The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-05-26
FIGHT FOR EXPENSES.

When the afternoon session began
the Senate announced the passage of
the measure for the expenses of the
House, reducing the appropriation for
the extra session to $4,000 Harris
moved to accept the Senate amend
ments and Greenwell seconded.
Aylett took the floor and heatedy ar
gued that the interest of the people de-
manded that the House look after its
own honor which was being attacked
by the Senate. He moved to reject the
bill and to adjourn for three days. He
said that the measure had been passed
without reference to the Finance Com
mittee yet the Senate had been fur
nished facts by that committee, and
argued that there should be no sur
render to the Senate.
Harris explained that the Finance
Committee had given a memorandum
to the Senate Ways and Means Com
mttee estimating the expenses of the
session at $lS,360. Later the wording
of the bill was questioned and the
Senate committee had decided that for
the purpose OF legality, owing to sug
gestions that both expenses and un-
paid bills should not be included in the
same measure as the Treasurer might
refuse to pay warrants, and then a
case in court would result. To avoid
this the Senate committee had decided
that it would be wise to cut the bill
in half-put $4,000 for expenses and
include unpaid bills in another meas
ure later. He denied that the Finance
Committee had taken upon itself the
furnishing of a report on the bill, but
said simply the committee furnished
memorandum estimate as furnished
by the clerk in which the expense of
the House was put at $l2.5OO. and the
Senate increased this to $4,000.
Paele said the Senate had no au-
thority to change anything in the
House bill He said the reason why
the Senate cut down the appropriation,
according to one Senator, was that the
House would not pass the Hackfeld
wharf item This course was taken
to compel the House to act.
BECKLEY WILL FORCE ACTION.
Speaker Beckley took the floor and
said that as Il Representative he wish
ed to make clear his position. He said
the Senate had amended the bill so as
to include only ona iteil. as both the
Governor and Attorney General be-
lieVed the bill was opposed to the Or.
ganic Act. Even though the House
passed the bill. he said, over the Gov
ernor's veto, there was nothing to pre-
vent the. Treasure" from refusing to
pay out the money. This course was
followed with the balance from the
regular session aud the money had gone
back to the general fund. He said
there was no disoourtesy in the Senate
the bill as thai was the pre-
rogative of the upper house as each
had its duty and responsibility in the
passing of any law. The first Legis-
lature, he said, passed oill providing
both for the appropriations for the
session and the unpaid bills and tie
Governor signed it, Yet now he did not
wish to do the same. thing.
The bill now provides for the ex-
penses of this session, and If in view
of this the House should adjourn for
three days that would be silly. The
odium, the blame for this refusal to do
business, he said, would be on the
House AS soon as the House accepts
this bill the Treasurer will pay out the
money for the expenses OF the
session because this bill provides
for the expenses of session and
does not prevent the House from
pressing for the appropriation for the
payment of the expense of the print
ing of the journal and other unpaid
bills. As soon as this bill is passed,
he said, the House can introduce an
other bill providing for unpaid bills and
hold up the Senate bill until the Sec
ond measure has been passed and
signed He said the Senate had taught
the House this lesson and he thought
the House should not look upon the
Senate expense bill again until theirs is
signed. If the Senators should go to the
Governor and induce him to veto the
expense bill he said he would propose
that the members go to their homes
and he and the clerk would stay here
to adjourn from day to day until the
Senate should come to its senses.
Aylett said this would mean only that
the Senate and the House would be at
outs. He thought the legal course was
to follow the Organic Act, which pro-
vided that as soon as a bill should
be considered by one House II should be
certified to the other House. He thought
the Senate should have notified the
House of the error so that II could be
remedied. As to the course outlined
by the member from the third district