The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1884-05-30
THE ATTORNEY GENERALS REPORT


THE ATTORNEY GENERALS REPORT. |
The Biennial Report of the At
torney General is perfect gem in
its way So full and yet.so vacant,
so detailed and yet so confused.
The first paragraph tells us that
the reports of the Chief Justice and
of the Marshal relieve the Attorney
General of much labor, relief
which the Attorney General very
freely utilizes.
Under the heading "Police Re-
forms" we are told that various
circumstances "point unerringly to
the necessity of REFORM" in which
remark we agree with the Attorney
General, further we endorse his re-
mark "that not n semblance even of
discipline is maintained in the force"
(of police).
The Attorney General, however,
hits the nail on its head when he
points out the division and sub-divi-
sion of authority. "Thc appoint
ment' says he, ''rests with one
bureau, the removal with one or two
others, the responsibility nowhere. "
With regard to the remarks on the
Mounted Police we differ from the
conclusions of the Attorney General,
the step was not step in the right
direction, but emphatically step in
the wrong direction, it was simply a
step towards providing the crown
with a new and unnecessary force
which can only be used against its
own citizens. 1t is not civil but a
military force.
The suggestion as to 'Police
Commission is worthy of con-
sideration.
The clauses of the report refer
ring to Chinese we leave to the Leg
islature in dealing with the bill of
the Hon. G. Brown, agreeing on the
whole with the Attorney General S
remarks, and hoping for the passing
with modifcation) of Mr.. Browns
bill.
On the subject of opium we can
not see that 'the present law has
made the drug cheaper and more
easily attainable," it certainly is not
"boldly imported," though it is
true that call the vigilance of the
Government cannot prevent it. -
Our remedy would be larger mum
Der and a better class of police of
ficers, at present we have but very
few reliable police men.
The statistics are interesting. We
learn that there is an uneXpende6
balance on account of police in Oahu
and yet we know that the district
patrolled by police about the capita
is confined within an area with {
radius of half mile from the Post
Office.
Captain Hayley's report is thor
oughly workmanlike as far as it goes
but whether ''the game is worth th'
candle" may be settled by the Legis
lature, we think it is not.
The Marshal suggests that tn,
"Vagrant Act'' be amended or modi
fed, we suggest that it be carried
out, as to vagrant Chinese, as W.
said above, let them be dealt with b,
the Legislature under the proposed
bill of Mr.. G. Brown.
The Marshal is right in calling
attention to the indiscriminate selling
of firearms, if our Noble and Honor
able Legislature would put some re
striction on this business it would b.
well.
After all, the most noticeable poin
in this report is remarkable by it
absence. Neither the Attorney Gen
eral, nor the Marshal, nor the Gov
ernor of Oahu seems to be awar,
that for many months past there ha
been no governor of the jail il
Honolulu! Why is this, is it stu
pidity, jobbery or neglect? 1t canno
be ignorance pressing public neces
sity!
We hope to hear the question
i