The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1864-02-27
Correspondence of the Pacific cOm'l Advertiser

"Dabit Deus his quoque yfnem."
Nh. EDIToR:-Latterly through your courtesy and
the freedom of your columns, l have from time to time
made known my trerbles as n loyal subject of His
Majesty. Though my compositions may do no good,
they act as an exhaust pipe for my overburdened
mind. to which the above quotation is as soothing
ointment.
I have another piiikia; it is q public calamity-or
appointment-words rendered synonymous in these
troublous times. In the case of the Minister of the
Interior, you m~sgnanimously agree to let .sbye cones
be bye cones" 1 will be equally generous; perhaps,
because | am better acquainted with him, and know
that he will not trouble himself to take an actire
part in anything, unless it is to make you u~ncomfor-
table.
But to the subject. I have again taken my pen in
hand to chronicle n dark day for this kingdom, one
in every way deserving of the Roman custom of be.
ing marked by a black stone.
To-day it is announced a police justice has been
appointed, in the person of whom (? My pen shall
be saved this browning disgrace-he shall be name.
less. Passing over the most unenviable reputation
which he has as a lawyer earned, and richly merits.
1 take broader grounds upon which to enter my pro.
test against this unjust inhiction.
A majority of the cases which come before this
court, are those of natives. who, as a matter of
course, are defended by Hawaiian lawyers, who are
now deprived Of a hearing, as it is a notorious fact
N-eN ~ eD'S " 'hbCARAS - LuNCL
pref. aye, or speak a single sentence of Hapaiian COR
rectly; and this after a residence Of some ten or twelve
years in this community, plainly showing a want Of
capacity to acquire the language.
1t may be urged that the lawyers have an inter
prefer at their disposal; but any dolt can see the diff
fculties under which they labor, measuring out the
words by the dozen to be rehashed aud Conveyed to
the ears of the court. What argument can stand
this, What would the incumbent himself have said
had he been compelled to employ the services of a
Hawaiian interpreter in his arguments before the
Supreme Court? How long would it have been be-
fore our foreign population would have petitioned the
Crown requesting the removal Of this sore grievance.
Our new Governor has certainly made q bad be.
ginning, in making his first public act the nomination
of this man for the vacant seat in the Police Court,
one which will certainly not endear him TO the ma.
tive people, unless every spark of nationality is
crushed out of them. II is to be hoped that he, too.
has not yielded to outside pressure, although, I
strongly suspect that such is the case, for rumor
hints that both Church and State combined in fore.
ing upon him the candidate.
Could the members of the honorable House of Rep.
resentatives be made to feel the weight of this insult,
and refuse to appropriate q salary for the Office until
vacated by the present incumbent, l, for one, should
feel proud of their independence. Take the salary
away, and he will vamose, though the position may
be a stepping stone to the Supreme Bench.
Honolulu, Feb. 22, 1864.