The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-12-28

DO you know that there are many
people who don't believe we had a
case of cholera at all last week? Far
be it from me to venture to attack the
conclusions of men familiar with
baclli.--all bugs look alike to me-
but I can at least record the interesting
fact in our passing history, that quite
numerous are the citizens, more coura-
geous than l. who boldly scoff when
spoken to about the deadly case" For
example, / am told by friend that
the other day he accosted a prominent
local citizen,-one VINO might be
mayor or something some day,-a few
days ago with the remark We'll Sun
days rain was fne,-washed out all
! the cholera germs if there ever were
any" and the citizen in question seized
at once upon the last words IF there
were any,-yes, was his answer But
don't believe there ever was any
cholera Having delivered himself
Of this remark he added that as his
years increased his faith in doctors
! lessened, and that he wasn't going 10
| believe that case of cholera could
happen under the conditions reported
in our local case. without having a
single succeeding case.
am compelled to think it peculiar
myself But all our contagious diseases
are peculiar Either the human con
stituJion has changed, or the constI-
| tutions of the microbes have grown
weak. or modern conditions of living
alter things. Have you read the his
tory of the Black Death? Accounts of
plague in India? or pictures of the
frightful yisitauons cholera made to
! the all-white communities of Europe
in past days? How utterly Irrecon-
cilable are all these with the local fact,
! constantly repeated, of isolated cases
| of plague, in crowded tenements in
habited by all sorts of people, and with
the recent lone case of cholera on
River street.
Yet the doctors find the bacilli, so
! the disease must be there. | am
compelled to fall back on the three
alternatives just given, and conclude
that the diseases are no longer as
dangerous as they used to be, which
| leads me to an agreement with The
Star that it is time quarantine rules
were revised
The Taylor case,,-leaving aside the
merits of the case, which may be left to
the court, illustrates strikingly the
manner in which the local police court
in fact all the police courts of the Ter
ritory, are used The theory of the
territorial police all over the islands
appears to be that the prosecution of
crime is a private matter depending
upon the disposition and wishes of an
injured party. Did you ever hear of a
prosecution by private counsel in a
federal court? There may be state
courts in which private individuals can
conduct prosecutions when they feel
like it. by hiring counsel, but | have
not seen them i have always under
stood the theory of the law to be that
the police, prosecuting officers and
courts were provided for the prosecu-
ton of infractions of the law, the in
iured side in all such cases being the
people of the Territory of Hawaii. Our
legal phraseology makes it Territory
of Hawaii VS.. John Doe" instead of
THE People VS.. John Doe,' as in many
other places. Our practice often makes
it John Smith VS. John Doe. and if
John Smith is fixed and persuaded not
to prosecute, the case is calmly drop
ped This has often made our criminal
code a nice private weapon.
-
The Advertiser is quick to rush to
the defense of Iaukea in all his troubles
and very sensitive as to any reflections
cast upon the police department. For
my part l think the department is do
ing very well, but it is becoming weak
er in a political way. | don't attach
any special Importance to Harry Juen's
kick about bad faith.-the complaints
of a discharged officer against his
superior don't usually carry weight of