The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-05-25

every ofEITic1 OF TIE 4sA8E1s- LII l1c
police for that district perform the
duties Of jafler There is no need OF
= sheriff with a chief deputy and
clerk and twenfy-seven other police
in the little Island Of Kauai with its
q, 5s4 people. Ten officers at the Ut
most properly distributed would police
that Island Just as effectively as now
and at less than half the present ex-
pense.
II is just the same for the Island Of
Maui where the High Sheriff. in his
estimate. asks for appropriations for
the support of So police for that
Island which is equal in area TO one of
the larger counties Of the middle
states. and contains a population. in
Guiding Molokai. Of little more than
q 900. In other words police and jail
keepers at the ratio Of two for each
one thousand Of population are asked
for the island Of Maui. Take the set
Element Of Molokai as an illustration.
The inhabitants there are invalids.
they are peaceable and law-abiding,
and yet it is found necessary to main
tain in that little settlement a deputy
sheriff and four police 10 maintain
order What farce. What a travesty
upon enforcement In no other
similar community in the world is
there more than one constable or
police officer maintained to preserve
order.
The idea of having one captain, one
lieutenant. ten police and four jail
guards for the little district of Wal
luku is preposterous. From such a
number one would infer that the in
habitants OF wailuku were the most de-
PRAYED and worst lot of law-breakers
to be found on earth instead of the
orderly, peaceable citizens they are.
Nor do these officers include the sher-
i'll and his deputy and clerk for the
Island of Maui There is no more
need of over four officers for the dis
triet of Waikiki, beside the sheriff,
than there is for the fifth wheel of a
wagon. To vote money for this ex-
aggerated police force is to vote the
money of the taxpayers to be thrown
away
So it is on every Island of the
Territory Take the Island of Oahu
as a further example. What need is
there of a deputy sheriff and four OH.
GERS for the district of Eva? One con
stable or deputy sheriff, or whatever
he might be called, would answer
every purpose just as well as to pay
out the money for four superfiuous
men.
Perhaps it was necessary TO build
up this big police force in the early
days of the Provisional Government
and no doubt it was. A gentleman
who was very prominent in the over
throw Of the Queen, and in the or
ganization of the Provisional Govern
ment and later of the Republic said
to the Editor of The Republican in a
conversation some days ago:
Such a large police force as is
maintained in this Territory is out Of
all proportion to the existing condi
tons, and it is a waste of public
money to thus maintain it. It was al
right to have such a large polio,
force under the Republic as that wa!
a military or bayonet government. a.
every one knows 1t was the polio,
that prevented the success of tn,
revolution of 1895. and it was til
overpowering police that kept thing
in check after 1898. But with annex
alton the reasons for such larg
/ police force passed. Much of Ri
work of the police in former days i
) now done by the United States off
r Gals. Police do not have to look Oh
|. for Illicit distilling of liquor or 70
!. opium smuggling or many othe
!. things now that they did formeri;
4 Now the National Internal Revenu
I officers look after violations of the lay
/ regarding Illicit distilling or sale c
liquors. and the Customs Officers G
!. the United States are the ones to loo
( out for smuggling It is no Iouge
' the duty of the island police. The
E have only to do with breaches of tn
! peace and in the country districts on
+ policeman can very well do the wor
!. where four were required under tn
r oayonet government. There is N
b reason in the world why the polio
r force should not be greatly reduce
V and large saving in the expenses {
e the government made thereby"
Il AS an illustration of how money
/ thrown away under the present sy
e TEN OF maintaining an overgrow
u police force may be cited an instans
i on the Island Of Hawaii A polio
4 captain who is supposed to presit
i over the district which covers Ola
n lives in Hilo and only goes cut to h
& district once = week. One policema
y who is supposed 70 do duty In one