The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-08-14

A. know Of no reason why they
should be. But I believe parties
have made efforts in that direction.
For instance, certain parties have
tried to Impress the Cabinet that
to break up the Rifles
by inducing other officers to resign
when | resigned.
Il. Then this is not truet
A. No, and the man or men who
the report knew at the
time that nothing could be more
false. l used every effort, while in
the Rifles, to promote their eili- q.
cheney. When l left, left, and
that was the end of it. | have UNI
derstood one or two of the officers
have since circulated unsoldierlike
reports of me. l guess the "boys"
don't think me at fault, however.
Pm willing TO take my chances on
them, anyway. | always had the
fullest confidence in them, and they
in me, l believe.
r. What about the story that
the officers of the native Battalion
are supporting you, although your
political enemies?.
A. Well, some of those gentle
men were opposed to me in politics
last September. Some may now be.
When | go into q military fight, l
don't ask q man what his politics
are. As ! have said, the two sub
jects should be kept entirely apart.
Those who are trying to push this
view of the question, know this as
well as myself. But they are dis
honest, as well as illogical. l un-
derstand they attribute ulterior OBJ
jebts to the officers of the Second
Battalion. Probably it is because,
being themselves incabable of an
act of fairness to a political oppo-
nent, they think no one else can be
free from sinister motives. My own
honest belief is that those officers of
the Second Battalion who vote for
me (if any do) will do so, from q
desire for what they consider the
good of the service. OF course
such motive is above the under
standing of some of our would-be
politicians of this town. But it exists
just the same.
r. What do you think of the
disturbing ''rumors" set forth in to-
days advertiser"
A. You mean the "coup d'etat"
business? Why its absurd. I've
been in the country nearly four
years, and think myself pretty
fairly posted on such matters. The
truth is, that within the four years
named, political matters have never
been so quiet as at present, nor the
likelihood of domestic political COM
plications so very remote as when
that sensational article was written.
r. How do you account for it?
A. The article? Well it's clear
enough. It's a thin "job" to try
and influence the votes of the re-
naming three companies of the
Rifles at their next meetings:
Co. d having already declared I'M
animously in my favor.
R. How do you make that out?
A. Why, they've tried every
thing else. They first tried the ao0-
lime racket; but were told that
Iwasn'trunning for a church deacon,
and that they had more dirty linen
of their own 10 wash than they
could afford to expose. Then they
tried the Grace" cry, but it acted
like a boomerang; the native officers
saw through it, and wouldn't have
it. Now they're trying the periodi-
cal "dictator" bugaboo. It's hard
to tell whether the parties inspiring
this are more to be pitied as fools,
condemned as towards, or despised
as knaves.
r. You speak rather plainly?
A. Yes, that's my virtue, or my
fault-which you like. try 10 tell
the truth, however. The trouble is
that we have number of people in
this town whom truth the offcnds.
These people say | talk too much.
If / do, so much the worse for the
truth.
r. Is there any truth in the re-
port that you're about to leave the
Kingdom?
A. That's another thing urged
against me in the contest for the
Colonelcy. I'm here to stay, how
ever. / did intend to go East for q
short time this season to close up
some outstanding private business
affairs, and "draw out'' from the
East entirely. But sent forward
powers of attorney by last mail, with
instructions to settle everything.
r. What is your opinion of the
military Bill?"
ii. | don't care to criticise it..
It's the law, and we must do the
best we can under it.
II. What about the talk of its un-
constitutionality?
A. I'm not in the confidence of
the Supreme Court, in matters OF
constitutional construction of stat
utes, in advance. If you wish to test
it, you can sue out Writ of Man
damus against the payment by the
Minister of Finance, of the Colonel's