The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-07-17
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
THJRSDAI y, JULY l..
The Mobiles and the appropriation Bill.

the MOBILES Committee, 70 which was referred
the Bill Of Appropriations, as passed by the
House Of Representatives,, which report appears
in the last issue Of the ministerial organ. There
were faults in the bill as it passed the lower
house, some Of which are very aptly set forth in
the report, a. inconsistent and unjust. But if
the representatives have erred in their Judgment,
the error i on the side Of right-in seeking,
perhaps with too much zeal, 10 second the advice
Of the King in h> Speech t. them. when he says,
that : the necessities Of the country at the pres
ent time, are, in my opinion, such as will not
warrant the representatives. Of the people in
making rash appropriations, far beyond the re-
ceipts Of the Treasury &c. To impartial OBJ
servers, the main error of the Representatives has
not been in assuming more authority than is con-
Eded to them, nor in seeking appropriations for
objects which are unnecessary for, with a
patriotism which is certainly comrnendable, they
excluded every petty item of local interest, and
adhered to voting only the salaries Of officers
employed by the government. If the Budget, as
it came from the Minister Of Finance, did not
embrace all the items required by law to be in
serted, it WAS right and proper that such items
should be incorporated by them.
The representatives are required to originate
the bill of appropriations, and are MT required
TO follow out the suggesioHs Of the Minister of
Finance, which the Constitution has wisely au-
thorized him To furnish for their use. They
may follow his advice, or set it aside altogether,
without infringing any statute to the contrary.
vt the present session, by their committee, whose
intelligence, patriotism and loyalty none will
question, and after Il full and free discussion
before the whole house. they have chosen to alter
it and follow their own Judgment in responding
To the wise counSels from the Throne. In so
doing, they have only exercised the constitutional
rights reposcd in them.
Ii is not to be disSembled that the House of
Representatives has no confidence in the Minister
of Finance, after haring Jound no less than
fhiTty-nine errors in ms report, some of which
are Of the grosscst nature, and thus far unex-
plainable. 1t is not 10 be wondered at that they
should have no confidence in an officer whom his
colleague the Minister of Foreign Relations,
in this very report with errors which
place both Ministers in Il most unenviable
position, and which can only be explained on
the supposition that there has been some trickery
in the management of the finances, or that the
former is incompetent for his duties. The origin
of this trouble is here. An unexpended balance
appropriated to the War Department, not drawn
out for service, because not needed, was loaned
to another department, 50 rs to keep the
amount if possible still available for the object
to which it was first voted. Mr.. Wyllie finds
nim this sum of So 600 and interest, when the
Of Finance reports that that sum has
paid out Of the Treasury. Mr.. WyllIe
links there is some misapprehension about it
nd says:
Such a misapprehenston ought never to have existed, after
=adins the above wording in the Budget Of the Minister Of FL
rror made at me p - ,Jr Rarnrt Of y ,hn V in%.m n ng i ma1
imseii, where $1,000 are inserted as expended which were not
given 10y tie Minister Of Foreign Affairs.
Il would be as insulting to the common sense as to the con-
fence Of the Honorable House Of Representatives to suppose
r one moment that they require any arguments to convince
Iem that the absolute right of the Minister to prompt and full
endorsement. is not to he defeated Iy a perhaps careless
IN. ny If n H., ins p ST"ns Da n # I wa Ia H. any ny,n moTg am 5hI mi the absolute atF0l
ent II its loan Of S4,52s 10, with interest thereon, is to be de-
Error can never override right, nor can anything in the Re
lrt % the Minister Of Finance presented, under his own respon-
hiiity. countervail a clear anl positive request in a Budget
by him under the authority Of the King and Cabinet,
purchase or pay for ENchequer Bils)
This statement certainly places the Minister of
nance in a most awkward position, for it en-
Jrscs the public opinion that the books Of the
reasury are kept 50 that no one knows what is
lie correct exhibit. If Il ..careless entry in the I
DOhS OF the treasury IN the sum OF ~, % ID
rs been made, may 1t not occur in sums of
10000? If the Minister of Finance inserts in
is report on expenditure of 81 900, which, on
ie authority of the Minister of Foreign Rela-
ons has not bceH erpcHdcd, can the House of
representatives. place any credit in his report or !
his administration With the least that can :
said about this matter, it leaves a gross stain
the management of the affairs Of the Treasury,
ID is enough to convince ali who are open to
that a change cannot be made too
on.
Mr.. Wyllie's report is too lengthy for insertion
our columns, but there are some portions of it
hich merit notice. Regarding an increase of
icers, beyond the requirements of the govern II
he says: OF
The undersigned. after careful consideration Of both sides. are
opinion tina; the Budget prepared by the Minister Of Finance T.,
responds most with the recommendations from the Throne. -
/ with what they believe 10 be- the maxim of all good Govern -,
Its. W5ich IS TO hare teC employees. BUt those rel paid. ~,
The Appropriation Bill. in the opinion of the undersigned. has a.
'artei from that principle and adopted heopposite OF having -
1y employees amt those bGfty pant. But the trainers
p.uIng their faith, perhaps. more to certain bold state
MS male in the newspapers, that the Kings Ministers were
ISL o. the public monies, and opponents TO retrenchment,
N vtual personal Interests, love Of place and patronage. than
y w"uti have easily found 10y a careful comparison Of the -.
ry appropriations made hy preceding Legislatures. with t.
estimates Of revenue, by authority Of the late and present in
-. AMI their respective Cabinets. presented by sue eSSiye
listers of Finance, appear To have applied the pruning knife in
h an eye 10 rrtreuChmeut. under the belief that if tfey did
retrcuch. the Ministers would not. at
the table inserted in the report as our n;
the total increase in the number of officers tn
)vided for by the representatives amounts to ex
[ one. Two clerks are provided for, one for VI