The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-03-08
'EMMELUTH
On MILITIA
No Need for Such
an Expensive
Luxury.
Soldiers Cost as Much
as 10000 State |
Troops. |
Also Recalls the Disclosures Made !
During First Legislative
Session.

Il endorse everything that Governor
Cleghorn says about the armory and
the militia" said Representative
John Emmeluth last evening. The ex-
periences of the Legislature of 1901 have
made me wonder why the people stand
an establishment so expensive as the
militia, within the government. If my
recollection serves me right, the COM
mittee having this matter in charge at
the time showed where the military
was costing this government the sum
total of what other States were get
ting militia of from $4,000 to $4,000 men
for. That fact, together with the meth
galow, while the legislature was in ses-
sion, makes me believe that the mill
tary arm could be Topped off and we
would never know that it was gone.
The methods adopted by those in
charge in assisting impressionable
members of the legislature to right
conclusions" were so offensive as to
call forth a resolution proposing the
removal of the military establishment
from the bungalow, which was offered
by our present Governor in the Sen
ate.
TT is not adding to the sense of dig
nifty which should prevail in that body
to note that the resolution failed of
passage.
81 took a few minutes time this even
ing to look into the statistics on Ma
tional Guard expenditures elsewhere
in the United States. The military of
the. three States given here cost ap-
proximately as much as our own,
though there were many where the ex-
penditures We're less, and a fourth was
picked haphazard, which is much below
our own.
THE results shown by these tabula-
lions speak for themselves and point
a moral as regards matters other than
the military, from the fact that two
out of the four States enumerated have
no public debt, while of the other two
having over a billion dollars in taxable
property, one has only third of our
bonded Indebtedness while the other.
Oregon, has a debt of little more than
a thousand dollars.
Il know that many fout the idea
that the American system of govern
ment is more economical than the sys-
tenn prevalent in these islands today,
but if figures count for anything the
enumerations herewith given should
surely yield food for thought for every
one having the welfare of the Terri
tory at heart. Our financial condition
is such that We can well eliminate not
also in quite a number of other lines
where retrenchment will not mean
Gripping the machinery of the govern
ment.
''As an instance of unforeseen emer-
gency conditions 1 would relate my OBJ
yesterday afternoon on a
trip from Waialee. near Kahuku, tol
this city. AT WaiaIee proper, the gov
eminent road is completely obliterated |
by washings from newly plowed land
on the adjoining plantation. Both the |
road leading into and out of the Wal !
mea Valley is simply impossible, by !
reason of the immense ruts cut into
the roadbed by the action of the water. /
Near Waialua stands a bridge that |
once spanned a stream, the stream
now making a detour and leaving |
bridge and abutments intact, passes
by fifty or hundred feet away. There
is hardly a foot of original roadbed
from Kaena Point to Waianae, and so
the story could be told clear to town.
What is said of the government road
IS equally true of the railroad there.
While this is not a government expen-
iiture it viii mean a large output of
money to put the line in the condition
Of a month or two ago. Facing these
conditions as we do I repeat that it is
Tue the community at large to curtaiI
Every unnecessary expenditure.
I for one would like TO see the Gov
ernor carry out the policy intimated in
his original proposition. to Surround
himself with men from civil rather than
rom military life on public occasions"
The tables compiled by Mr.. Emme-