarkable of I all the remarkable proceedings of the Advisory Uouneil. The bill vras passed in consequence of a largely sigaed petition and was supported by the three representalives from Hilo, Mr. Albert Horner of ihe Reform Party, repreaeating North Uilo, strongly #avoring the bilL Mr. Voung opposed the bill because he bad a letter from

bis plautation manager that h' d;dn*t wi.-h any cdange. but Mr. Young was unsuccesstul in his opposition. Now to repeal an act whieh the proper representatives of tbe people have passed, an act whieh was deraanded by the people of the dintrict in question, simply for the purpose of patting Mr. Young’s back is an outrage. Mr. W. O. Smith has repeatedly stated that the Advis >ry Oouneil shouid not tamper wiih eusting Iaws except where it waa necessary. Can Mr. Smitb give us any p>ssible r.nd plausible ex{>lanatiun o! how it has lieeomo necessary to repeal an ael of so sliglit coi'sequence to ihe e immum’ty at Iarge, but so earnest!y desired by the people of the district? We have commented on ihe repeal of the Littery Bill. Let that go hecause the bill was undoubtedlv bad. W’e have commented on the repeal of the opium liceose hill. Let that go because to a certain extent puhlie sentiment is against the principle of the hill. But the repeal of the Hilo judge bill is siraply a pieee of personal legislalion whichought not to be tolerated. and to whieh Mr. Dole emphatically should have refused to |»lace his signature. We have not looked at the proposition to change the Volunteer Fire Department inio a paid one with favor, mair.lv because we believed that it wou!d necessitate an increase in the expeuses whieh we thought the g.>vernment could ill afibrd at present. Sentiment to a certain extent also prompted us to oppose the change as, by the abandonment of the Fire Laddies, an old popular and tirue honored institation. of whieh Honolulu for decades has felt proud. and whieh has always been supported actively by many of the most prominent of our citizens, would be relegated mto aneieul histury. But on impartial investigation, we find that lately there has been so mueh friclion among the different oompaniee, and among the officers, that the efficient workiug of ihe deoartment seems somewhat impaired. Too mueh xx>litics have been introduced ou a small scale and a Volunteer Department divideri among itself on party lines will not he able to work so harmoniously as a pnid department, whieh is absolutely necessary for the preservation of discipline without whieh any department would be useless. In the present chief the departraent has unfortunately not found a man who ean command the respeel and support of the majority of the volunteers. His weakness aud laek of ability to assm his privileged position has intro<luced slipshcKlness in certain compames whieh has b«en regretted by the old friends of the departraent. The oppoeilion to the changing of the present system has also partly been caused by the impression that the present chief was the ehoiee of the Provisional Government for tbe sarae pusition in a paid depart ment whieh wou!d be very objectionable to those mitiated m the working of the department. There is no reason tbough for such an impresaion and to judge from the very proper and aeeepuhle appointments made in other department« by tbe Provisional Govern-

ment there.is all probab;lity that a fittin£ man will be se!ected if the change is made. We have had a> ce5~ to the estimate- made relating io the ehanee and find that the increase in expense wii! not ex eed the pre?ent — and that lbere in faot will be no necc'?ity f. r a f .rther ai>propriation if ihe j»rcs j nt chief bas not e.juai<dtrred us-lfc-- y loo mueh oi the amouiU grant>*<l by the Legisiature. A number <>f the m<>-t «• I perienoed fir*men in t >wn fjv >r the change, a 5 also J > tn- un<ierwritera, and we never believ- m allowiue i i sentiment l<> interfere with eomi { ■ mon sen;e, an>l t:ie be5t demands of the welfire of the e mutry. The editor of this paper Mr. J. Sheldon was produced betore the Advisory Council yesterday afternoon at 2 p.m.. as it seemed that the assembled wisdom had decided to go on with his case bef ire them i2aoring the fact that a writ of habeas corpus was pending before the Circuit Court. Better counsel prevailed, though, and Mr. Sheldon was released on $1<X) bail to uwait the decision of the habeas corpus case. The ease of Mr. Sheldon eame up before Judge Frear at Chambers this mnrnmg at llo'eloek. Mr. Ashford for the defendant opened the case and made a iuost e!oquent address lasting o.ie hour. The prosecution represented by Mr. Hatch will answer this afternoon, The important question at issue is if the country has got a constitution or nol, and if there are established laws here, or if all citizeus are to be at the mercy of any arbitrary acti>>n the Provisional Governraent may take. The community should be grateto the Holomua for bringing this vital point to a test at a great deal of expense and inconvemence. The final decision will be awaited with a great deal of interest. The “Advertiser” is daily reprinting from American papers expressions of puhlie men in regard to annexation. We will follow the example, but we will quote from the “Advertiser” and select Mr. Thurstou's speech on October the 16tn, in the Hall of the Legislarure. Mr. Thurston’s views on annexation coiucide very mueh with our own and as he is recognized as the prophet of the Reform Party his remarks deserve a great deal of attention. ‘‘He (Thurston) was nol talking on an annexation basis. The United Stat(t %could nerer take pom*fton of thi» rountry aijaine( the trill of the people. It i was not a live issue now, and when ’ it was introduced. U was done solelv with a view to mislead. An- 1 • i nexation was brought up and trotted out regularly. and was simply a snbslitute for the old missionary cry. When an e!ection etc., was over it would not be heard of again until a sirailar oeeaelon aroee. Before being frightened by the annexation scare-crow, it was well to stop and think. All hi*tory : belied thr idra that (hr United State* i could errr take this couutry again*t thr leill of thr peopU. ll had been first to recognize ite independence. Daniel Webster s*id, “if the French took tbe isUnds, they would take them b«ck and restore their independence, if il took the whole power of United j States to do it,” That was their poeilion and it had been consie- . II tently mainlained ever since.”

