The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1902-11-11
FIXING RESPONSIBILITY.

When the amendments to the organ
ic act are in order one should be framed
giving the Governor. who is held re-
sponsible for the administration OF the
Territory, the sole power OF appoint
meat and removal; or In default OF
that, all heads of departments should
be made elective and responsible TO
bondsmen for the proper performance
Of their duties In the latter case the
grand jury and the courts would act
finally in the matter of removal for
cause.
Either recourse would be an improve
nent Of the situation as 1t stands. 1t
IL intolerable to think that men who
have confessed the use OF public money
for private purposes and who have re-
ceived Territorial funds in their official
capacity, other than their salaries, the
only record of which appears In their
private bank accounts-it is intolerable,
we say, that such men, having been re-
moved or suspended, should be given
q legal chance to force themselves back
into Office. Such a thing ought not to
be possible. That 1t is possible, except
for the saving agency of a grand jury,
IL a defect of the organic law which
ought, as soon as Congress can act,
TO be remedied.
Observe Governor Dole's position:
The appointments of certain depart
ment chiefs were made under duress.
in part exercised by the Home Rule,
anti-Republican Senate, which gave
the Governor to understand that 1t
would provide no funds FOR carrying
on the government unless 1t could have
these men in office. The Governors
own selections were turned down. AS
there was nothing against the fiscal
integrity OF the new aspirants at the
Zine they We're appointed. At once
they set themselves up as independent
powers; at least two of them did, serv-
ing notice that they wanted no advice
from the executive. They did as they
pleased; they put Home Rulers and
loafers into clerkships and even went
80 far as to pour public money into the
tills of every worthless little anti-Dole
and anti-Republican paper that might
start up or already be in existence
money for advertising which did not
advertise and for job work which went
without competitive bids. Then when
the Governor finds them using public
funds as part OF their private re-
sources and suspends one of them
another running away-he is told that
he has no right under the law to detach
a delinquent public servant from his
opportunities for plumber When he
suspends an auditor who is also ac-
cused of betraying the public conf
dence, that official brings suit for the
recovery of his office. If he gets it back
where do the interests Of the taxpayers
come in?
We are aware that the proposal to
give the Governor the sole power of
appointment and removal will be de-
sCribed as a step towards despotism;
but that is precisely what the more adj
vanced municipal charters enact for
the mayors of cities. When Brooklyn
got its new charter and Seth Low went
In as mayor he appointed all heads of
departments and then took the un-
dated designations of each man in writ
Ing. That gave Brooklyn the best gov
eminent it ever had; and If the system
had been instituted here the present
troubles would, in the main, have been
avoided.
The elective system is the next best
recourse. One or the other should be
adopted.