The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-01-29
TESTIMONY IN COURTS OF JUSTICE.

The amount Of false testimony in cases tried in
our Courts seems startling enough now, and when
We consider the various nationalIties and rcIigi-
ons Of Witnesses, there il not much reason to hope
that it will become less az the interests of such
people increase. Attempts have been made 10
introduce notifications of the law which prohi-
bits parties from testifying for themselves, but
thus far unsuccessfully. Such notifications have
generally been introduced into the laws of the
several states Of the American Union and Eng
land. The objection urged against them is, that
they are likely TO induce more perjury. We are
Of the opinion that the party who wishes false
testimony usually finds it; and that if he were
allowed to testify himself; there would be a better
chance to detect him in the falsehood than when
he acts through others, while none can deny that
an innocent party is often u~njustly punished for
no other cause than that his own testimony can
not be allowed. We hope the next Legislature
will look into this matter, and keep up with
modern reform on the subject.
The STATEMENT is made by our cotemporary,
that /" very little interest is shown in the election
by the foreigners generally, and very few of them
will vote - and then the effort is made to dis
OAIhE Gil lhIb lii2Bl CAlSL u NI4iAi2s
. an election las Representative reflects no honor
to any man who values his reputation &c. A
very hasty and ill-considered remark one that,
on second thoughts, the editor would not have
printed. If the character of the representative
body generally has not of late years been such as
to reflect honor on the nation, and legislation has
been crude and careless, the reason is found in
the fact that foreigners ,-short-sighted as to their
own interests havc neither gone to the polls
nor endeayored to exercise a legitimate influence
for the election Of suitable men for the Office.
Owever true it may be that this apathy is to be
traced to the abrogation of the Constitution of
1852, it is not however true that in the Assembly
as now constituted the popular voice is practically
suppressed. The Gazette, by it's sneering, dis
paraging tone, is apparently encouraging this
injurious apathy of foreigners which, if con-
tinued, can have but one result-the handing
over of the business of law making and the
management of government to native Hawaiians
entirely. And this We all know would hasten
the catastrophe for which some few in our midst
are ardently hoping-the loss Of Hawaiian indie
pendence. Is is however encouraging to observe
that, contrary to the assertion of the Gazette,
foreigners are this year taking more than usual
interest in the elections, and that many of them
will vote.
AMONG the many instances of careless legisla-
ton Ito give it no worse nancy afforded by the
history of the session of 1874, is the Act to
abolish the Office of Secretary of War and of the
Navy There was certainly nothing objectiona-
bic IN the astensible intention of the Act, which
was to relieve the Department of Foreign Affairs
of the burden of a t~ail-piece that was neither
useful nor ornamental; but there is one remarka-
BILE provision that is worthy of especial attention
1t is declared that " His Majesty may, by special
commission, confer the duties of said Office on a
Commanders in Chief;' who, however, is to re-
ceive no pay for his services as such; and it is
further provided " that no part of any appropri-
alton which may be made for military purposes
shall be drawn from the Treasury except by order
of such Commander-in Chief, whose duty it shall
be to account for the particulars of such dis
bursements biennially to the Legislature" We
are not aware that any such appointment as is
here contemplated has been ~gazetted but just
look at the lax and unguarded nature Of the lawi
Ministerial responsibility. as contemplated by the
Constitution, is quite ignored in the matter of
expenditures nominally for the military, but
which might be for many other purposes. "Sup-
port of military" figured in the last appropria-
ton bill at SAT ,470. Under the Act of which
we are speaking this large sum could be drawn
from the Treasury in one entire lump, by the
CommaDder-in-Ch Chief, and used at his sole discre-
ton, and no Minister would be responsible.