The Hawaiian gazette., 1884-06-25
Reprosenlatire Godfrer Brown cIlnirman Of ia

Indictment. My understanding of the term in
dictment is that IL is what is presented against
criminals that it is criminal preceding in fact
Now, If the Attorney General wishes 70 place
himself and his colleagues in this position, %
course have no objection TO offer My under
standing IL that the functions Of the Finance
Committee are to make report to the House Of
financial acts and proceedings of the Ministry,
and the report Of the Finance Committee Is
true and faithful analysis Of the proceedings OF
his MaleStys Ministers. We naught extenuate,
and naught set down in malice. although the re-
port is necessarily honeycOmbed with unpleasant
and unpalatabe truths You may remark, Mr..
Chairman; that not single statement has been
cantradicted, nor a single figure impugned. We
have the date and the proof OF every voucher his
Excellencey the Attorney General has been
pleased to comment on the personnel OF the II
nance Committee, and to reflect on the appoint
ment by the President OF the Assembly. his
marks were as impairment as they were uncalled
for. His Excellency has also informed US that he
did not know much about Hawaiian law, but that
be spoke English pretty well for an American
do not doub. the assertion. presume that he
also speaks Hebrew pretty well for German.
His statement regarding his want Of knowledge
Of Hawaiian law has been so well demonstrated 70
this House. that the confession of his iCnoranoe
Will doubtless be heartily endorsed by and meet
the unqualified approval OF the members OF the
Assembly. His Excellency s Ignorance Of Hawai-
ian law doubtless prompted him TO engage the
services of an able lawyer at salary Of 800 per
month. Now If this valuable employee had de-
voted his spare time TO teaching the Attorney Gen
eral the use of polite English our ears might pos
s1bly not have been offended with the vulgar Ian
guage and scurrilous remarks which HIS Excel
lency has seen ht to infct upon u.s. Tho House
perhaps would not have begrudged the payment
for tuition If Mr.. Whiting had spent his time in
reading Lord Chesteriieds Letters to the Attorney
General. His Excellency has explained the various
disbursements Of which we have given summary.
but he has not disProyed q single figure. The
really important matter in his department-that
Is the transfer of 81 200 to the Department of For
| eign Ahairs-he did not even alude &c, but His
Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated
| that the amount was drawn to meet draft Of the
Hawaiian Consul in Vienna. This statement Is
utterly untrue, for the money was paid to d Hack
field d Co. for freight on ordnance. The Minister
OF Finance says that the statement on page II Of
the report with reference to the disposition of the
funds realized under the Loan Act, is incorrect.
| can only excuse this statement on the ground of
His Excellencys inability to understand the ac-
counts of his own department, as the books OF the
Finance Department show our statement to be
perfectly correct. This fact can be easily demon
strated by an analysis Of the accounts. Applause
Some moneys have disappeared altogether, moth
ing to account for them. Think the proper way
IS to relieve persons of the custody Of money when
| they cannot account for it NJ. of +. A. says he
| does not know what become of certain things.
/ His E1cellencY finds carriage and waits to OBJ
4 tain full price. There is 500 paid for printing
laws, not a thing done, money should be returned.
/ If the clerks Of the department were responsible
| they would have been discharged, Who would en-
gage such people. The Minister of Interior (Bush)
/ deny what say, they know 1t TO be true NJ. OF
| F. A. can read, he knows the Law, why not carry
| il outl Only two bodies have the power to draw
money; those are the Legislature, or the Cabinet
/ with majority of the Privy Council. Would ask
the Attorney General if there is any other law if
so would like to have him read it. fhe Attorney
/ General silent. tNeumann twill answer by and
| by."l Law requires certain things to be done;
wrong if not donei Ministry 10 blame. Nj. of T. A.
says that tine y. c. A. had not received SlS,l7O6O;
had received less than $1,000; would like
to have him prove it, the figures of the committee
| were prepared from vouchers in his office. ZAP
| plause.) The only way that he can make his
/ amounts agree is to destroy lot of vouchers
| The committee have gone in with determination
to examine carefully and fairly and they have
placed the result before the Assembly, II MEM
bers find the statements are sustained, then they
| should support the committee. Applause.1
The Minister of Finance has also stated that
the pay of Tax Assessors had been raised through
| out the Islands, This statement Is also without
foundation, as the pay Of Tax Collectors and AS
SCISSORS was only raised in nine districts. These
| are as follows: Honolulu, kOolaupoko, Lahaina,
| Wauku, Makawao, Hilo kau, South Kohala and
Hamakua. With reference to His Excellency the
| Minister of Finances statement concerning the
resolution of the Cabinet Council authorizing q
draft upon the Loan Fund for $4,000, which be
maintains was perfectly correct, should like to
ask His Exceency what loan funds were then in
the Treasury BY his report he informs Us that
$530,0O0 worth of bonds had been sold. He also
informs US by the same valuable report that
$3.50 ,0tS.9S had already been discussed from that
fund. Now, | should like to know where the
$4,000 were to come from !? 1t Is thus demon
strated that the Load Fund ut that time owed the
Hawaiian Treasury the sum of $3O00O0. Under
this resolution, of $4,000 the sum OF $4,000 was
drawn from the Treasury for Government build.
