The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1890-03-26
Permanent TENURE OF OFFICE.


quet to the members of the Hawai-
ian Bar, at the Hamilton House, on
the evening of the 9TH instant. The
press was not invited, and therefore
we were unable to publish report
Of proceedings. 1t was purely q
matter Of the Chief Justices, and
was nobody else's business, whether
His Honor preferred the presence or
the absence of reporters. He elect
ed to exclude them, which he had
an unquestioned right to do. Whe-
ther the community was the gamer
OF the loser thereby is an unsolved
problem. But if speech said 10
have been delivered at that banquet,
which somehow or other found its
way into the columns of the Adver-
tiser of the 10Th instant, is fair
sample of the talking done on that
occasion, the reading public would
certainly have been none the verse
for the publication OF all the
speeches.
The speech referred TO was made
by His Honor NJ. p. Deadly, L. S.
District Judge of Oregon, who was
on visit to our country at the time.
Among other things, His Honor is
reported to have said: "In some
respects there are few countries
your equal. say it fairly. In
most of the cities Of the Union the
judicial power is exercised by men
who are elected at short intervals to
serve for meagre salaries on the Su-
preme Bench. " You are 10 be
congratulated on having started upon
the right plan, and that is to have Il
court that is independent, and no
court or judge can be independent
who has not y decent salary and q
permanent tenure Of office. / do
not care how good man may be
naturally, or great man is natu-
rally, if from the day he goes on the
bench and commences to discharge
his duties he is looking around to
see what his chances for the next
term are, he cannot bea good judge.
Neither is he independent if he has
to beg, for he cannot live on trust
and support his family decently
without borrowing, or begging, or
taking favors from any man. +"
lie ought to have q salary that
would make him independent, and a
permanent tenure of office. Now
make bold to say that have looked
through the courts and have heard
the community talk, and have ex
amined it, and there is not, j be-
lieve, but half dozen States in the
Union where there is court that il
as much entitled to respect from the
community rs the Supreme Court OF
the Hawaiian Kingdom. 1t is not
because these men are so much bet.
tor than other men: it is because
they are fayorably situated. Cir
cumstances make men and unmakt
them. They will be independent
with permanent tenure of ctiict
and decent competence.
Now, that is plain sense and sount
reason, long ago practically recog
nised by many other countries q
well IA this. In the United State
where the ambition and self-interes
Of the ''outs" To get ''in" are tn,
strongest elements in support Of til
system OF frequent change, accord
ing To Judge Deady, There is
change of opinion going on on tina
point; it Is manifesting itself i
every directions" and he thinks th
evil will bc removed.
As our Supreme judges are in
position of independence, unaffec,
ed by the altered aspect that ina
appear every two years in the pol
tical kalcidoscOpe--a position whic
the Oregon judge rightly deems S
hesirable--the gentlemen so fort,
nately and safely circumstance
have the strongest incentive to N.
nifest the stricte:t impart!ality i
the discharge Of their duties, avoid
ing every appearance OF partisa
bias, off the bench as well as Oh il
and maintaining calm indifferenc
TO everything except the administr'
ton OF law aud justice.
Not only is 1t profitable TO 4 coun
try for its judges to be kept in tn
independent position indicated b