The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1886-09-20
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1886
ACCOUNTABLE TACTICS.

On Saturday the A65erIiSer con-
tanned an article apparently designed
to be crusher on this journal. The
"organ," however, only succeeded in
laying itself open 10 charge of prac-
tising tactics disgraceful to their authors
and damnatory to its reputation as a
public newspaper A more shameless
piece of Misrepresentation and positive
Justification has probably never been
seen in Honolulu than the editorial
article in question. Our contemporary
charges the HERALD with bringing an
accusation against the Minister of For
eign Affairs and the Government which
this paper never brought There was
not the slightest excuse for the misrepre-
sentation, for the article that was criti-
cized txli.oited care in expressing just
what ii meant. That our readers may
understand the rebuttal, the charge is
here given;-
"rhr newspaper in question, the
HERALD by suggestion and direct
statement, intimates that the Minister
Of Foreign Affairs moved an amend
ment in the Currency bill TO cover up
the tracks Of the Government in this
transaction, to witt the Withdrawal of
the coin reserve which should be held
in the Treasury tor the redemption Of
the outstanding certificates, and its
application by Ministers to meet some
of the abounding necessities Of the
Government In other words, that the
Government has surreptitiously with
drawn and expended some $325,o 900
without warrant of law, and without
reporting the fact to the Legislature.
Neither by suggestion nor direct
statement did the newspaper in ques-
ton" intimate any such thing as is
alleged in the above extract. In a
concise summary Of circumstances
arising in the controversy between the
Government and the Chamber of Com
merce, at the Inauguration of the Gold
Act of 1884, we stated that the Govern.
ment made deposit cf silver coin in
the Treasury, Sufficient to cuver any
possible difference between the respec.
tive market values of. the uncancelled
silver certificates and gold coin Of the
United States" Not having before us
the files of the Ad0e,tisey, with Ger
tain official notice of the Government
issued late in 1884 or early in 1885, We
could not give the exact amount of the
special deposit referred to. But it was
something like $50, 900 or $40, VT
believe, being about ID per cent Of the
amount of outstanding certificates tha
the Government did not, at that time
have gold to redeem according to law
This deposit we were assured, before
writing the article of the 18th, by ;
member of the Legislature whose wore
we believe, had been Withdrawn from
the Treasury by the Government
Since the AdgertiSer's article of Satur
day has appeared, we have rcceivet
the authority of a member Of the Fl
nance Committee, Mr. Dickey, fo
repeating the intimatlon that the spe
cial deposit in question had been with
drawn. The Auditor General, also
believes the deposit had been with
drawn and that the Registrars book
would show such to have been thl
case. He was not, however, certain
upon being questioned, that the whole
of it had been withdrawn, Perhaps
not more, if any, than an amount pro
portionate to the certificates redeemed
with silver. AS there is no authority
in law for the redemption of certificate.
Of twenty dollars and upward witt
silver, it is a problem hard to solve
how the Governments position coulC
be improved by the discovery that thu
deposit had been reduced in the man
ner last stat d. What now, fair-mindec
readers are asked, becomes of our con
temporarys strident araignment of