The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-04-03
NO MONEY IN
S|HGT FOR
GRAF TIERS

There has been a lot of comment
about town over the fact that IN max
ing the appropriation of $4,000 for
legislative expenses in Hawaii. the Con-
yress of the United States has made
no provision that any part of this sum
shall be expended for translating or
interpreting Evidently, Congress looks
upon Hawaii as a part of the United
States, whether the Home Rulers ana
the cafe au lait crowd of politicians
generally do or whether they do not.
The estimate in the bill upon which the
appropriation was passed, as submit
ted by the Secretary of the Treasury,
reads as follows:
Legislative Expenses, Territory of
Hawaii.
"For legislative expenses, namely.
Furniture, light, stationery, record cas-
ings and files, printing and binding, in
dexing records, postage, Ice, water,
clerk hire, mileage of members, incl
dentals, pay of chaplain, clerk, ser
geant-at arms. stenographers and mes
scngers for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1897;
"'Provided That the members of the
Territory of Hawaii shall not draw
their compensation of two hundred dol
lars for any extra session held in com
pliance with section fifty-four of an
act to provide a government for the
Territory of Hawaii, approved April
30, 1900, 10000 -
LEGITIMATE EXPENSES.
That is, the money may be expended,
provided the statesmen consent to fore
go their extra session graft and thereby
save the Territory another $4,000 at the
rate of 5000 head for them, for furni-
ture. lights. stationery, record castings
and files, printing, binding, ice, water,
clerk hire, mileage of members, incl
dentals (Which does not mean inter
preting or translating, by any stretch
of elastic political conscience) pay of
chaplain. clerk, sergeant-at-arms, stem
ographers and messengers.
These are the legitimate expenses of
an American legislative session. None
of the money can be expended for ex-
penses that are not legitimate. 1t can
not be drawn, if that is done. And, if
it is attempted to be done by any sub
terfuge, the person or persons making
the attempt will run up against the
laws of the United States. Which are
not nice to the malefactor. Not even
Territorial Legislature is as big as Il
Federal grand jury.
Perhaps this will bring up once more
the old question of the existence in the
Legislature of that anomalous condi-
tion which permits of the employment
of interpreters and the use of two Ian.
guages and the consequent waste of
time where one language should serve
There can be no question that this con
dition was never contemplated in the
creation of the Territory. The land is
American, and there is but one official
language in America.
GRAFTERS BEATEN.
Also, it will knock out the grafters in
one round. The graft IN the Legisla-
ture of Hawaii has been various in time
past, but the worst of it and the most
of it has attached to the twin evils
of Interpreting and transating. a
crowd of unworthies has thriven upon
this graft at each session, and has come
pretty close to living from one session
TO the next upon the profits of its ne
farious schemes. If the Territory is tC
accept Uncle Sans gift, this kind OF
thing Will nave to stop-or the Leglsla
ture will have to make brazen appropri.
alton for the grafrers.
1t will not be an expense that can bc
hidden under any other. Also, If the
gift of the United States is to be ac.
cepted, the double language business
is mighty apt to be done away with, tC
enable the Legislature to get through
its business in sixty days. and earn tn,
money-and the nine thousand addi
tional If the proceedings Were all il
English there would be no question
about the ability to finish up the worl
in the time set. And so it will be seer
how much of benefit Delegate Kuhit
has conferred upon the Territory il
securing the passage of this Legislative
appropriation bill. He was the first It
agtate it, and the credit properly be
longs to him.