The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-06-22
Publishers and PrDpric


On Monday, under the head Of " roads and
bfdges - a p~raiseworIhy attempt was made by the
Hiember for Koolaupoko Mr.. G. II. judd to gen in
an appropriation Tor a road over the pail OF Nun
anu, but II failed. principally il seemed. because
members were we'll satisfied that il appropriated il
would not be expended. or probably be trans
ferTed TO other objects, after the vicious practice
permitted with appropriation bills. a new road
over the pail Is certainly a great want, and would
perhaps do the country as much good a. would the
building OF a new EOtrl.
Tuesday was an interesting day in the Assembly.
to all bnt Minizt Is. The first shot was Gred in the
morning by a resolution Cfered by tn, member for
Honolulu, (Mr. Carter calling Tor information as
10 alleged negotiations for the annexation of Fiji
10 the Hawaiian Kingdom. The Minister of For
eign Affairs wa evidently taken by surprise, and
failed to give "A decided answer to q categorical
question. but talked around the subject very
Enthusiastically IL leaked ont however. that at
one time the tjlmen thought favorably of becom-
ing n portion OF the Hawaiian Empire, and that Mr..
-. Julian, Hawaiian charge daffaiTes in the South
Pacific, has been paid $1,000 by us. for services
rendered the King OF FyI IN helping to form his
Government. He has since. it is reported, been APP
pointed Chief Justice of Fiji. 80 it appears that
we have d friend " at that Court. What a grand
conception, by the way-tbe Empire of Hawaii,
embracing all the islands Of the Pacific. with Homo
luiu tor the capital The history of the Fiji attempt
will be Interesting when published.
The new hotel was also up on Tuesday afternoon,
and the ball was opened in excellent style by an
other member for Honolulu (Ar. 4. r. Judd). who
made n most damaging speech against the bill TO
authorize the loan Of Sll6,O 900 to pay for the hotel.
We long since ventilated our ideas upon the subject
very fully. and scarcely anything that l. said anent
the hotel but has a familiar sound. The main ar
gumeHt left for the friends of the loan is the con-
sideration of indirect advantages to result to the
country, and these. we opine, it will be harder TO
get up an enthusiasm about than to make John
BUD swallow the indirect Alabama claims ques-
ton. His Excellency :he Minister of Finance made
a lengthy but vapid speech in favor OF the Hotel
scheme, in which he singularly enough quoted from
the PACIFIC COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER To prove that
public opinion was in favor OF the building OF a
hotel How does this public acknowledgment byf
the Minister of the position held by this journal
compare with the professed opinion OF his organ
the Gazette, IN its issue of February 9TH last. in
which we are accused OF putting on all the airs of
a long-tried and worthy exponent of public opin-
ion . of "p-esumiug 10 talk Of a public opinion of
which we know nOthing-of public wants which we
cannot appreciate - etc. etc.
On Thursday, Hon. MIR. Carter opened the ball in
n novel style, by rising to a question of privilege.
The Hon. member spoke of the onslaught made upon
him as chairman Of the Sanitary Committee in an ar
ticle in Wednesdays Gazette, in which the action of
the Sanitary Committee on the " Act to Mi igate :" is
stigmatized as senseless and bigoted, and Hon. Mr..
Carter especially marked as 'tself-righteous , ''want-
ing in common sense &c, sc. Now we do not in
tend to become the apolOgists for the Gazette, tho
bare fact Of its being a Ministerial Or an, excusing
thunder Sec. 416 of the Civil Code-from all re-
spOnsibIlity in the premises and where no RESPONSE
bility is incurred no blame can attach but as
newspaper people We think that we can offer a soiu-
ton Of the cOnundrum Why did the Gazette
admit the article at all? We picture to ourselves a
GGSeHe (" interior - of a warm Tuesday. The rigid
81 form - looks a mere skeleton the ravenous COM
positors cry aloud for " copy - Macfarlane's legisla-
tive reports are loaded out and still a hOrrent
vacuum exists A pungent, telling editorial is writ
ten, full of originality and redundant with sound
reasonings and far-sighted acumen, and even while
the editor is smiling, weary but satisfied, a manu-
script commencing, 90 Mr.. Editor is handed in, the
subject-never mind what-it is signed by a govern
ment officer, a member Of the Board of Health. A
hasty glance shows it to be an attack upon an Sc In
dependent 1T must go in. With q sigh the editor
recalls his copy, marks the communication 90 bour-
geOise, which means Z" editorial type and feels
he's done his duty But this little episode illustrates
pretty fairly what a non-descript is the Government
Press. BY law the government is declared to be in
no " way responsible for he views expressed, or
matter published by the Director of said press" If
that provision did not exist even, how is any one to
sue the government for the I" abuse " of the right to
publish what it chooses? Albeit we are told in the
same law that the newspaper published by the Direc-
tor g shall be the official organ of the Hawaiian Gov
eminent In other words, through this rat-hole
of a press, Ministers may say what they choose in
whatever style they choose about any one, and they
cannot be held responsible. Its utterances are, and
they are not, those of Ministers. And the dear
people are taxed to support this Ministerial play
thing
The bill to repeal the present divorce law was very
summarily rejected yesterday on its first reading
The rule which forbids any discussion of a bill on its
first reading. may be a useful one in some cases, but
its enforcement. unless a proposed measure IS absurd
or impracticsble on its face, is to say the least, in-
considerable and harsh. We are confident that had the
bill in question been allowed to go to its second
reading and been discussed, some Honorable men,
consideration, would have received considerable
light as to the mischieyOus operation of the present
law Of divorce 1t is simply a cause of immortality.