The “AdvertĪ8er” comes oui with big headlines and a ha!f eolumn ot “|v»dded" new> f«r the purpose of damuing the Euglish sai!ors in port. and trying to create a feeling between the American and Eng!isb meo-of-wars-men in p«<rt. It descril>es very minute.y a sailornot —whieh might have uken plaee Ia.-t night, but <lidn’t. Il nalurally throws all the hlame f,«r the imaginary riot on the G irnetmen and praiso- the American sail.irs far their c«< >lness and d:scre’ion. The whole artic!e is pub-li-lioi f<>r the purp»>se of stirnni: up h<r-iile tee!ings helween the two nationalities—an action whīeh sh.»u!d be condemued by every sens:ble citizen. That iii every {HJrt in the world where sailors of diffcreut nalionalities meet there are occasional ! brawls aiul ti;ihts i- a natur.il fact i and the less noliee taken of it the 1 betler; as long as the hosti!ity d<>esn‘t assume larger diuifcnsions than a pugilistic encouuter on the ()ueensberry rules between a eouple of half-seas-over sailors. To try to make a nalional p<Miit out of such daily fK-curreiice i? exactly what ean be exjiected from the 4 *Advertiser’ crowd wholately have I made themselves prominent in attempting to create a race feeling between the Hawaiian? and the foreigners here. To avoid any opportunity for possible troub!e 1 among the sailors, it would be expedient if the commanders of ihe ! different vessels wouhl arrunge among themseives so that thire respective ships crews <lon’t get shore leave on the same night. Such a preventive measure is very frequently adoptcd in other uorts. The British naval authnrities should be very ciireful in listening to any complaints against their men, as these will lie accused of all possible irregularities and offenses by the clique who considei*them as betes noirs. The mounted poliee were around last night and we regret thal there are loud complaints over their laek of comj>etency and discretion. A large crowd had gathered on the corner of King and Nuuanu Streets but there was neither any disturhanoe or any special reason to interfere with them. The mounted poliee, however. saw fit to charge on horseback into the mass of people without any warning, exposhig the peaeeahle citizens to the danger of being ridden down. A well known young gentleman who was in the crowd barely escaped being run over by one of the officers bv grabbing the bndle of the | horse. He was imraediatelv arrested ! by two of the minion» of the law ' and yanked to the Station at a ‘ full trot betwrrn (wo moun(rd mtn and in eminentdangerof having his favorite corn stepped on by the i horses. i Arrived at the Station House the Marshal was sent for, and after Ia ?bort investigation be recognized the blunder of his newly created [ polieemen. and. with his usual urbanity, apologized to the latest victim of officiousness and alloweii him to depart. If a foreign poliee force now ;s needed—whieh W. O. Smith Co., ?o emphatically denied in the Legj islature—men of discretion «nd eommon sense should be selected, : and tbe marsbal shou!d give ihem ! aa striogent instructions as poe-

?ible tq avo»d a repetition of » .vnnoying an occurrence. Has Martial Law heen secre:’.y declared, or what h«.- <truck our I military forces? Last n cht bef iween lnre’ve and one o’eloek a haek oonlaininu three well-known gentlemen on their tvay h>'rue wa» held up with a round turn by two men evident!y helonging to the r»gular army pointing tlieir rtl >» with bayonets on, at the h >r*‘. without even ealling «nU t > the driver t<> 3top. T>» »v>ud having ihe h<>r»- »|vared thedriver pu!l*-<i up. and upon enquiry by theoecnpant> of the carriage bv what rizht they were molested in a puhlie road, they were coolly int >r:ned bv >ne of the ritlemen that he w«nted to see who waa in the carri »ge! Thi>* occurrence took piaee on Beretania stroet onlakie the furmer nsideoce of Pr, J. Bro<lie. The appearance of the gentlenen ia the carriage seeme<l to have salisfied the em-bryo-general and he {>nvee<l<Hl to plaee hii* full-nx*ked ritle at eafety with the muzzle still pointinp into the carriage where a sympathetic praver f»r the welfare of the hfe insurance eompaniea w.i» silently breathed. Afler some incoherent 3tatement ab>ut English sailorx the carnage, was allowc<l to pr<>ceed, We certainly advise and encour.ige the commander-in-chief to hold an invcstigation because such u 8tand-and-deliver" —actiun by his men niight ltad t<» s<>me very disagreeab!e consc.juenc« s <>ne of these days—such pcrhai - abeing arrested as highway r >bb r». We nre ready tu furnish Mr. Soper with all further inf.ir<nati'>u in this matter.