The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1897-07-12
A Manly Letter From a Sailor.
Ed. THE INDEPENDENT


In your issue of the 10Th headed,
"From the friends Of the police" it
is very evident that the writer is
also a friend OF the saloon keeper.
He starts his very bilious effusion
by saying that the police are polite,
obliging, tolerant and lenient There
may be few such exemplary char
acters as he depicts among them,
but they are not stationed in the
vicinity where the man-of-war's man
is usually found, and the writer's
personal observations" have failed
to penetrate that vicinity.
In most countries, such cases as
have occurred are treated as
"drunks" and are released the fol.
lowing morning when sober; where.
as, here, there are all sorts Of charges
preferred against them. l have
never been fortunate enough to wit
ness an intoxicated "sailor" or "citi-
zen" who would not resist arrest,
especially when menacing attitude
is assumed by the officer making
same.
We have never had any such
trouble in any of the ports we have
visited, and it can partly be traced
to the ability Of the saloon keeper
to quell any disturbance among his
patrons, and not to call the police
as soon as any menacing words are
used among them. Ii he 10 not able
to cope with the average trouble &C.
curing among sailors or citizens,
which is in all probability caused by
his own liquor it would be far better
for him to open one of the "candy
shops" the writer speaks OF at the
conclusion of his letter,
His remarks concerning the sail
ors' coming ashore for good time
aud generally getting it" are super
Auous. The sailor has no more of
the SO called good time than any
citizen, who as the sailor does, pays
''hard cash" for it.
We will all take any medicine we
deserve, but we do not care to be
robbed Gas was proved in the case
of Police VS.. Kaue), nor do we wish
to be dubbed into inseasibility when
thu liquor we have taken has already
placed us out OF harms way,
We have no desire to capture the
town, but would like Ito be treated
as men.
Speaking of our having grievances
against the Police Department one
/ Of the most serious, has as yet not
been aired. | could point out a
dozen men, some of whom never
drink drop, who have been arrest.
ed as deserters, for the simple rea-
son that the Police Department
were not able to distinguish the diff
ference between man sit. Sin. and
Aft. 5in,, etc, and through this gross
ignorance men languish in jail
awaiting identification.
The descriptive lists of deserters
which are sent to the police officials
are very explicit, giving mans
name, age, height, color, complexion
and even to the scars he has on his
body, and there is no excuse what
ever for the gross errors which have
been committed.
When the police discover theil
error, they laugh, and think it {
great joke, but should one or two o.
these men bring suit for false i'm,
prisonment, which they have a per-
feet right to do, the aspect OF the
joke would change somewhat
Such wild statements as have re-
Gently appeared in the local papers
one Of them stating that the blue
jackets" were buying rubber hose
and "shot" are at best sensational
narratives and only tend to aggra
vate matters still more.
A MAN-oF-wARs.MAN.
Honolulu. July II, '97,