The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-20
HisDefenseAgainst
the Charges Of
Attorneys.
TELLS THE STORY
OF HIS NEWSPAPER
He Declares His Political Actions
Have Been Only Those Of a
Good Citizen.

~
4 the matter of the charges of the
- Bar Association of the Hawaiian
Islands, against the First Judge of the
Circuit Court of the First Judicial Cir
cult, as submitted to the Attorney
General of the United States, came to
the hands of his friends yesterday in
the mails. That the defense may be
put before the people, as well as the
charges, the Advertiser prints this
morning a part of the reply, and will
| publish the rest of it later. with the
exception of the portion referring to
Iwilei, which deserves the characterize
ton of it made by the mainland press.
"too indecent for publication" The re-
ply is as follows:
| WASHINGTON, D. c., August 81,
| 1901.-Hon. P. c. Knox, Attorney General,
Washington, Sr:-I beg to acknowledge
| the receipt from you of a printed copy
of the cnarges of the Bar Association of
the Hawaiian Islands against me, ask
| ing that l be removed from my Office of
First Judge of the First Judicial Circuit,
Territory of Hawaii AS to these charges
1 beg to submit briefly the following con-
|siderations:
Permit me to call attention at the out
set to the notable fact that in spite of
the voluminous material filed against me
and very evident industry with which
ievery act of mine which could possibly
be made the subject of a complaint has
been scrutinized and laid before you and
the apparent disregard of expense with
which the persons opposing me have un-
dertaken their labors, there is no charge
affecting my integrity as man, my inn
lpartiality as a judge in the trial of
causes, or my knowledge of the law. In
those particulars, in which the public Is
most interested lest the fountain of JUS
tice be corrupted, the petitioners for my
removal seem to have found no ground
of complaint, and 1 may perhaps say
here, without improperly. that of the
causes tried before me which have been
tcarred by appeal or writ of error to the
Supreme Court of the Hawaiian Islands
(about seventy, only one has been re-
iversed
The complaint against me seems to
arise from acts, or alleged acts, outside
of the line of my judicial duties %and
having no connection Herewith, or from
the manner in which my judicial duties
have been performed, such manner in
nowise resulting in wrongful judicial
before me, That charges prepared and
prosecuted with such Jealous industry
should so fail to touch the essentials of
the administration of justice prose-
cuted in my court is it seems to me,
Istrong,, though unwilling, endorsement
of my uprightness and industry in the
performance of the duties assigned to
me by the President of the United States
| find, however, in the charges and evil
dence offered In support thereof, now
before me, certain misStatementS of fact
certain suppressions of fact, and certain
bald statements of fact unaceompanied
by tie attending circumstances, some Of
which, If admitted by my silence to be
true, might lead you to a conclusion that
the duties of my Office are not being
properly performed or. even If deemed
insufficient by you to warrant SUCH
| a conclusion might lead you to enter
tain doubts as to my observance of the
prophecies due from one occupying a ju-
dicial position. In order that you may
be enabled to arrive at a just conclusion.
just not only to myself but to the COM
munity whose interests are committed to
my judicial keeping and to the members
/ of the bar by whose assistance to the
Court those interests are protected I
beg to be allowed to correct such mis-
statements of fact, to lay before you
by showing the attending circumstances
: Such other tdctS, as seem TO me ma
terial in the printed matter before me.
/ For that purpose I will consider the
charges in their order.
| CHARGE L
| THAT the SAID Abram s. Humphreys.
while holding the office Of First Judge
of the Circuit Court of the First Judicial
Circuit, Territory of Hawaii, and exercis-
| ing the powers and performing the duties
of said Office, controls and La engaged di-
rectly and actively in the publication and
running Of a partisan newspaper. to-wit:
the Honolulu Republican, q newspaper
published daily in Honolulu within the
judicial Circuit in which he, the said
Abram 8. Humphreys. presides as
Judge
AS to my connection with the newspa-
per mentioned. beg to refer to my COM
munication to you dated June g. 1901,
from which, for your convenience, here
quote as follows:
II am not informed as to the exact ma
ture of the charges which have been filed
against me with the Department, but
(Nnptiuuad IN 2aCo