ings and hospitals, telephones and telegraphs
How was this money expended WasIt expended
for the purposes for which it was drawn? re
ference to page II of the Finance Report will show
the House for what it was expended,
don't propose, Mr. Chairman to devote very
much time to the remarks of His Excellency the
Minister of Foreign Affairs. his yerboslty Is pro
verbal and he has not gone behind his record on
this occasion. He has talked great deal and sale
little He would divert the attention Of the HousS
from matters of grave Importance to indulge IL
the puere discussion of things of trivial nature
He talks turkeyIat the rate of $3.50 a bird, ant
| avoids the subject of the dsgraceful duplication
of the 1dveTtiseT's bills lie also grew laohrymos,
in the touching defense of the eorsets and the
hustle, which were supposed in his sense Of politi
cal economy, to pay for $1,000 worth of kdliiiis n
the coronation. If these items, Mr., Chairman
had been charged TO the coronation account, thu
Committee of Finance would never have alluded
to them; but these articles charged to the in
oidentals of the Foreign Office, and that is VIVA
has raised the ire of the Committee, and that o
every honest IN ember of the Assembly. An appro
priatiOn was made to defray the expenses of tn
coronation of His Majesty. God save the King
II the appropriation not sufficient for the pur
pose intended, why did not the Ministers ch2rg
every penny expended for that laudable purpos
TO the proper account and then come before thi
House for indemnity? And, Mr.. Chairman, Their
is not an honest member Of this House who wouli
not have cheerfully given his aid for that object
| But what did they do They ATTEMPTED to Concea
and hide their actions by spreading their dsburse
msnts for the coronation over several appropria
tiong as If they were ashamed Of what they wer
doing. Honesty is the best policy, and if the Min
istry had followed that old adage the remark
would have been unnecessary. iApplause.)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has said tha
we have hunted the vouchers in his office as thoug
we were hunting for needle IN haystack.
thank him for the simile, for | can assure thi
House that looking for any document III that offic
is very much like trying TO find needle in a hay
stack II is even worse than the biblical parabl
about trying to pass a camel through the eye of
needle, for the camel's task would be ininitel
easier than that of tue searoher after truth in th
office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Diogene
! would have given u tue job. With reference :
! the charge of $500 for a book of rules for voun
teers His Excellency calls it reasonable charge
Now should stignatize and brand 1t as highwa
7 robbery. Is there any member of this House VIII
would like to pay six hundred and thirty cents 70
gross Of these valuable bOoksY This dIsburse
ment was not approved by the proper authorities
/ but it was probably pushed through by the Minis
= tes Of Foreign Affairs ut time when business wa
dull in his newspaper Office. With regard to th
remarks of the Minister of the Interior, 1 beg 3
: say that they meet with my unqualified approval
In manly and straightforward way, in Iharke
contrast to the subterfuges INDUCED in by his col
= leagues, he comes boldly forward and indorses on
Report. The only thing have to regret, Mr. Chail
man, Is that | find him constrained in circum
stances to eonsUrt with such unworthy associate,
Knowing him as do, l feel that no one can ar
: preciaie his unfortunate position more than him
self. (Applause.l
= The Minister seems TO be rather chagrined tina
no positive charge of embezzlement was brough
against him. | should like TO ask what has b
a come of the 500 Oyerdrawn ON salary The Nj
? mister and his clerk deny the receipt of it, a
= though the voucher is IN the Treasury aud th
L money has been paid; (Applause)
Mr.. Chairman, here rest for the present; bu
:, in conclusion, should like to refer 10 an unmaT
? ly slur which has been cast on q member of thl
= Committee by the Minister of Foreign Affairs
4 allude to the remarks of His Excellency yesteTda
/ about the Hon. Mr., keau. His EIcelency state
: that he was an ignorant nau, and did not undei
8 stand accounts in the English language. Now,
: | can assure HIS Excellency that the knOwledp
i which Mr.. heau possesses Of the English languap
;, is infinitely greater than the knowledge of th
, Minister of Foreign Affairs OF the Hawaiia
. tongue. The Honorable member for Honolulu
wellknOwn in this community. de Is an aotiV
business man, and has been elected three tint
in the Legislative Assembly of this Kingdom frul
a the most important constituency Of the cOuhtr,
= To brand such man as an ignorauus u the az
: of a coward. Applause.
On motion the COMMITTEES took recess unit
100 pm.
a AFTERNoos.
}, The Committee re assembled at 10 p. m. ans
r, ate coming to order, DIR. j. Mott Smith in Il
IL chair, Hon. II. A. Widemaun took the floor an
l. spoke in substance as follows: He had heal
II something said about the division of business
o one side Of the House OF the other, that he did
70 care to say anything about He was there to star
up and defend the prerogatiYes of His Majesty an
If be would do 50 with his latest tIesth, II be &C
h sidered that His Majesty WIS surrounded by GOO
N advisers 1t would be unnecessary fer him TO spes