The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1866-11-24
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SATURDAY, VEMBER "a.

The Government organ has quite uunecessa-
rily taken the trouble TO attempt 4 denial. on
the part Of Minister Harris, of . suggesting or
writing the letter" signed s." which APP
pelred in that journal under date of November
3D.. No one. probably, who has read the article,
places any credit in the denial, or believes a word
Of it. The evidence 10 the contrary is too pal
Iable to be mistaken. We did not charge the
Minister with ,rrifing The letter, but as being
RESPONSIBLE FOR Tits ideas, language and the
information it contained. We knew perfectly we'll
who wrote it, though We did not care to name
him, believing then, as now, that he only acted
FOR his principal. But let US hear what the
Organ says:
:. The letter signed s. in our issue of Nov. Sd.
has brought out . letter signed ii. VI. Whitney, in
biz last ISSUE. addressed to the Minister of Finance.
- responsible Tor III" communication. This i
an entire mistake on the part Of Mr.. Whitney, as
TIE Minister had nothing 10 do with either suggest
ing or writing that letter. but the writer was moved
10 send II To IL solely from his Indignation at the
gTatuitOus epii.ets which had been applied 10 Us
personally, in print. because of our appointment
- Director OF the Government Press. The writer
Is neither an Office holder. nor DESTROYS of one. nor
does he feel himself called upon particularly to be
u champion OF the Minister
There is an old adage-'' discretion is the
better part of yalo- which an editor should
sometimes heed. Our contemporary, however,
appears bound To make a muddle Of his clients
case, and while attempting 10 screen the Min
lister from the deserved odium that will ever
attach TO the Government from the unwise pub
licatiOn of that letter, drags u friend into the
dispute, whom, had he exercised due wisdom,
he might have kept out. We knew when we
read the letter signed IS" that it was written
FOR Mr.. Harris, from derived ONLY
FROM HIM. We had the best of reasons for
believing that the signature was merely a blind,
or, more correctly speaking, a false signature.
II would, perhaps, have been nearer the
truth. We well knew, when our reply was
penned, that there are but two or three persons
in Honolulu who will lend their pens for such a
service-one being the editor of the Government
paper, and the other two we need not name, as
they may resort to such service again, when we
may be compelled to name them. We knew
perfectly well that Mr.. Harris read the manu-
script over, and approved the same, and having
done 50, he virtually BECAME RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS
ASSERTIONS. This certainly is sound logic, con-
vincing the public, if not Mr.. Harris. .
We should not have referred to this subject
~s~;n, bat for tho indi,oroHtnas- Of tho Govern
ment editor, in allowing himself to be used as IA
wi ny % lie Ills Lcdl 20 eAOnerdte the
Minister only makes the matter worse, when he
says, " the writer is neither IN ofhce-hOlder, nor
DESTROYS of ONE While we admit this to be
partly true, yet We assert that M one int an
office holder, or one iChO has ted office, or desires
to hold IL, could hare toriften the article. The
editor knew very well what Office rcas held by the
author of So" and that he stiH holds a post of
honor, if not of profit. He knew that he was
uttering what facts will not support. In a small
place like Honolulu, too often a mans private
affairs are better known outside his own house
than in it, and even Ministers have been known
to eagerly communicate and make public what
their friends think they should keep private.
This recent affair affords another instance Of
the folly Of the Ministry ~meddling with n poLti-
cal press. 1t will be a long time before the
Government RECEIVERS from the stigma attached
to it by such a base. uncalled for and indiscreet
article as that signed IS" Rarely has any
thing appeared in print that has caused more just
Indignation thaA this-directed in the first in
stance, it is true, against one Minister, but in
the end his colleagues must share the obloquy. 1t
is the same story, repeated every few months. The
consequence is that the good name of the Gov
ernment suffers. The Ministry is set down as a
body of simpletons and p~igmies, who have not
the nerve to be Judged by their works-to be
criticized according to the merits of their deeds.
Hard, indeed, is the lot of any Minister who
pins his fame on to a hireling press like the
Hawaiian Gd=etfe.
\ Government is not established to provoke
opposition, as our Ministers appear to think is
tie chief end of its existence, but to allay and
mollify, to remove asperities as much as possible.
The Government paper never has produced any
such effect, but ON the contrary excites at times
the bitterest hatred and profoundest pity from all
classes. who would otherwise wish it well. I'm
der its present conductor it stands a fair chance
of retaining its ancient fame. We advise him,
he. again undertakes to whitewash a Min
lister, who Justly stands before the world dis
graced, to take care and not iniure his friends.
Stick to facts, for Il pen can pervert them faster
than a gossip's tongue.
y singular communication appears in the
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