The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-04-05
THE BANDER LOG.


The Legislature may possibly under
stand at last the position of the Ter
gitory after reading Treasurer Lam
sings announcement yesterday. I'm
less something is done for the financial
assistance of the Territory, the ma
chinery will have to stop for a time.
This would mean the end of all public
improvements, the holding over of the
payment of government bills and the
possible stoppage of pay of government
employees such as local magistrates,
clerks, school teachers and police.
While the Legislature has been fiddling,
Rome has been burning.
The end of the session is now in sight
and up to the present nothing has been
done. Work as hard as the Legisla-
tors may please nothing can be done
now. 1t would be wiser for these cal
low statesmen to go to work and ac-
cept the situation as it is, rather than
10 make confusion worse COMPOUNDED
by crude and undigested efforts at sud
den change.
When the election. was held we faced
a very hard problem. We had to ASST
initiate a system of government, rooted
for over sixty years, to very changed
conditions. The Republicans and the
Democrats made nominations of men
who would have been capable of meet
ing the situation, who, had they have
been in the majority would have earn
estly set to work upon the necessary
labor of assimilation and would have
done their utmost to find a solution for
a very difficult problem.
But urged by certain demagogues the
voters We're led astray and a Home
Rule party was formed which carried
the day. The Star would be quite
ready to give praise to the Home Rule
party had it performed one 1.-THE of
what it promised, and it promised a
very great deal. 1t was called together
for a month before the Legislature met
and spent days and nights in supposed
preparation for the coming session.
Our entire government system was to
be changed. Large expenditures were
to be made for public works, and for
schools Never was there to be such
an opportunity for advancement as
these gentlemen promised and not only
at the election where much is allowed
and much forgiven, but up to the time
of the commencement of the session,
when the responsibilities might have
been looming up before the eyes of
men less blinded by their own lack
of ability to perform Legislation.
1t may just as we'll be realized that
the old saying has once more come
true. The mountain has been in labor
and has produced a mouse. In point
of fact it is worse than that. 1t has
not even produced a mouse. 1t has
produced wind. Like the Bander Log
of Kipling's jungle, book members
have talked about what OUGHT to be
done, and how well they could do it,
and straightway a leaf falls and all in
terest in the former train of thought
is lost. Everything il centered on the
leaf and the chattering recommences
and views are interchanged most earn
estly upon this mysterious incident.
Then a dry branch cracks and the leaf
is forgotten and the crack is the center
of interest, ending in a scurry to the
tree tops.
Thus we had the grave discussions
about the coming Legislature. We had
the county bill talked of. We had the
municipality bill talked Of We had
the Board of Health bill talked of. We
had all kinds of ideas talked of, and
then came the session, and the Cooper
incident fell as a leaf and all interest
in the former train of thought, if
thought it was, was lost and floods OF
eloquence were poured upon the iniqui.
ties of Cooper, and the prerogatives OF
the House and Senate which had beer
trampled upon. Then branch cracked
and straightway the newspapers wer,
called to order for what they had done
That branch is still being chartered
over, and by the time the committe,
has Investigated, the probability is tina
the tree tops will be sought.
1t must be noted that in all the dis
cussions of the Home Rule party tn
question of where the finances were t
come from has never been put forward
A prominent Home Ruler to whor
this question was put, brushed it asid
vaguely with "Oh, we shall have plent
of money. The country is rich" TIL
hard consideration of how to raise re
venue, never seems to have entere
the minds of the members of the ma
jority. A sort of happy go lucky an
kazy notion that the money must con
from somewhere seems to have pei
Yaded and still pervades their mind
but Treasurer Lansing's statemeI
must have cooled the heated imagini
ton with the shock of a stream of il
cold water, The chattering will no
take a new turn.
The responsibilities of revenue whiC
formerly rested upon the Minister
Finance, no longer rest upon Il
Treasurer. The Treasurer is purely &
executive officer. He disburses, vii
tudicious care, what he is ordered