The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-03-14
McCANDLESS AND SMITH CROSS
SWORDS.
The Board of Health Furnishes the
Subject of Warm Ministerial and
Senatorial Controversy.

Board of Health again came in for
Smith on a question of privilege, fully
and in detail defended the acts of the
Board, declaring that the criticisms
made in the Senate last Friday were
unjust, unfair and unintentionally
untrue"
Senator Waterhouse defended his
Committee report in which criticism
of the Board was first made, and SEN
ator McCandless vigorously defended
his position. reiterating his character
ization of the quarantine work in ia
pan as "a farce"
Attorney General Smith under his
privilege, asked leave to say some
thing in connection with the remarks
made in the Senate on Friday, when
the Board of Health matter was up.
Statements had been made that the
method of accounts and bookkeeping
in vogue were imperfect. This GER
tainly was erroneous, for the system
there was excellent and the same that
had been so favorably commented up
on in the Attorney Generals Depart
ment by another Committee. 1t would
be found that vouchers for everything
were on file. Bills were incurred by
various institutions and these were
frequently delayed in reaching the
Board. But everything was systemat-
ic and complete.
AS to the quarantine work in the
Orient while it was true it was not
wholly satisfactory, that was due to
circumstances over which the Depart
ment had no control. But whatever
it's imperfections it had proven itself
of inestimable value to the Islands.
1t would be improved and made more
perfect
AS to the so-called junketing trips,
every one of them seemed fully JUS
titled at the time and now. One Of
them was to take the representative
of the United States Marine Hospital
Service to Molokai. In view of the
statements made in the United States
that to annex the Islands would be to
annex leprosy, he thought it was of
sufficient Importance to fully justify
the expense involved. The trip to take
DR.. Thompson of New South Wales,
was also fully justified by his char
acter as a scientific man, the purpose
of his visit, and his official position.
The appearance of leprosy in so many
parts of the world had given the sub
ject an Importance and directed to it
such attention as it had never had be-
fore in the history of the world. Our
duty to the LOO people in the leper
settlement, he said, demands that we
do everything possible to advance sci
entific knowledge on the subject. It
was in this view that a representative
had been sent to the Leprosy Congress
at Berlin, and meteorological study of
the subject had been taken up.
The Attorney General felt sure that
a more intimate knowledge of the
work of the Board of Health would
make it clear that the structures of
their work made in the Senate would
be shown to be both unjust and un-
fair, and unintentionally untrue.
Senator Waterhouse warmly defend
ed the report of his committee on this
subject, recounting experiences of the
Committee and its members in inves-
tigating the subject In this he was
supported by Senator Schmidt.
Senators Baldwin and Brown made
brief explanations of their remarks
of Friday.
Senator McCandless said that he
had nothing to withdraw of what he
had said. 1t was based on what the
Committee had reported.
Senator Waterhouse, he said, who
was disposed to defend the farce 60
ing on in Japan, had in the report of
his Committee, made the strongest
charges against the Board. But in n
scurrillous morning paper false re-
ports of what was said had been
made. What he had said in criticism
of the Board had been given, while
what others said in criticism was rep
resented as being in opposition to
what he said. 1t seemed as though
an effort was being made to prevent
any criticism of the Board.
"They evidently have an organ
which proposes to browbeat and in
timidate any member who criticises
them" continued Senator McCandless.
"A member of this Senate told me
that he would hesitate to expose him