The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-11-27

therefore, the likelihood is that
Honolulu will soon be preserve of
a class relatively as large and abso-
lutely as desperate as any city in
the world harbors. Many residents
have attributed the comparative
immunity of this city from serious
crime to the fact that the narrow
bounds of the kingdom and the
limited means Of communication
with the outer world, make it
great difficulty for anybody com
mitting q grave offense to elude the
grasp Of justice. This may be a
serious delusion. Equally as reason
able explanations of the good charac-
ter hitherto attaching to this CON-
munity are, we believe, forthcoming.
Is it not probable that the main
reason for our past exemption from
violence may be found in the trac-
table and peaceful nature of the
native race, and the exceptionally
good class of foreigners, outside of
contract laborers yet partly in
elusive of them, attracted hither by
the commerce and industry of the
country! Another likely reason for
the same thing lies in the changed
relations to the community, COM
pairing now with not very long ago,
of large portions of the population
imported as labor supply. Thou
sands OF contract laborers have de-
cided that their terms of bound SER
vice were as much as they would
endure of toll among the cane, un-
less forced to renew their contracts
by sheer necessity. Therefore, in
swarms these people, Of different
natlonalities, have left the planta-
tions to hive in the city, here to
make living by such methods as
were most readily discoverable by
them. 1t is doubtless from among
the habitatiOns of the class just des-
cribed that many, if not all, of the
nocturnal providers, at present giving
so much annoyance, sally forth to
pilfer and rob, availing themselves
of the shelter of darkness or the
guidance of the moon, according to
their individual degrees of boldness
or illegitimate necessities. If the
| aforementioned are the real contri-
buting causes of increasing criminal
activity in Honolulu, then, while
there is no prospect of the stated
conditions coming to an end, the
only rational conclusion is that the
evil must continue to grow until it
eliminates in veritable reign OF
terror, provided efficient means are
not adopted for speedily quelling
the predatory element. There will
not, perhaps, long be wanting
demonstration of the delusiveness
of that sense of security, before
referred to, founded upon the diff
Guilty of guilty rascals either per-
manently hiding in the country OF
escaping abroad, if offenses against
property, with occasional outrages
upon the person, continue so largely
as in the late past to go unrequited
Perhaps it would not be a rash pro-
position to state that the case of one
criminal evading his deserts give:
more encouragement to evil-doers
than can be counteracted by the eX
amples of two falling under the
penalties of justice. To give the
law its due terrors, the exceptions
in graphing with crime, must be il
the number of villains who go un
whipt of justice rather than thost
who are made to suffer for thei
misdeeds. But here the case is eX
actly reversed: the exceptions are
those who are convicted, the rule il
formed of the thieves and robber
who escape. There is only one en'
possible to such condition of af
fairs: the depredators must be pu
under the iron heel of justice, o
they will subject the city to a regu
lar siege of anarchy, for a longer o
shorter period according to the com
| ,,arativo ahilitu of tha raspooto bl