The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-08-14
The Police Force in Hamakua.

Mr.. EDITOR:-The police force OF
this district never has had the respect
of the community and never has been
noted for its brilliant deeds. Its gen
eral incapacity, its abuse of position
in carrying out the petty spites of its
members, and all around worthless
ness have earned for it the contempt
of all respectable citizens. By the
way, it is the same old, easy-going,
time-serving force that we had under
the monarchy; with all it's royalistic
proclivities, inefficient in everything
and prompt only in drawing its sal
airy. The personnel of the force will
not bear inspection. 1t runs all the
way from a discharged bribe- taker,
through convicted opium smoker,
down to its latest acquisition, prof.
cient pig pOacher and expert giant
powder fisherman. What an array of
talent When the opportunity for
action came, it was always found
wanting, and in fact, it could never
rise above the arresting of poor Jap
for carrying polili on a Sunday or for
riding his horse faster than a trot.
When crimes of a serious nature took
place they were dumb founded-knew
not which way TO turn, nor what to
dO-and did nothing. On the con-
trary, they endeaYored to hush up the
last serious offence against law and
morals, and even kept the offenders
posted as to the actions of several per-
loo 70 ax
them punished for their misdeeds,
and so gave them an opportunity to
quit the country. y good radiance,
we all say, but the ends of justice are
not satisfied that way.
The members of the force say that
the wOman's story was not worthy of
credence, she being insane. The cell
Gritty with which the culprits alb
seconded proves the reverse. What if
. the woman was poor, a native, and
half insane; and only "a few knew of it
at first? Great God, is the euormity
, of an offence to be measured by the
extent of its publicity ? If insane, she
needed our protection; a native, our
consideration, and poor, our sympa-
thy. but from our police force she
received none of these; only from the
community, whose Sense of justice
and morality We're ineXpressibly
shocked, did the matter receive any
consideration.
When "a crime Is committed, justice
AMI the public demand that it shall
not be hidden and that the offenders
shall be punished; but our force says
that it shall be concealed, and that the
culprits shall not be punished. Then
so much the worse for our police force.
When the public pays good money in
maintaining a police force, it expects
to receive equivalent service for il; it
expects that force to do its duty ire
spective of color, money or influence;
and when that force refuses to do its
duty promptly, the public has the
right TO demand its dismissal, and in
the present case emphatically does so.
Mr.. Sheriff, you cannot gloss over the
ircapability of the Hamakua police
force. Give us another. The odor of
its bad repute irritates the Olefactory
nerves of every respectable citizen in
the district. What we want is an en-
ergetic man for deputy sheriff, who
must be an earnest supporter of the
present government and not the secret
sympathiZer of Z; defunct monarchy.
He and half the number of the present
force will be more than sufficient to
preserve law and order in this COM
munity.
ANOTHER HAMAKUAITE.
Hamakua, August 9th.