The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1883-10-24

objects very far removed from any pur-
pose of beneftting the people of this
kingdom directly or otherwise. Could
any greater absurdity be invented for the
waste of public money than the S2O,OOO
voted in 1880 and 'S2 for ascertalnlng
the pedigrees of certain native chiefs,
of whom very few are now in existence
documentary evidence of race whose
language has been reduced to writing
only within the lifetime of men now
living oral testimony, where the vehicles
of pedigrees and other legends are as
dead as the Druids-as extinct as the
chiefs they used to celebrate If this
committee on pedigrees has done any
work-if they have preserved, saved from
final loss any legends or folklore which
would otherwise have died out if they
have discovered or perpetuated anything
reliable, anything valuable to the philolo
gist or antiquarian, then the public, who
pay the cost, are entitled to a knowledge
of the result of their labors. As yet.
though the committee is far advanced in
the fourth year of its labors (of drawing
money!, no sign of report is visible to
the expectant providers of funds.
1t IS the fault of the Legislature that
100000 were voted for something styled
in the Appropriation Bill EARNED force"
A committee of prominent officials and
others was appointed to inquire into the
state and condition of the police force,
and ordered to report on the LIST January,
1888 Ten months have passed away
since the report was due, and yet no signs
of investigation or report, and no one to
enforce the provisions of the Act.
1t is the fault of the Legislature that
these, and many other kindred extraya-
gancies and absurdities, were provided for
by vote. so the question inevitably arises
who and what are they who composed
this Legislature After carefully elimin
ating several of the more important names
in the Honorable House of Mobiles, and
some few representatives, whose upright
ness and independence do them infinite
honor. a preponderating vote remains of
men who are accessible TO fiattery and
feasting, promises of place and profit
and this last class it is which carried out
all the extravagancies suggested to them
by their leaders. Men whose salary for
one session more than covers their contr1-
buttons to the public purse for the life
time of each, are not likely to be scru-
pulous about disposing of other peoples
money-esp specially when they see a way
of appropriating a farther share of it by
earning salaried posts by subserviency.
This is the not very creditable picture
presented by the recent Legislature, and
this is what we have to look forward to in
the course of the next spring, unless some
earnest men are ready to put their shoul-
ders to the wheel. and endeavor to return
able and honest representatives to the
next Assembly, that the scandals Of the
last may not repeated that this little
kingdom may be spared the dissatisfac-
ton at home, and the umfavorable com
ments from abroad which the vagaries of
the present Kaleidoscope administration
have called forth. That the independence
of the kingdom be not challenged on the
ground of incapacity for self government.
These are the aspirations of those who
wish well for the maintenance of this as
an Independent kingdom but, viewed in
the light of the events of the last twenty
months, they are not unmixed with fears.
The institution of an Auditor General has
so far served only to hide and protect
irregularities of expenditure but yet the
scanty accounts published of the last
three months show these two remarkable
items: Civil list, S14,941; education, only
50 0O7