The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-09-18

NEWSPAPER MISREPRESENTATION.

An article appeared in our morning
contemporary yesterday which chal-
lenges attention. If its statements and
suggestions are true, Ministers should be
impeached; if they are untrue, and DELHI
erately promulgated to impair the credit
of the country at home and abroad, then
let the country know it and mark it's dis
approval Of such unworthy methods of
political warfare.
The newspaper in question, by sugges-
ton and direct statement, intimates that
the Minister of Foreign Affairs moved an
amendment to the Currency bill d" to
cover up the tracks of the Government
in this transaction" to-wit: the with
drawal of the coin reserve which should
be held in the Treasury for the redemption
of the outstanding certificates, and its
application by Ministers ''to meet some
of the Astounding necessities of the Gov
eminent" In other words, that the
Government has eptitiously with
drawn and expended some 1925, 900 with
out warrant of law, and without report
ing the fact to the Legislature.
This is a charge so serious that it can
not be overlooked 1t is either true or
false. If it be true, let punishment fall
upon the heads of the guilty; if it be un-
true, let the slanderers be pilloried as
they deserve to be, and held up to public
odium and contempt.
Now, let us see just how this matter
stands. The Finance Committee re-
ported early in the session that the coin
reserve against the outstanding Treasury
certificates was in the Treasury safe.
The withdrawal and expenditure of
sum OF 1925, goo, more or less, must
therefore have taken place since the
Finance Committee examined the Treas
urY safe and reported upon its condition.
But it is notorious that no public works
have been in progress since then,
and that no emergency has arisen
calling for exceptional expenditure,
wherefore it follows that if this money
has been withdrawn from the Treasury
''to meet some of the Astounding neces-
sites of the Government, - it must have
Finance Committee to investigate this
matter forthwith, and endeavor, by the
assistance of the responsible editor of
our contemporary, to trace what has be-
come of this money. AS the public ac-
cuser of the Government, on a charge 50
grave as this one, he should not hesitate
TO place all his information and its
sources before the committee, and in
deed we would be greatly disappointed
if such were not his course of action.
For ourselves we do not believe one
word of the accusation, and we regard
the article in question as an insult to the
intelligence and common sense of the
community. 1t is, however, calculated
to injure the credit and reputation of the
country, and to render abOrtive any at
tempt to negotiate a loan, because if the
impression goes abroad that the Govern
ment is capable of doing what has been
alleged against it, capitalists would not
be willing to make advances upon the
security of its good faith, which is what
national bonds amount to.
One word regarding the article from
journalistic point of view. 1t comments
upon the amendment to the Currency
bill moved by the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, deliberately misstating its scope
and purpose, while it abstains from pub
fishing the amendment itself. This is
so manifestly unfair, even in partisan
journalism, as to render the editorial
opinion of a newspaper resorting to such
methods unworthy of respect. Be this
as it may, however, the duty is forced
upon the Finance Committee of again
examining the coin reserve in the
Treasury and ascertaining the exact
truth of the matter.
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