The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-05-29

cent offspring of guilty parents, let the gript
upon the threats of the latter be relaxed, thai
if possible the former may live to be brought NJ
(Iet us hope) to better things and for the sake
of humanity let harshness, and what looks more
like revenge than timely correction, be supersed.
ed, to some extern at least, by leniency. Nc
one who understands the subject can believe
that immortality will be increased one iota by
this course, or that severity in the laws will ever
suppress it.
\ law is now before the House, to create an
Attorney-General in place of the several attor-
neys now employed-one on each island. The
act is quite lengthy, comprising nineteen sec
tons, and confers on the King the power TO APP
point such an officer, to serve four years, for
such pay as the Legislature may vote him. The
'deG OF creating an Attorney-G General for the en-
tire group is a good one, but the draft of the
law now before the House, Ia lame in one OF two
points. An General should not be
allowed to practice for his own profit, and should
be perfectly oonrerSaRt oc1fh The Ha,caiian fong1e;
otherwise n . deputy" must be constantly en-
ployed to do the work which he ought to do.
lie should be competent and willing to do the
tchoe serrfce without = deputy. It is time that
some stringent regulations were adopted, requir-
ing Il knowledge of the native language as a
qualification for office, particularly in judges and
attorneys, where justice depends on Il nice inter
probation of the causes of complaint or dispute,
which can only be gained by familiarity with
the language of the parties interested in the suit.
The idea of a judge sitting to Gdjudicate befIceen
%natires, or an attorney to prosecute, when he
knows no more of their language than an Esqui-
maux, is, to say the least, an injustice. Now
that this question is up, Il beginning should be
made by the adoption of a rule which can only
result in great benefit to the native race, and
which justly ought to be conceded to them.
Quite Il spirited discussion took place on
Tuesday, on u motion to accept the majority
report of the committee to whom were referred
petitions asking for a repeal of the Act to Miti-
gate, &c. The report urges the repeal of the
law. The debate occupied several hours, and
was participated in by some of the best speakers,
who presented facts, pro and con, not generally
known. \ report of it will be found on the
next page. The question of accepting or re-
jecting the report, on which the debate sprung
up, was viewed as a test of the sense Of the
House on the ~propriety of the existing law, and
resulted in a vote of - in favor of the report and
the repeal of the law, and 8 on the other side
members declining to vote. This vote fair
ly exhibits the popular feeling, and probably
indicates very nearly the ratio Of the oppo-
nents and supporters of the law of 1850, out
side of the House as well as within it. That
aw would probably not have been enacted, had
not the most strenuous %exertions been made at
Inc last Legislature to bring over to its support
few members-suficie to make a majority
" creating the belief that the law could be
.cpcaled ut any time, if unsatisfactory.