The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-06-30
The Arcade~EGA & co.
Leader Of Low Prices.
PETITION TO THE LEGISLATURE.

ed to the Legislature few days
ago, relating to the claims of mer-
chants against The Government for
expenses in connection with the
state funeral obsequies of the late
Princess Likelike :
To Hon. w. r. CASTLE, President
of the Legislature-Sir -
The petition of the undersigned
merchants of Honolulu respectfully
shows, that at the special instance
and request of His Majesty the
King, and with the express approval
of the Premier and Minister of For
eign Affairs, and the assurance of
those officials that the Privy Council
would be requested to ratify their
action in the premises, your petit
TONERS furnished certain goods and
performed certain services such as
were deemed appropriate for the
state funeral obsequies of Her late
Royal Highness Princess Likelike,
for which your petitioners now de-
sire to present their claims against
the Hawaiian Government to the
amount of nearly Thirty Thousand
Dollars.
That the same claims were sub
mitted by your petitioners to the
Legislature at the Extra Session,
and were considered by committee
who reported thereon, that they be-
lieved that "most, if not all, of these
bills are bona fide bills for money
actually DUE" and that so far as
tradesmen and mechanics are con-
cerned, "these are Legitimate bills
and ought to be paid" also, that in
their opinion, essentially all the
bills in their hands ought to be
paid" The committee, however,
deemed that the Government was
not "bound to pay any definite sum
or any particular bills" but that,
sit does seem fitting, however, that
the following bills be paid by the
people, (1) undertaker's bills, (2)
coffin plate, (3) draping Palace,
(4) hack hire for the day of the
funeral, 60 clerk hire, co clerks
book, (7) use of organ and tables
and moving same, (S) material for
pail and trimmings for room for
lying in state, (9) Grape, etc., used
as mourning badges by soldiers and
school children, (l0) capes, ETC.,
for men TO draw the hearse, (11)
materials for draping Palace, (12)
clothing for personal retainers of the
late Princess, (13) provisions for a
reasonable number of attendants,
(14) other miscellaneous expenses.
For payment of the above items
the committee recommended an APP
preparation of $4,000, and suggest
ed that the. remaining bills were
payable by the Trustees of His
Majesty's estate.
That no appropriation therefor
was made at said Session, and that
said Trustees have although request
ed by your petitioners declined to
pay SAID bills or any part thereof.
Your petitioners respectfully re-
quest a further consideration by the
Legislature of their claims, and that
a committee be again appointed to
consider the matter with leave for
| your petitioners to appear and be
heard before such committee in sup
| port of their claims.
Your petitioners beg to call the
attention of the Legislature to the
fact that it is thus established by
the report of the former committee
that their claims are bona fide md
Legitimate, and at least in some in
stances based on the assurance of
the highest officials of the Govern
ment, that an appropriation to pay
the same would be asked from the
Privy Council that in consequence
of the limitation on the powers of
the Privy Council, required by the
present Constitution, made since the
date of said claims, your petitioners
are deprived of the opportunity
which they might then reasonably
have relied upon, to obtain the APP
prevail of their claims by that Coun-
ell. This seems to leave your petit
TONERS at the mercy of the Legis-
lature, under circumstances which
they respectfully submit require a
a degree of consideration to which
like claims would not ordinarily re-
ceive.
Your petitioners certainly had a
right 10 infer, as long as their claims
were, ''bona fide and legitimate, land
concerning a matter of state which
had always on former like occasion
received the full support of the Gov
eminent, that they would not be re-
jected simply because the Govern
ment was not legally bound to pay
them. If such were the permanent
view and course of the Government,
all persons would know how to pro-
tect themselves when called ON to
supply the requirement of state
funerals; but clearly it has always
until now, been otherwise. This is
an equitable and just view as your
petitioners submit to take of their
claims.
And your petitioners also submit,
that there is no justice or equity in
singing out certain claims for pay
mentand rejecting the rest, since all
have been found to be "bona fide
and legitimate" II any ought to