The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-28
THE CLOUDS RISE.


was published in yesterdays Star.
That l.. A. Thurston, acting as Attor-
ney for Coerper, could not give up his
name without stultfying himself tow
ards his client will be clear to any one
who takes the trouble to read the affi-
davit. AS soon as he could get into
communication with him the result has
been brought about in a satisfactory
manner. Mr.. Thurston's lips are un-
sealed. Walter G. Smiths alleged
perjury is explained, and all this heat
and virulence and bad blood might
have been saved, had their been less
haste in imputing bad motives and
criminal endeavors to shield a supposed
briber.
Mr. Coerper's reasons for not wishing
his name to appear are patent enough
He had bill for a RAILROAD before the
House. 1t had passed the Senate.
Everybody has heard of the Kona rail-
road, it has been spoken of in all the
papers. The idea was progressive
one, and the Senate evidently thought
however, and Mr.. Coerper went to in
terview members for the purpose of
explaining it's provisions and interest
ing them in the project, he was, as he
swears, met by itching palms. If the
bill passed members wanted to know
what was in it for them and put their
figure at say $1,000 a piece, Then Mr..
Coerper saw that there was no chance
for his bill in the House and he con-
suited with Mr.. Thurston as to what
had better be done, and it was at this
time that Mr.. Thurson learned of the
hints or requests to be bribed.
Mr.. Coerper was advised to buy up
a private right of way and to make
public the names of the members But
he feared to do the latter because being
men of influence upon the Island of Ha-
wall, they might block his scheme. So
he refused to give Mr.. Thurston per-
mission to reveal his name or to report
the transaction. Thus when Mr.. Thurs
ton appeared before the Grand Jury
his tongue was tied, and he had to
the expense of engaging lawyers for
habeas corpus proceedings
Mr.. Coerper announced himself quite
ready to go before the Grand Jury and
tell all he knew, and he was summoned
for the purpose. With a clue so given
the Grand Jury may be able to follow
out line of investigation which, if
they really mean business, will result
in some of the really guilty being
brought within the meshes of the law,
and who if they cannot be proved
technically guilty can at least be ex-
posed.
1t may very justly be reasoned that
if there were offers for bribery in the
Coerper case, there would be offers in
other cases. That is a matter for the
Grand Jury to find out One can very
easily judge where the bribing came in,
but the difficulty is to prove it, or to
get the right clue. 1t is plain to any
onlooker that in the matter of Mr..
Smith and Mr.. Thurston the idea was
that these gentlemen were trying to
was the current gossip in some politi-
cal and other lotteries last week. But it
was quite different matter. Mr. Smith
told the direct truth when he said he
knew of no corporation being approach
ed with offers of service for a bride.
But those who were listening to Mr..
Smiths statement We're barking up an
entirely different tree and never dream
ed of Coerper and his railway. Mr..
Thurston was shielding no bride taker
but was doing his best to save a man
who was trying to push through a
legitimate enterprise from being bull
dozed and thwarted by disappointed
venal politicians Both Mr.. Smith and
Mr.. Thurston are indicated
This case throws a peculiar light
upon the present Legislators One of
them is certainly reported to have said
that he would return to his district
with good sized sack. This is pure
hearsay, though it comes from men
who say that they know it was true.
But certainly when men begin to ask
for $1,000 a vote to pass small fran
chise, they are out for the stuff in real
earnest. There are honest men in the
Legislature both Hawaiian and eau
casian, but they are presumably small
in number. The Legislature would
have acted wisely, after the charge
made by Senator Russell on the floor
of the Senate that he knew or believed
he knew of some $4,000 having been
used to defeat his Dispensary act, or
when Representative Emmeluth stated
in the columns of The Star that he
thought he had located $4,000 of bride
money if it had called an investiga-
ton. The minority was ready and
willing for investigation. The majority
was not. From which the argument
that the unsmirehed men are small in
number is very readily deduced.