The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-03-18
THE SHORTAGE coNUNDRUA.

The Star has revised its statement
that the shortage of $2,SSLS5 was
among the items of embezzlenent toi
which q. n. Wright was indicted and
finds that. although the shortage was
known TO superintendent Cooper, II
was not called to the notice of the
Grand Jury. The Star might have ad-
ded that it was not called to the notice
of the taxpayers. either; the first Official
publication of it save an obscure para
praph in the unpaid bill message being
in the supplementary report OF Supt-
coooer. which is now being printed
IA is made clear enough that the short
a1e Is not new to Mr.. Cooper, but II
is decidedly new to the community and
70 the officials charged with the admin
istration OF justice. And that IS new
enough for all practical purposes
The question as it stand is. as Cnief
clerk White describes it-"one OF re-
suonsibility between Charles Wilcox =
the man who was discharged summari-
" from the Board of Health and then
made a disbursing agent of the Board
of Public works-"and B. II. Wright
who may be described as the handy
scapegoat. The money was last seen in
the hands of wilcox. He SAYS he gave
If 70 3. II, Wright. Now if some miss
ing private property was last seen IN
the hands of John Doe it would be no
defence for John to say that he had
turned IL over to Richard Roe: he
would have to PROVE THE FACT to
get rid of his own responsibility TO the
law. II any different rule should apply
10 Charles Wilcox the public would like
10 know why. But wilcox has not even
been exposed to the Grand Jury search
light: and this despite the fact that,
when he was asked by his official SUI
perior how, if he paid over the miss
ing money to B. H. Wright one OF
the warrants came to be cashed long
after Wright had gone to jail, he an
swered IT don't know
And further. Mr.. Wilcox is in the
Public Works office to collect money
for the road boards on their payrolls.
and remit It to them. He has no bust
ness to remit to anybody else. If he
gave the money in question to Wright
he was no more justified in the act
than II ne had given it to the harbor-
master. And is it supposable that he
DID make this disposition Of it? At
best his story looks suspicious. He
knew that the road board vouchers
were for current expenses-for monthly
wage-and that ne was responsible for
immediate disbursement Yet he wishes
III to be thought that ne deposited the
funds with Wright where they remain
ed for weeks until Wright was removed
from Office. never asked for them. new
er attempted to put the money where it |
belonged and considered himself pro-
tected by an old 1. o. u. of the Chief |
Clerks given for an entirely different |
debt Where is the logic of the trans
action? II Wilcox did what ne says |
what was there in it for him but trou-
BILE and danger? AS Wilcox tells the /;
story he puts himself in jeopardy |
which, on the mainland. would be seri- /
Gus; but here he isn't even suspended !
from duty.
1t seems to the Advertiser that it is
incumbent on the law officers of the
Territory TO make an arrest. They ,
would certainly do so if this were the
first shortage instead OF one Of a tire
some list; but it should not be forgot
ten that the second shortage, or the
fifth or the tenth or the seventeenth
merits punishment just as much as the
first Respecting entertainments it
ought not to be said that we first
abhor. then pity, then embrace"