The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-05-22
Correspondents of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser
KooIaulOn Election.

EDITOR OF THE Cow. ADvERTIsER-SIR In the
last issue of your paper, | see stated in the proceed
ings of the House of Representatives that the In
spectors of election and more particularly the Presid-
ing officer were freely censured as the authors of this
most fraudulent and spurious election" On this l
beg to remark that the statement that the election was
fraudulent is simply untrue. There was no fraud,
either practiced or intended. Everything that was
said and done at Hauula by the inspectors on the day
of election, was said and done openly, and in the pres
ence of the candidates and electors. In the absence,
on one of the other Islands. of the Presiding officer
of the Board of Inspectors. the Rev. NJ. Kuaea, l
must also protest against any extra blame being
awarded to him for anything which may be consider
ed irregular in their proceedings at the last election.
Here is a short statement of the facts of the case.
The polls were opened at the prescribed time. and
were kept open until FIVE o'clock. Every ballot ten
dered by a legally qualified elector was received and
placed in the ballot box. The name of each elector
was duly recorded by the Clerk when the ballot was
rendered, and Mt the close, the number of names
recorded tailed with the number of ballots received.
The whole number of electors in the district is about
three hundred. Nearly the whole of the b~allotting
was over by twelve o'clock, as it always is in this
District, with the distinct understanding that the
ballot box was to remain open until FIVE o'clock, in
case any more should come in. This prop osal was
made. because two of the Inspectors had TO ride home
n distance of two miles, and enc of the candidates
six miles farther. | must here observe that ut n
former election in this District. the same thing was
done with the consent of the candidates, As there had
not been any votes recorded after twelve o'clock.
On that occasion, when Ukeke was found to have a
majority of twenty five, the other candidate admitted
thai he did not expect to have any more, and Ukeke
was declared duly elected, and took his seat accord
ingly. At this last election of Jan. 9th, 1862, all
four candidates., viz, Ukeke, kahatewai, Naukapa and
kupau, agreed to the proposal in presence of many
witnesses. We, the Inspectors and the Clerk, accord
ingly commenced to sort out the tickets of each
candidate. and tc verify the number inscribed on the
rolls. Ii was found when the papers were unrolled,
that on twenty eight of the ballot papers contain
ing the name of Ukeke, there was also written anoth-
er name, in some instances above his name, in others
below, and in some on the back. The other candi-
dates objected to such papers being counted for
Ukeke. They stated. and | think with reason, that
as there was but one representative to be elected for
the District, it was impossible for the Inspectors or
the Outstanding electors to pronounce with certainty,
for which of the two parties named the elector, who
had deposited the ballot. wished to record his vote.
On hearing both sides and on referring to the law,
the Inspectors decided Oh rejecting such ballot papers
containing two names. For my part, l have not yet
heard or seen any good reasons for altering my
opinion on this part of the matter. All the candi-
dates then, Ukeke along with the others, exerted
themselves to procure more votes. Ukeke and Kaha-
lewai each procured several more, which were duly
received by the Inspectors, in presence of the candi-
dates ana OF the electors; and at hive o'clock, hahale-
wal was found to have q majority of eight, and was
declared duly elected, and received his certificate
accordingly. Ukeke did not then claim that he was
duly elected, or that Kahalewai was unduly elected.
He could scarcely have done so with any decency in
the presence of al! the persons who had heard him
agree to the proceedings an hour before. We after
wards learnt that Ukeke had given a feast to the
electors in his neighborhood, and had distributed his
ballot papers to his guests on that occasion. That he
had said to some of the guests that he was not sure
of them, that they might eat his pig and poi perhaps,
and then perhaps vote for some other candidate.
To make sure Of them, he told them that he would
write their names on the tickets he gave them, and
that after the election, he would ascertain whether
such tickets had been duly handed in.
So much for vote by ballot and universal suffrage.
OEe of the Inspectors. Kuaea. told me that he had
warned Ukeke before the polling began, that there
would be trouble about those tickets. | think it is
unreasonable to require from the Inspectors that they
where but one candidate can be returned, be able to
decide who cooked the pig and poi, and who ate it,
who requested the vote, and who promised 1t.
To sum up. | admit that there was irregular y in
commencing to count the tickets before five O'Clock;
but | think that the rejected votes were properly and
legally rejected. | deny that there was any fraud,
except on the part of the man who before the count
ing took place, agreed to it, and afterwards by his
in procuring more votes, agreed TO it, and who
substantially drew back from his agreement. l feel
pretty sure that if he had not put in the bribery
and that had all the votes put in for him been
legal, no. one of the other candidates would have
been base enough to petition against his return on
the grounds that the counting had commenced az
o'clock, with the assent Of all of them.
r MoFFITT.