The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-05-16
The Honolulu Election.

To tie Eltor 81 he Pacific Commercial Adreriiser
DEAR SIR VIII you please to grant space in your
next issue for the report Of the judiciary Committee
in relation to the Honolulu election case:
REPORT.
HIS HighHssS ~. KekuanGo0, President of the
assembly The Judiciary Committee, to whom was
referred the petition of certain residents of Honolulu,
against the members elected TO the Legislature from
4 said district, report as follows:
The Committee have heard evidence ON both
sides, and would respectfully place before the Assem-
by an abstract Of it, taken upon oath by them, in
regard To the charges preferred by the petitioners.
But one witness was brought forward To substantiate
the first charge and his evidence was to the effect
that he had been misle1 by certain leaders in the
.1u OkOa, and, acting in the capacity of II runner for
the defeated ticket, he gave notice in certain districts
that il would be useless for any who had not paid
their taxes ON or before the 18th of December, To- ap-
near at the registration office to be qualified rs voters.
Witness did not know how many sthid away on &c
count Of his notice.
- I'm regard to several persons convicted Of lar
ceny and not pardOned,' who were allowed To regis
ter and vote. though public objection was made
thereto but one such person was proved to have
voted and the attention Of the defeated party was
called by one of the Inspectors to the case but fur
thcr objection appears tn have been waived.
"The evidence does not appear to support, in any
satisfactory degree, the third charge. In individual
cases several minutes appear TO have been allowed,
by the Chairman Of the Board of Inspectors. TO
elapse before he put the ballot into the box and in
some cases he appears 10 have purity opened some
ballots. aud 90 have made side remarks upon the con-
testing parties in relation to them But, il was an
swercd by the defendants, that time was necessary in
many cases to "A faithful searching Of the voting list
for the name of the person in waiting and 1T is not
ia evidence that any ballot was opened by any In
spcctOr, further than to see, rs IN n few doubtful
cases, whether or not two or more ballots had been
folded together. In this connection the Committee
would say that. Judging from the variously Colored
ballots presented before them, and from ono upon
which n flag was plainly impressed, secrecy had not
been the ann Of either pity in the election and
that, with such ballots, absolute secrecy was out Of
the question.
'Ihe evidence brought forward TO substnntiate
the fourth charge was that certain persons had stood
In positions which directly INSTRUCTED n free passage
20 the ballot-boX. But, il has been answered. that
such persons hal been spoken 10 Icy the officers Of
the lay. and were finally removed. Sufficient evi-
l~ncc has not been offered 10 prove that such persons
exercised any material influence ON the result Of the
election.
Tho 6nh and sixth charges. in respect Ia Gov
crnmcnt officials. j. without sufficient evidence 10
-ui-tintiatc tlom mo- witness appearing 10 prove
That such pcra,us were acting in any official capacity,
hut upon their own personal rc-ppnsih'liiy-not hav-
ing hoon employed ~ thr defendants in this action.
" The tomuittCc are "f opinion that n better loca-
zion might have been found in which a. have placed
ibo h,iirt-hoN ou the Day ~ election md they
strongly cuulrn o. the conduct of certain Vyr1nns