The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-06-16


Gee back oft 49,
Continuing with the Governors ch0rg-
es ho asserts that must have known
that boy my order threatening TO re-
move any employee of my department
who assigned his warrant, and by leav-
ing my cashier to distribute the war
rants. that I was creating a splendid
opportunity g. monopoly IN the
money-lending trade. may not have
known the profit that not only the
money-lendlng was making but that
my cashier was also making"
Replying I wish to state that shortly
after the passage OF the present Audit
Act abuses grew up out Of the pledgng
OF warrants by assignment by em-
ployees OF the government. A case
arose where an employee OF my depart
ment assigned the same warrant to
more than one OF his creditors, this
coming TO light when pay day came
and the different assignees presented
their claims. This led to the rule pre-
venting the assignment OF warrants
and requiring the personal signature Of
the employee TO the Pay Rolls at the
end of the month. This rule arose out
Of the protest of the auditors depart
ment against the abuse just mentioned,
and was known and approved by the
Auditing Department. Moreover un-
less my memory greatly fails me, the
Governor himself acting on a report
from the Auditor where a Lieutenant
of Police had assigned a warrant to
three different parties requested of me
that the rule against assigning war
rants be strictly enforced. The officer
in question was dismissed from the SER
vice for that cause, and I never heard
lisp against the rule from any one
until the Governor brought it up after
my removal.
The reference by the Governor to the
lending of money by the clerk of my
/ Department to the men during the
month, leads me to state further that
such loans were personal loans unse-
cured by an assignment of the war
rant, and there was nothing to prevent
the men from borrowing money on like
| personal security during the month
! from any one they saw fit including fell
| low employees. 1 deny emphaticany
the insinuation by the Governor that
the rule against the assignment of
warrants was established to promote
the lending of money by any one to
the employees. He knows better and the
Audit Department of the Governor
! knows better and i'm this connection l
want to know If the rule against as
signments of warrants which the Gov
ernor insinuates 1 established for an
Interior motive has been rescinded by
my Successor And I should like fur
Their to know whether money is not
being loaned to the men during the
month now upon practically the same
lines as during my incumbency. I con-
tended then and do so now that 1t is
better that money needed by the men
during the month before pay day should
be advanced through the office and UNI
der its control so as to keep better track
of what the men are doing, and it was
for that reason that 1 did endorse a
note whereby my cash er raised money
to carry on the business Of making adj
vances to the men as charged by the
Governor. The cashier had control of
these advances and made his profit The
men were free to borrow from him or
anywhere else they pleased. There was
no complaint made to me by the men
against him. The only regulation i'm
connection herewith being that not
more than oue-half of the mans month
~ wages should be loaned him between
pay days.
The system in question has been taa
roughly Investigated by two Grand
juries and one Legislative Police Come
mittee and no adverse comment mad
Its continuation by my succ ss7r sp aN
for itself.
Continuing, the Governor charges that
"I may have been sincere i'm my state
ment to him that the efficiency of mT
force could not be maintained on amy
smaller expenditure than that which
had finally submitted, except by rec
placing the Hawaiians with white men
in which case I claimed, SO he says
must greater efficiency could be o"-
tanned with the same amount of money;
that it was impossible to make goo-
/. policeman out Of an Hawaiian
I ask the electors first why ia their
Judgment, the governor put the fore
going statement into his arraigument 81
me for weak corrupt and laWlesS adj
; ministraton." How did it aid his case
or what did it have to do with his ace
cusations wide and reckless as they are
/ even if / had said TO him that "a whit
man was better officer than native
p or that no Hawaiian could make good
policeman, or that the efficiency OF mA
force could only be Increased by chang
j ing from native to white men? Whai
, has that got to do with proving eithel
weakness corruption or lawlessness on
, my part, or any other accusation viii
: which his arraignment bristles? | sug
gest to the consideration of the electors
that the motives back of that talk are
not much above the motive back Of thu
: average, race appeal made occasionally
! by those representing the dregs Of the
! different parties represented in Terri
torial politics. Unfortunately the gov
Z errors statement is utterly false as
! well Natives make good officers, anC
my whole official life proves that have
acted on that conviction and deny Sc