The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-06-25
LEGISLATIVE .TottIngs.


Up W Thursday Of the past week there has
been little progress made in tho Legislative As
sembly. The most important matter brought up
was the introduction by Mr.. Thompson, of an Act
to repeal Section 1920 of the Civil Code, the OBJ
jectional feature of the so-called Masters and
Servants Act. This was ruled out of order by the
Vice President. Mr.. Hitchcock, and the introducer
appealing to the House, she question was debated
on Thursday last. 1t will be remembered that
this, together with the preceding and following
Sections of the Code, have been the great bone of
contention of this session, the bill to repeal which,
proposed by the member from Kohala, was de-
feated by the skillful operations Of the ministry,
operations which were SO transparent and undis-
guised that they were apparent to the most casual
observer. The original Section as passed in 1859,
reads as follows
Section 1920. If any person shall refuse 10 serve according to
ths R master may apply pr tI 70 a saSi. GIs',G 4 2 q T eohee = iu nis on Where :
he may reside, who shall be authorized by warrant, or other
persisted in, TO commit such person to prison. there to remain,
at hard labor, until he will consent to serve according TO law.
1t was amended in 1860, and il will be OBJ
served that the amendment consists of an addition
to the penal servitude, which the Attorney Con-
eral so properly and-we may say-so Daniel
Observation-Disclosures as unconstitutional
Here we have Section 1920 of the Civil Code as
amended in 1867 y gE =
That Section 1920 Of the Civil Colo of the Hawaiian Islands
shall be amended By adding thereto the following words
And in case such person 50 bound as Aforesaid shall have re-
Of such justice, and shall again willuhy absent himself from
such sg iTG " 'tl1 It the leave o. his master' such district or
prison there to remain at hard labor for any term not toeXceed
such justice Shall order such offender to be restored to his
master to serve him for the renai1der of such original term Of
service, and any penal term which may have been added
thereto by such Justice.
Mr.. Thompson's bill to amend the 1420th Sec
ton was of course rejected, the imperious air and
fiery glances of the Minister of the Interior Sc tax
ing the wind out of the sails =" of ono or two
members without any arguments and the vote was
seventeen to sixteen. So certain are the party in
power that they can run the risk of one or two
votes of q defeat The member for Kau, Mr..
Martin, has a bill before the Assembly which
will probably occupy the best portion of next
week, and the intention of which is to amend the
Objectionable Sections of the Code entitled 50 the
Masters and Servants Law - and this, after all
would ameliorate the existing state of affairs.
The Ministerial power will undoubtedly be
brought to bear on the final vote, but enough
has transpired in the discussion of this question
to prove to any attentive observer, that some
thinkers, pecuniarily uninterested IA that
class is the only one to be intrusted with the
policy of government, and that class this Journal
claims to represent-cannot be otherwise now
than they always have been-utterly opposed to
the retaining on the statute book of the law gen.
orally known as the Masters and Servants Act.
The consideration of Mr.. Martins Amendment
Act, coming as it does from a gentleman whose
father, for many years a resident of these islands,
and who belonged to the race now known by
some as the 80 f fifteenth amendment" will doubt
less prove interesting.
The House, having apparently come to the con-
clusion that two hundred and fifty dollars was
hardly pay enough for forty to fifty days work.
likely to be seventy-Yoted the other day that the
Sergeant-at-arms be instructed to provide a lunch
every day at u o'clock, when the House would
take a recess of one noar. In consequence, on
yesterday, the Court House, down stairs) re-
sounded with the popping of corks ofsoda bottles,
it is to be presumed-and was filed with the
aroma of soup, and ham sandwiches. All right,
so long as the dear people pay for it.
y We issued yesterday an edition Of this paper
for the Wonga Wonga, with full details of the ar
rival and departure of the .Ajar, with the American
and European telegraphic news, which Captain Beale
informed US would be received several days ahead of
the mails by the SueZ route. 1t being the only pa
per published noticing the arrival of the WongG
Wonga here, it will be interesting in the colonies.
P~ERsoNAL-AmOng the passengers by the IajGr,
we observe DIR. Clark, Secretary of the A. B. c.. F. NJ,
returns to his official duties in Boston, carrying
with him the kind regards of many friends. We no
tice also the names OF d. c.. Waterman, E. Perkins,
D. Foster, II. Turton, and others, bound to San
Francisco or the Atlantic States, intending however
10 return.