The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-05-25
Legislative JottInGs.

cd Out OF F0Wn 20 ll-prCs LU- LlulIC A-yIum az
Palama, and the Leper Hospital at Kalihi, both Of
which establishments Honorable members peram-
bulated over and examined They could not be
Otherwise than graiihed with the cleanliness aud
order every where manifest in these model instim-
tons. and they so expressed themselves Return
ing 10 town. The party visited aud inspected the
barracks. where they were received with every at
tenton, and where a lunch was provided.
Among the petitions on Monday mOTniEg-(peti-
tons are always interesting and often amusing
was one from hohala, praying that constables may
be allowed TO enter private premises without .
warrant! This precious petition bore some Two
hundred signatures. but we cannot believe The
signeTs understood what il was they were asking
for. Bat now comes the most astonishing part OF
the story The House sagely listened 10 tine peu-
ton, and it was about being referred 10 some com
mittee or other. when Mr.. Carter tHonolulu) gave
a short bat scathing speech on the unheaTd-Of prop
osition TO allow the limbs OF the law " to invade
the domestic castle - whenever they please. The
provisions Of the Constitution we've also cited. but
members were TOO ~apatbetie 70 see the subject IN its
real light The petition was referred back 10
the honorable member for hohaia who introduced
it, with instructions to bring In a bill in accordance
herewith! Did il strike anyone that the Constltu-
ton itself must be first amended: Right on
the heels OF this came a petition from somewhere,
asking that the pay Of constables may be increased.
which was referred TO the Committee on the Mill
tary! What might this mean? That our Govern
ment is insensibly drifting into a N military oligarchy?
Otherwise what has the Military to do with the pay
of constables? Ia France, during the semi-occa-
sional revolutions which occur. the police are sol
diers and the soldiers are police, at viii. and as the
case may be. With our constables amalgated with
the soldiers. and all allowed to go aud come as they
liked in our private premises, what a paradise Ha-
wall nei would soon becomei
The entire afternoon session of Monday was oC-
cupied in the d scussion of the bill to amend the
law in regard to the poll tax As the law stands at
present, all males between the ages of IL and 90
are required to pay this tax. and it Is proposed to
amend by making the tax payable ut 20, which Is
the legal majority here. Really there would seem
TO be good grounds Tor emitting a boy from assess
ment tor this tax until he arrives at the age when
he can claim the other rights of manhood. See
report OF debate.
Nearly the entire morning session of Tuesday
was devoted by the Assembly to a supposed ques-
ton of =. privilege - and thereirom resulting, u dis
cussion of the rights, duties and privileges OF news
paper reporters and the conduct OF newspapers in
reference to legislators. IL appears that somebody
had anonymously written to one OF the members -
rather free and easy kind of Il letter, intinating the
writer's opinion that the member aforesaid was not
pursuing a course in the Assembly calculated to
crafty his constituents, and rather darkly limiting
the suspicion of all appetite for the lOaVes and fishes.
As an evident result OF ill-advice, the letter was laid
before the House, with a view to what eud, the Hon
oTabie member did not appear to be very clear, in
asmueh as after nearly two hours had been devoted
to talking about what might, could or should be
done with the matter, he caused the statement TO be
made that he was not at all annoyed or exercised
in the premises, and did not, in short. care anything
about 1t. Thus showing conclusively that his bring
ing the matter before the Assembly ii all was, as
we said before, the result of bad advice. The
object evidently was TO put a black mark on Tie
huOkOd newspaper by eXpelling its representative
from the reporters table. Ever since the Assembly
commenced its sessions. that journal has been pretty
free IN its ommen on the dOings ot members, and
in IL recent number had a particularly sharp attack
on the Minister OF Finance, in connection with the
subject of the Hotel Bonds. This fact, however,
may have had nothing to do with His Excellency's
eloquent speech in favor OF expelling the huOk0ds
reporter, or his vote for that action in company
with eight other Honorable members. Some eX-
.n.1innlu hriliaDf tkiOuS yVairaaE said anput the 6utIpS
of reporters for newspapers, which some of the
speakers appeared to thoroughly Understandable
their own conceits-and members of the British
Parliament or the American Congress might have
received some novel and interesting if not valuable
hints, had they been within earshot. The whole
affair terminated in the supposed offending reporter
Qor there was no absolute proof as to who wrote
the wonderful letter. receiving the distinguished
honor of a talking 10 from the President. His En-
cellenCy appeared to fully appreciate the ludicrous
character ot the proceeding. by the frequent par
entheses in his remarks, TO the effect that the re-
porter's conduct had been quite reprehensible,
- Provided, however. that you did write the letter"
Some OF the Honorable members We're anxious that
all the other reporters should also be made TO stand
up and be lectured-for what, it would be difficult
to guess, unless on the newspaper plan of - sub
s%criptions invariably in advance" for lndlscretons
they might commit in the future. But the sense of
propriety of the presiding officer prevented this
additional absurdity. So ended this editying cpl
sode in the history of the session. The sending of
the letter in question, ito quote the oit-repeated
parenthesis of the President the reporter really
did write it" was, to make the most OF 1t, merely a
piece of impertineDce from one individual to another,
not only no affair of the Assembly's, but beneath
its dignity to notice. = One OF those " StraWs "
significant of the direction in which the wind is
blowing appeared during the afternoon of Tuesday,
in the shape of a resolution introduced by one of
the members for Honolulu, (Mr. Mikalemil to the
effect that the Ministers do not appoint Representa-
tives to be Tax Assessors or Collectors! The res
olution was of coul Sc killed, but the moral to be
drawn from the fact of its having been introduced
is not to be mistaken. While the mover of the res
olutiou may with reasons be acquitted OF any eX-
pectation of Ministerial iavOrs himself, be would
seem to have fears that some of his brother members
are in danger of having Office thrust upon them.
On Wednesday morning. the escapade of the
previous day about a reporter. was In part eX-
planned. but unfortunately the explanation made
the matter a good deal worse. The impression
which obtained in the outset that the member from
Kohala was made an unwilling instrument In the
hands of others to launch a blow at the liberty of
the press, is confirmed, while the means used to
accomplish the end which was not r%eached) pre-
scented by no means a wholesome appearance.
Still further explanation might reasonably have
been expected, but it was not vouchsafed by any
one. aad so the matter stands with all its disrepu-
table surroundings, to furnish a text for some tu-
ture chapter on the dignity of our Legislature and
the unworthy devices of Ministers.
During the session of Thursday and a portion Of
yesterday, a rather important bill was under con-
sheraton and passed through Committee for a
final reading-that providing that parties to an
action may testify in their own behalf. This is one
of the few improvements in legal practice that has
been adopted of late years in England and the
United States, and has been found to work well.
In the afternoon session of yesterday. a lively de-
bate was had on the Report of the Finance Com
mittee on the Budget, and that singular production
was pretty severely handled. Two of the Honolulu
delegation. Messrs. Carter and JHdd, criticised the
report OF both the Committees and the Minister, in
mastery style, for which see account OF the pro-
ceeding5 in to-day's paper.
EAST MAUI IrEMs.-During the second week of:
this month there was quite a storm at Waikiki and