The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-08-25
T II z
WEDNESDAY
August 25th
THE LEGISLATURE.

According 10 our Judgment another
day was wasted in the consideration of
the Lanai Committees report at yester-
days sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
Some other business was transacted it is
true, but this report was the bone of con-
tention throughout the day. There was
a comparative absence of personalities,
although Mr.. Thurston and the Attor-
ney General had a bout of intellectual
sparring, harmless enough of its kind,
and suggestive of no comment.
The minority submitted report when
the question of indefinite pOstponement
of the majority report was called up
as unfinished business. 1t was read in
Hawaiian by Mr.. Aholo and in English
by Mr.. Hayselden, the gentlemen who
prepared and signed it. The minority
recommended the indefinite postpone
ment OF all matters referred to the COM
mittee by the resolution of Mr.. Thurs
ton After long debate is was carried
on division by "a to Z, several members
declining to vote. They favored indefinite
postponement, but would not adopt the
minority report entire. Therefore, if the
question had been the simple issue of IN
definite postponement, the majority vote
would unquestionably have been in
creased to twenty nine, the certainty be-
ing also that the minority vote would
have been lowered by at least two.
No stronger rebulxe could we'll have
been administered to the authors of this
gross outrage upon parliamentary privi-
lege to crafty private malice. 1t is
rebuke which should teach all parties to
this outrage, both inside and outside OF
the Legislature, that they cannot use its
forms and privileges in that way with alb
solute impunity. The secret printing of
the majority report and its unauthorized
circulation was a breach of privilege,
and tacit admission of secret plotting
and underhand dealing on the part OF
those who were manipulating it. In
tended to injure the reputation of His
Excellency Mr.. Gibson, it has recoiled
upon its authors, and the majority of the
Lanai Committee are in somewhat
similar demoralized condition as the
conventional engineer who was
hoisted with his own petard. They have
been repudiated by the House. Their
prejudice and unfair report, attacking
the integrity and impugning the veracity
under oath of an aged and distinguished
public servant, holding office as Min
lister of the Crown, has been tossed back
to them with the stamp of disapproval;
and among those who condemn their ac-
ton and deny their conclusions, are
members OF the Legislature who would
strain point, as MIR. Dole did, if their
conscience would permit, to get them
out of a difficult position. But there was
no digging the majority OF the Lanai
committee out of the mire in which they
had foundered themselves and their
cause, and Mr. Dole's special pleading
and self-sacrifce ON their behalf was
thrown away.
The man who comes out OF this affair
with flying colors is Mr.. Gibson. His
statement, from first to last, has not
been controverted by the investigation or
debate, Indeed all the speakers yester-
day in support of the majority report went
outside of the sworn testimony and as
sumed a state OF facts which ii true, they
commended, would sustain its conclusions.
But this was pure assumption on their
part, without a title of evidence to sup
port it. In his brief remarks Mr.. Gibson
demonstrated the absolute groundless-
ness of the charge that he had ever de-
prived a Hawaiian on the island OF
Lanai OF his rights As for oppression
on his part, or on that OF his employees, +
to any extent whatever, the thing was
absurd. There are only three white /
men on the entire island, while the
native population numbers about go I.
persons. Now that we have seen the .
last of the Lanai Committee we hope (
the Legislature will settle down to bust /
ness.