The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-06-16
MUNICIPAL ABUSES

Municipal government -
.,o< In the American POLITICAL system
There ars few cities OF any size "a ths
~cnn,ry which have not had their Pc
rs,<,-u.uaIIy long 0nss-of gang rSis
80 civic robbery. The reason Is tnA
she~s exists In all such towns cor.
at velt-orxanixed and visiisnt ooa,
- r,o,,,s-ian. whose business. Ike tnai
AZ r.nnany Hall. IL 'rnissovernrnsn
Co. ,,uns.r. Morally but al n ruts psi'-
.fvfy opposed 10 this Glass are tn's tax TAX
par.r- and good citizens. but tfs-se afs
AIT 20 b. unorEanized and ~itn'r't d
I-.<rr. Ana stnry do not make p7iius"
,n-sr .sn-fn<ss In the typical contest"
AZ a. primaries they are defeated 90
rs~ ~rsussple that the militia arc ai~a,s
s~stn. by Tn. regulars Inc MAJ
<hs.~~ la a New York boss OF twenS
v~.rvr~os. S-sissys lvips exesYf 20
s.-s q gre%t, erettfmenI
t-avu pssn Tor me cccAsionsi feso'"-
Nc. . vAseh good citizens rise IN
-, = nssSuetive concert Of action as'd
xrsv. - eAseves away But sivsys
,sS.s~osiv refgy- Good atizens have
60 1900 thss politics ard Gait
"a 1890 ~ o. guard. and wsfn
49, u~fvss. sTairs absorb them orre
->r~. sss pr.dstsry political CLASSES
....-.. s.1sr Sew names and other
I.aS~.. % get bedk their lost oppoftu-
.its4e usae 49,. perhaps. honest peo-
,,e - sgsfate for and set a property
v.ftns guAiinestion only by which a
-..k~f>ns franchIse can be made one
i.ssruzssnt ana safeguard OF good gov
-runsuf- 90 long an those who want
10 ~ ~ handhug and spending the
~~~v Of the taxpayers have a. much
- -er, % say about making public
..s~rfsn. taxes snA appropriations @s
tse tsxpAyexs have themselves 80 long
cal .ascfpsI rule Be synonymous Win
ssvss srsne. Against a law by which
sssse No suspty the, spney shau nave
an 90 ~ 90 10 how q shall be spent
I'm p- rsls>d the much-abused slogans
n s.An-rfcz.s.xn''-aw word which. Ike
,~<rfoslsn 10 often the last refuge OF
syurIrsi-but the conscience OF the
sulfeS srates IL coming slowly % the
e~rvssss-. ssst tn. only Americsnisn
worth having In politics 10 the Kind
vhios produces honest and economicai
xssessssat-
Tbs sznnpies q civic failure In the
nan q sxpniiffes Of the country receive
1870 sncr-as-. The latest one 10
$1,000 IN the report OF the grand
jsxx un6uA - been Investigating Of
go s-upeSoa NJ st. Louis and which
No. Cs,lsl ~ ne tndictmeut OF four
- $3.50 s1enAxs. Extracts from
sAs renn are - follows:
-, m~r oav have been sorrup-
nk osher cssies ~ great a. We have
- ~ 20 4. Ne place IN the world
~ A us tine known 90 history has
- 49, s0ctaf corruption been uncov-
ID ssa the evidence shown % that
n rssl1 &c and understand These
rcxrsafioas have been 90 appalling az
~ go almost beyond belief. and II VIII
s~ years before the extent OF the dis
coverfes In fully realized
NJ ~. ar.Irx OF 81. Louis had been
prop~rfy administered for the past hf-
teen years. and II all officers had been
hou~st. there would today be enough
n,oney In the treasury To put pubic
buildings In repair. pave streets mat
are now unpaved. make sewers that are
nov unmAde. and build new buildings
., much needed The high tax rate.
the depforabfe condition OF public tnsti-
fufious. the depleted state OF the city
Treasury are an heritage left ~ ouiciais
Who have proven traitors To the inter
-.fs Of the people and have trafficked
/. th-sr votes. influence and Official se-
tisrss. To the city's detriment-
Tnenp disclosures make plain that the
wxpayers OF ST. Louis have been m-rct-
0kzly and pitiI>ssiy outraged for years.
thaf the money they have paid In taxes
has s->n squandered. Instead OF being
v~ra for the public welfare. IL has
secn f.ioniously diasipated- and bene-
ated chiefly corrupt officials who have
grown opuient on small salaries
II 10 In evidence before us that for
r,~r collector OF the city OF St Louis.
Who was afterwnrd mayor. received In
t-rs.t on public funds for his own pri-
vrie account The sum 80 received was
ssusethIng over $4,000. which with IN
fs-rest To date would amount To ABOUT
$4,000. An. possible crtrnfnat CharSe
arising out Of this conduct has been
barred by the statute OF Limitation.
whleh. unfortunately. IL three years
The civil action To recover the money.
hosev~r can still b. brought and We
understand VAS instituted The SecFe-
tary OF The last mayor made practice
of selling permits and extoFtinS money
for refnittances OF fines IN criminal
cases.
Thr charter OF the city provides that
M member OF the assembly or city Of
ficiaiS shall BE- Interested. directly or IN
directly. in city contracts OF furnishing
supplies to the city. The b-nefceut law
is Ne md. most grossly violated oy
members OF the municipal assembly.
n Is an old story: Il has been told
aver and over again In New York.
Brooklyn. Chicago. Philadelphia. Bos-
ton. Cincinnati. New Orleans. Denver
and San Francisco. TO say nothing OF
smaller places. and until radical legis-
tatiOn IN had. the municipality must re-
main the favOrite hunting ground OF po-
IitfcaI rascaIs-and the lower the tone
OF The electorate the more such bandits
viii thrive
~ H. a rather curious fact that the
snen OF Hawaii have never taken kind
~ to helmet hats Elsewhere In the