The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-28
GENERAL KINGS REPORT.

"ENEhAL hINU > REPORI-
The report made to General Merri-
am by General King on the disorderIy
conduct of two military officers on Fort
street, is published in the San Fran
cisco Call, and if correctly printed, it
puts the matter in a new phase to us
Now we are quite we'll aware of the
fact that this little community no long
er constitutes, as it did, several months
ago, one of the nations of the earth,
and SO far as the people are concerned,
IS rated as mere village, like many
thousands of other American villages
And we know too, that the voice of
a little village is generally drowned
amidst the roaring voices of the great
communities, in any appeals for JUS
tice and right in Washington. Never
theless we cannot refrain from placing
on record, even for historical purposes,
if for nothing else, a brief review of
the incident referred to in General
Kings report.
| In the first place, the police author
tiles who desired to deal with the dis
power to do, were informed by General
| King that he would do all that was
necessary to be done in the premises.
On this statement, these officers were
not arrested and charged in the Police
| Court.
| The Advertiser, on the carefully pre-
pared statements of cool headed wit
nesses, believed that these officers were
guilty of conduct disOrderly, and under
| the circumstances grossly so, and,
voicing the sentiment of the people,
asked that they be tried and punished.
| Judge Wilcox assuming without
| proof before him, that General King
did not intend to punish these officers,
| SO declared from the bench. The Ad-
lvertiser expressed the decided opinion
that a Judge, while on the bench had
no right to express an opinion as to the
guilt or innocence of the military
commandant in neglecting to do his
duty, because it was substantially
charging him with an offense ON the
evidence of rumors only, and especial
ly without giving him the opportunity
to be heard.
1t now appears from the report o.
General King TO his superior officer,
which we assume is correct, that in his
opinion, Lieutenant Wheelock was
guilty of disorderly conduct, and had
been remanded to his regiment, but
drunk, and only unfortunately assert
ed that martial law had been declared.
An educated officer who declared, I'M
der the circumstances, that martial
law had been declared was, SO far as
men may fairly Judge, either drunk
or insane.
judge on the bench is under sol
emn obligation to keep his mind clear
and impartial, just as every man in
sists that the minds of the jurymen,
before whom his case is to be tried,
shall be clear and impartial, and an
expression of opinion, in advance by
either judge or jury, becomes dis
qualification to act in a case about
which expression has been made.
But the press, speaking for the citi-
zen has larger liberty, within certain
limitations, in commenting on events
land conduct.
Relying upon what we believe to be
accurate and impartial evidence of the
conduct of Lieutenant Merriam, at the
time referred to, we feel that the re-
port generating him is a white
wash" We understand that the police
authorities did not prosecute this Off
Ger, because they accepted General
Kings statement as to his own honest
purpose to prosecute the offenders. It
seems, therefore, that the police auth
critics have been misled. 1t is pre-
sumed that General King did his duty
in the matter. What we term a white
wash - * in his pnipion q iu5;cior