The Hawaiian gazette., 1888-03-13
A DisquisitiOn on Perjury.
CSulject to cAdnge.]

EDITOR GAzETTE:-I read an edi.
torial in the Bulletin on hPolice Court
Perjury" This perjury is not confined
to Honolulu but is rampant in all the
| inferior Courts of the Kingdom. / am
in accord with the Bulletins desire to
! get the truth out of liars but | believe
there is remedy that would make
! testimony coincide with facts. [ have
known and heard of many cases OF
perjury on the islands but have never
heard of single prosecution for it.
| Is there no law against it? And if
there is a law, is it dead letter? To
me it seems one of the very gravest
otfenses against the peace and dignity
OF the Kingdom. 1t is surely subver-
sive of justice and should be dealt with
i'll the sternest manner. A few con-
victions for the offense would be bea-
cons of warning.
Some preventives of perjury are pos
s1ble. One cannot shut his eyes to the
fact that some of our laws and the
rascally administration of them have
actually put a premium on false swear
ing. Laws that require the assistance
of paid informers for their enforcement
are ubiquitous and tyrannicaI. Good
laws command the support of good
citizens. And l very much distrust
the word and evidence of man who
has to be "greased" with half the
fine to aid justice. There is dignity in
law and there should be dignity in its
enforcement. We have a paid police
to enforce it and yet we are often
treated to spectacle of this very DO
lice delegating its duties to unprin-
cipled scamps. These hounds are so
eager to secure a conviction that they
often actually decoy their victims
into a violation of law. Spite
and cupidity are generally the
motives which urge informers
to performance of their duty(?).
Is it a source of wonder that men who
sell their manhood and principle for
" half the fine" should not scruple to
strengthen their cause with an occa-
slonal bit of perjury? The law pays
them to convict, not to ascertain truth.
An inefficient police shirks its duty
and shifts its responsibility. [ UNI
hesltatlngly say that every liquor SELL
ing case could have been established.
generally from actual knowledge of
the police of the case itself, and al
ways from knowledge of available evil
dence. Our police when it has wished
TO secure conviction, has not hesitated
to set any sort of trap or do any sort of
dirty work to win a case. 1t has
awaited itself of evidence known to be
false. Our District Judges have pro-
ceeded on the assumption that it is
necessary for the good of the country
to replenish the eXchequer of the
Kingdom by convicting in every pos
slble instance. Consequently thev
have viewed perjury with very leni-
ent eye. 1t will not be necessary for
me to apologize to Judges whom this
coat does not fit, and [ certainly shall
not ask pardon of the remainder.
A brighter and purer era has dawned
upon the Kingdom. My animadver-
ssions are upon the past only. There
has been displacement of many off |
clals who have winked with both eyes
to become blind and whose principal |
gesture of disdaining brides has been |
throwing the right hand behind, yea
even up between the shoulder blades, |
and who have prosecuted rather than |
prosecuted. Let few more be dis |
placed who for reasons of self-interest |
are condoning offenses against law. |
The present Government is to be con- |
graduated on most of its appoint |
ments. Let us have Judges who try |
ottenses fairly and officers who exc |
cute laws decently and faithfully, and |
perjury will soon be at discount.
REEF ORME.