The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-05-12
AN UNPLEASANT OCCUPATION


er, who became a disciple, to the pres
ent day. The tax collector in modern
days has been the butt of much cheap
wit, and even big hearted Dickens had
his jibe at him in the ridiculous and
self-important Lilivick.
On these Islands the tax collector
has especially unpleasant work, be-
cause we still retain that relic of bar
barism, the poll tax. There was a pref
ty vigorous onslaught upon this tax in
the last Legislature, but the wisdom of
the majority decreed it's retention, and
retained it was . The collecting of the
personal taxes probably gives more
trouble than any other money which
the Government receives, and causes
more friction than any other source
from which the Government draws it's
funds. But tax collectors do not make
the law, they are placed merely to car
ny out the law. One feels much sympa-
thy for them in a very disagreeable
task
But there are ways of carrying out
the law. 1t can be carried out in a
out in a clustering manner. In the one
case one can feel full sympathy with
the tax collector in the second he calls
down reprobation on himself and upon
his colleagues, and he quickly puts
himself within the pale of the law, if
it should be invoked against his acts.
A case was brought before Judge
in, ipI, A
Carreira, a clerk in the employ of the
Tax office, was convicted of assault and
battery upon a Chinese lad. and was
fined for the offence. This Carreira,
Portuguese, served a warrant upon the
Chinese boy, for nOn-payment of taxes.
The boy was under age and owed no
taxes. This statement was made, but
pooh poohed by the holder of brief au-
thority, who seized the boy by the col
lar, pushed him to the gate of the prem
ises he was arrested on, and bore him
off to prison, where he was duly locked
up. Fortunately for the boy he had
friends who interested themselves in
his case; the assault was proved; and
a case later in the day proved that the
He had therefore been illegally impris-
Oned, illegally arrested and has a suit
for damages if it is pressed.
This particular case naturally is OF
no public interest, but it becomes so as
throwing a light upon the manner in
which the minor tax officials do their
work. There is absolutely no necessity
fNV-
roughly because he has not paid his
taxes. No official would dare to act
in this way to an Hawaiian of good
standing, or to any American. The
manner of treatment of this Chinese
boy, by this tax official, is no doubt
what he has been accustomed to prac-
tice upon other Chinese, Japanese and
Portuguese who are unaccustomed to
our laws, and are ignorant of their
rights, and who became alarmed at the
unknown powers of a hectoring petty
official. Such a creature will cringe
before a man who knows his rights and
can assert them.
1t would be very much better that
the heads of the department should
ter balanced minds than those they
seem to have on hand. 1t would have
been far more digniied for the coliec-
tor to have avoided the present scandal
of having his official fined in the police
court, to have reprimanded him him
self, instead of abetting him as he has
done. If the upper officers did not
Of n hi,
conduct would not occur. What the Tax
office needed, and what it received yes
terday was lesson. 1t was not a les
son only to the petty official fined, but
it was a lesson to every one from the
highest to the lowest, that such con-
duct was reprehensble i'm the instru-
ment and indefensible in the officials
who tried to palliate, and even brazen
out a wrong done. The tax officials
have no more right to bully China
man, than they have to bully President
Dole, Colonel Fisher or any other citi-
zen. In the eye of the law the China
man has the same civil rights as the
highest in the land. 1t is only that in
the one case the cur dare bark, and in
the other he would put his tail between
his legs, There are many cases of sim
liar injustice which are never heard of.
To take anosher view, what must be
thought of an official who swears out a
warrant, for the arrest of a man, when
he is himself ignorant whether the man
should pay his taxes or not. The war
rant for the arrest of the man in ques-
tiOn was based uDOn no evidence sim
ply upon a suppositiOn of the person
who swore out the paper that the boy
was twenty. 1t has been proved to the
satisfaction of the court that he was
not. Now this exposes another phase
Of the loose way things are done, Is a
man to be deprived of his liberty and