The Hawaiian gazette., 1886-07-27

lister of Finance stated that the national
debt was s., 065,600 This was pretty big
jump upon the SS98,600, which was the
debt in 1884, and a frightful jump upon
1925, 200, which was the public debt in
1882, when the present Minister of Interior
assumed the reins of Government and de
termined to rule with puppets instead of
men.
But the whole story has been by no
means told. The present public debt of
the country far from being 81, 065, 900 is
close on to 100000, or to put it more
practically, during an administration of
four years the public debt has been in
challenged, but they are based on figures
which the Government will have to con
fess correct before the opposition is done
with them. Their own showing which
was given as a sort of confession in the
House the other added about 100000 to
the sum first given by the Minister of FL
nance, and if there was concealment and
prevarication on March 31st, why we may
readily imagine that there is concealment
and prevarication now There is the one
item alone of opening roads about Homo
lulu which must come close on to S250,000
there are moreover, several substantial
sums which have been traced, but which
do not appear in the confession.
It is amusing to see how far back some
of these accounts go. In the confession
of the Minister of Foreign Affairs we find
accounts running back as far as March
goth, 1882 Supplies for Volunteers, Dec.
21st, 1882, amounting to S1,033, are still
unpaid. So is the fare, 500, of Prince
Oscar and his suite to the Volcano; so are
the supplies for that distinguished guest,
S5925; and yet these we're contracted in
1884. When we get down to petty things
it is truly laughable.
Those five men who had medals pre-
scented them by the President of the United
States had to have their fares advanced
by Mr.. j S. Webb, whose private pocket
stands depleted S63 for them, and S84 for
Office expenses Then there are $26.50 due
for supplies to the japanese Embassy of
1882 Truly our distinguished guests have
been somewhat i'll treated not to have had
these little amounts settled. No doubt
both the Prince and the Japanese would
have been quite willing to pay the little
bills had they been presented. We have
shown here the middle of accounts in one
department 1t was the one over which
our present Minister of Interior presided
for four years; imagine the middle in the
Interior Department in the space of one
year.
Thus in things both small and great we
find nothing but muddle. Muddles in
small accounts, muddles in large ones,
muddles in building, in bridge making, in
road making, total disregard for public
good, total disregard for public credit.
And what better are we off in 1886 with
our debt of near 100000 than we were
in 1882 with our debt of $299,200? The
Government confess they require more
revenue and have brought in bill for in
ternal taxation with that view. In this,
however, they have signally failed. The
condition of the roads upon the other Isl
Some bridges have been built by a con-
nection of the present Minister Of Interior
and they have in several instances gone to
sea. The Pail road is still unconstructed.
The Board of Health, which was to do such
great things under Mr. Gibson's manage
ment has failed, and he who climbed to
power through his assumed pity for the
poor Hawaiian and especially the poor
leper, was fairly hooted when he went to
Molokai the other day. The boosted 'san-
itation" has left our water supply exactly
where Mr. Wilder left it.
Yes we have something to show. We
have a good deal of fuss and feathers.
Our treasury may be empty, our credit
bad, but we have gorgeous ministerial Uni
forms, our roads may be knee deep in mud,
but Russian ship has brought out half
dozen orders and distributed them
around. Our lepers may be fed on mixed
rice and poor bread, but we have sent an
expedition to the South Seas and have
pigeon-holed half dozen letters from the
unbreeched chieftains of as many coral
islets and sand banks. We have tried di-
p1omacy with Germany, and have got
snubbed We have been laughed at and
had funny paragraphs made on us in every
paper from Sydney to Paris. Verify the
Ministry have had their reward.
Yet this country could have been a
State once, it rose to be the mistress of the
world. 1t did not rise however, by fuss
and feathers, it rose by frugality The
great heroes of Rome, like Cincinnatus,
the elder Cato, cultivated their own farms
with their own hands The soldiers and
leaders served without pay. When fru-
gality had raised the State, ''fuss and
feathers" ruined it. If this country is to
become renowned, as it might, it will not
be on the basis adopted by Messrs. Gibson
and his puppets.
What must any one think of a Ministry
which, in face of S2,0O0,000 debt and re-
quest from their sovereign for retrench-
ment calmly ask for money to be thrown
away upon Genealogy Boards, Missions to
South Sea Islands and military which
has no foe to fight? The only salvation
for the country is to turn them out.