The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-07-21
THE LEGISLATURE
Fo4 Fourth Day.
WEDNESDAY, July 20.
The House met at 10 AN.

secretary Mccarthy READ the reply
of the Attorney General to questions
asked by Rep. Koahou on July 18th,
as follows
/. Mr.. ". Whaley and about one hun
dred others were commissioned on the
election day, February 81, 1892, to serve
as Special Police, without pay, to main
tain Law and order on that day. This
commission, with many Of the others is
sued at the same time have since that
time been returned to the Marshal and
cancelled. The above wac the only COM
mission 8 police officer ever issued to
Mr.. Whaley
2. A number, no doubt, Of the special
commissions issued as above stated We're
TO persons not naturalized, bat the At
torney General had no means of knowing
how many, as no enquiry vas made at
the time. However, to his knowledge,
tie majority, if not all, are citizens, vot-
er< and tax payers, and many of them
residents oil long standing. The Attor-
ney- General respectfully declined to fur
Nth the names OF the special officers, az
it would b. against public policy. No
alien holds a commission as a regular
police officer on the Island of Oahu; as
TO the other islands, the Attorney Cen
eraI will not he able TO answer until the
diff .sent sheriffs could be communicated
with.
3 Such commissions as above are
valid and in conformity with the laws
of the Hawaiian Kingdom. They are al
lowed by the Police law of 1888, and he
persons appointed do not have TO COM
ply with provisions Of 1874 as amended
in 1875. which requires persons OF foreign
birth appointed to any Office Of profit or
emolument to take the oath OF allegi-
ance.
The questions and reply were re-
ferred to a select committee, consist
ing of Reps. Kamauoha, Koahou and
Ashford, and Mobiles Peterson and
Cornwell.
The Secretary again read the an
swers of the Acknowledgement to
questions propounded by Rep. Kapahu
on July 9Th, viz:
l. There are at present in commission
zine detectives on Hawaii, two On Maui
and eight on Oahu. All of these are not
N receipt OF regular pay from this de-
partment, as they are only employed as
occasion arises.
2. Through their services the follow
ing has been done: On the Island OF
Hawaii illicit liquor distilling and selling
has been broken up just now in the dis
trict Of Hamakua and North Kohala !;
thirteen cases in Hamakua realized over
$1,000 in fines. Two stills and apparatus
and quantity of liquor were seized in
North Kohala, and about $l100 in fines
imposed. On Maui, illicit liquor distill-
ing and selling have been materially les
1n1 tah a IF1Iy
have al-o been twelve cases of opium in
possession brought ard thirty-one tins
seized. On Oahu, eleven cases of opium
in possession have been brought and 686
tins seized as against IS tins seized by
the rel ular police force all over the ISL
ands; the Diamond" smuggling case,
some hundred o. che ia and pakapio
eases, including Jrlnius Ksae, with fines
amounting to over $4,000. The Kun
Vim and Barefooted Bill cases, V. Fer
nandrz robbery case, Stinninger forgery
case, Illinois Wise murder case, Brown,
johnson and Williams smuggling case, a
conspiracy against the Government bro
ken up in April, 1891, the treason cases
of May, 1897, as we'll as many other mi
nor cases.
8. One especial benefit to the Govern
ment from their services has been the
nipping in the bud and breaking up of
the reasonable conspiracy which was
brought before the courts in May, 1892,
and also previous similar organization
in March and April. 1891. These, ii not
detected and stopped might have result
Ell in the overthrow OF the Sovereign and
the Government, the loss of the autono-
my of the country besides loss of life and
damage to property. Also the Govern
ment has been enabled to detect and
suppress crime and secure convictions in
all the above variety of crimes and Of
lenses where the regular police would
have been helpless from the familiarity
of the criminals and their accomplices
with their features and professions. The
Government has realized a considerable
greater sum from the fines imposed in
cases where fines may be inflicted than
the cost of the detective service has
been.
Rep. Waipuilani stated that these
special police were next to useless.
Anyone passing along Maunakea
street may see men and women on
that thoroughfare writing che ia tic
kets openly. He wished an investiga-
ton.
Rep. Ashford favored investigation
of the matter. During the course oil
his remarks, he stated that the al.
legged conspiracy of March, 1891, may
be the same as the conspiracy of May,
1892, given by "His Eminencer the
Marshal as an excuse for the employ
ment of these special police. The
Representative from Kona was sur
prised at seeing men and women en-.
gagged at writing che ia tickets every
day. Perhaps he is not aware that
che IA people are licensed by the Mar
shall. Laughter.l have been told
that Chinese have used that building
adjoining the Post Office as a watch
house. Chinese watch from the win.
dow, and whenever warrants are is
sued by the Judge, they receive sig
nails from the police by means OF
handkerchiefs.
Minister Parker, on behalf of the
Cabinet, favored the immediate in
vestigation of these corruptions, and
that Rep. Ashford, who knew so much
about the signals used between the
police officers and che IA agents, be
one OF the select committee. He would
be very valuable acquisition to the
committee.
Rep. Bush expressed his admiration
OF the attitude of the Minister of For
eign Affairs in regard to this matter.
He had patiently waited for an oppor-
tunity to praise him, and he had
found it. AS a newspaper man he
was well acquainted with the abuses
OF the said special police, but he would
refrain for the present from exposing
them, because he was not one of the
paid spies.