The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-11-01
Mo. NOAH GETS IN

October 81, 1906.
To the Citizens and Voters of the Coun-
ty of Oahu.
| Gentlemen: In accepting the nomi-
| nation for County Attorney, | think it
my duty to take the people fully into
| my confidence, both as respects my
conception of the office itself, and the
course | shall follow in the event of
my election. The County Attorney IS
office is, in my judgment, the most i'm
portant of all the executive offices of
| the Territory. By this [ mean, that
| its powers for good or evil. touch the
| people more directly and infinitely than
any purely administrative office. This
has been its history since its creation.
| The administration of criminal JUS
| tice is the test of the efficiency of the
laws in promoting the peace, security
| and general well-being of the people,
| This is true not only in respect to the
| punishment of crime, but also in the
| protection of the innocent from unjust
accusation and prosecution. Tyrants
| and corrupt Ministers in England have
relied upon superserviceable and con-
| scienceless attorneys to carry out OPP
pressive and wicked laws, to suppress
| liberty and to stifie free speech and
Independent action.
Our County Attorneys office has in
it all the possibilities of being used for
| the same nefarious ends, and the Unit
ed States has presented many examples
of such use of the Office.
No corrupt administration can long
endure when there is a thoroughly Wig
liant and honest County Attorney, and
no corrupt combination of administra-
tive officers can be thoroughly broken
up and dispersed without the aid of d
County Attorney who is fearless, up
right and Jealous
The history of the United States
demonstrates this Individually. The
power of the Tweed ring in New York
was only made possible by controlling
the administration of criminal Justice.
Tweed could never have attained his
vast power for public plumber unless
he had had an Oakley Hall as County
Attorney to protect him and his con-
federates in the criminal court.
All the recent Investigations and ex-
posures in the United States that have
done so much to stimulate the people
to battle for honest government have
been brought about through the agency
of the County Attorneys office. 1t
was County Attorney Folk. of St Louis,
and County Attorney jerome, of New
York, who brought about in those two
commemorative the downfall of corrupt
power. And it always will be so. If |
the County Attorney is either the ac- |
tive servant or the acquiescent Deepen !
dent of corrupt bosses and machines,
the people will be powerless and almost |
hopeless victims of their plunderers.
1t has never yet received a blow from !
the County Attorneys office, and that |
is why the machine is not thoroughly |
destroyed. That is why it still hopes |
to wind its Shiny, sinuous way in
power.
While other offices may be important,
the honest administration of the Coun-
ty Attorneys office is Indispensable for
the people. When public officials know
that an honest and fearless County At
torney will exhaust the powers of his
office to expose and to punish official
crime, no matter how powerful or how
respected the offender, then the people
will have a reasonable guarantee that
such offenses will be reduced to a mini
mum.
Corrupt officials strengthen them
selves and profit in every way by the
control of this office. They not only
insure by such control Immunity to I
themselves in their lawless lust and
greed of gain, but they also have the
power to Cypress those citizens who re-
fuse to bow the knee to their will.
know from personal investigation made
over series of years that one of the
ml9htlest weapons of the machine is its .
power through the County Attorney s
office, by harassing and vexatious pros
ecutions, to deter and intimidate poor
and lowly citizens
Important as it is. therefore, to pros :
ecute and punish the powerful guilty,
1t IS not less important to shield from
oppression the weak and lowly limo
cent. nave repeatedly declared that, I
If L were elected County Attorney. | J
would see to it that those who violated
the law. no matter how powerful or |
respectable they were. should be Y
brought to justice. / wish now to say r
that, If / am elected. not the least of
my endeavors will be to protect all ?
classes and races-the weak. the poor
and despised-from being harassed and
oppressed in their business and lives bv +,
prosecutions instituted for the purpose -
II illuminating and coercing them into r
obedience to the exactions and demands n
# petty politicians Z
The thrifty and honest. though low c
y, industry of despised creed or race S
'haH have at my hands equal protec- s.
ION with the business and industry of fl
he richest corporation or individual. Z
Let 1t be clearly understood that the /
iuty of the County Attorney is not s;
Llone to- punish criminals. but also to b
held the weak and timid and igno- s;
ant from the prosecutions to which a.
hey a~e constantly sui iectcd l5y brutal
nd greedy officials Titt1a do raspao+