The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1866-12-01
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SArERDAY. DECEMBER !.

81 MI i 4 LII -
THE account Of the recent arson and murder,
narrated ON our first page. will attract the atten-
/ ton Of our readers. The details were gathered
| On the spot By oUr attentive correspondent, ana
mainly from the statements and confessions OF
tie PARTICIPANTS in these evil DEEDS. They reveal
4 depth Of moral deprayi;y and crime which Is
startling. Were TIL, affair the only ease Of the
kind that has occurred lately. it might be passed
by - nothing ont If the usual course Of events
But - far from it, being a solitary case, it IL
but one Of the many dsp rate deeds which We
have had 10 record during the past twelve
months, and which indicate an Increasing ten
dency TO crimes of the foulest character 1t Is
only a few weeks since We recorded the muir
der Of j native in the same district OF kona,
another on Maui, and still another on Kauai,
while the records. of our courts viii show that
crimes Of less magnitude are becoming ~feariully
common.
For this increasing deprayity. there must be
some causes, and what they are is a serious
question. Ii is said. and no doubt with some
truth, that one cause Is the increasing ~intemper-
ance among the natives, 4 vice not confined 10
the larger settlements, but found 10 flourish in
the more remote and secluded districts. Intern
perance is, the world over, a chief source Of
crime and the same results must follow it here
as elsewhere.
But there is another cause which is believed 10
be more powerful in demoralizing the native
population, and encouraging them TO crime than
intemperance. And this Is, the low character
Of some OF the local district judges. and the
manner in which justice Is administered by them.
These judges are for the most part natives, and
in some instances, their decisions would indicate
that they were conniving at crime. Witness the
the attempts to burn the houses of foreigners on
MOlokai, where the judge refused to enter
tain Z charge against the suspected persons, or
even allow an examination of the parties. be-
cause they were personal friends Of his, and in
his opinion above suspicion. Again, in KOna
recently, a native, charged with perjury, and the
charge sustained with the clearest evidence,
was acquitted by the native judge, because - he
couldn't see the herd.'' Sucn instances Is these
can only prove to be incentives to crime, and II
is no wonder that a man, known to be guilty,
who escapes from the punishment due for his
perjury, should be ready to plan for other and
more desperate crimes.
Here certainly is something radically wrong.
If it shall be found that justice is tempered with
by the judges in the primary courts, there ought
to be changes made. There are reliable natives
who will not hesitate TO administer the laws faith
fully. But the evil consists in turning out such
and appointing men to ofiee= "a ffgward for ser
Stts4 II Ss0fes rendered in the Legislative As
or elsewhere, and without the qualifca-
ions necessary for the service.
The court work on Hawaii and Maui seems
now to require a separate foreign Judge OF requi-
lite ability for each island, who shall be entrust-
d with Il general supervision OF all the courts IN
lis field. In well established courts and Impair
-administered justice rests the peace and
security of a country. The indicated changes
may involve additional expense, but are nothing
more than what is needed for the best interests
IF the kingdom. And we trust that before the
next session Of the Legislature some plan may De
devised to meet the necessity OF the case, and
check the growth of crime.