The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-02
BOARD Of HEALTH
AND CIVIC FEDS
Board Denies Countenancinq
Vice and Resents the
Insinuati0n.

ditions in Iwilei by the Board OF
Health, general allegations to that
effect having been made by the Law
and Order committee of the Civic Fed
Grafton, was taken up by the board at
its meeting yesterday afternoon. The
allegation was denied in the reply to
the Civic Federation committee from
the president of the board, authorized
by the board, the reply stating in effect
/ that the Board of Health was doing
only its lawful duty.
All the members of the board were
present at the meeting, among those
| listening to the discussion being Rev.
E. w. Thwing. Theodore Richards,
Chief Detective Taylor, and a few
others. A question arose at the be-
ginning of the meeting whether the dis
cussion should be a public one. which
was decided by vote.
The findings and recommendations of
the Civic Federation committee, sub
mitted to the board and read were:
1.-THE Law and Order committee of
the Civic Federation on its first meet
ing after reorganization finds itself con-
fronted by conditions in Iwilei very
much as they existed in 1905 when the
Federation took such a determined
stand against the evils there we find
that the Federal and Territorial stat
utes governing the offenses committed
there are still wholly disregarded.
1--WE recognize, too, the difficulties
under which the officials labor, upheld
as they have been by certain amount
of popular sentiment in favor of sregu-
lation of vice.
AS to Iwilei with its permitted pub
lie brothel, there is not even the ex-
cuse that the laws are bad, only that /
they are relatively imperative. Hence
We have the remarkable spectacle of |
sworn officials not only disregardfng /
statutes at the base of Divine and |
human law, but making their violation
easier, safer and intellectually more fire.
1uent. That this sexpedient' meddling
with law is done with good intent we
can not doubt.
This committee distinctly disavows
my intention of charge or imputation
If graft in connection with any of the
departments of the government con-
lected with Iwilei. 1t recognizes the
worth and the public services
f the men in charge, but it strongly
Ienounces a system which must almost
Inevitably lead to graft on the part of
and must at least sub
ect them to needless temptation
On the above findings the committee
recommended that the board cease
heir cooperation with the open vice
nd that the United States Attorney
nd the County Sheriff proceed at once
n crusade against it and abolish it.
PINKHAM's TART REPLY.
In his reply to this, which was sane
oned by the board, President Pink
am resents the use of the word CO.
1eration by saying: "Your unsub- 7
antiated charges as to cooperation T
I'D possibilities of graft can only arise
ON a most morbid, long-distance a
1agination for your assertion is con- p
airy to fact or any possible probable 81
"" II
BY law quotations and arguments T,
nkham defended the course taken by n
e board, claiming that their only in d
ntion and effort is to nro+ect +bA Je
neral health of the community. AS q
the carrying out of the law, the II
vic Federation is referred to the ia
rand Jury.
THE Federal and Territorial Grand =
ries are the lawful channels by which n,
e people directly guard their interests So
ID their morals" states the reply. st
Soth the Federal and Territorial
and Juries have very recently thor 80
ghly investigated the whole subject We
your communication, hence, had not st
e methods pursued by the Board of I'll
salth been in the best interests of %
til
e community, these bodies would 20
We recommended different action" We
MEMBERS UNINFORMED. IN
ia
rhe opening of the discussion found ur
2 individual members of the board TT
ry much in the dark as to what the br
ard had done or was doing regard III
: the whole question. Pinkham had ~,
t after reading his letter, being sn
.nted in court as a witness in the or
beas corpus case in which the board
interested, and it had been just about p p,
2ided to leave the whole question for dis
other day when the president return an
He then explained what the board tn
s doing, which was very little. a., a.
thief Taylor explained the position XII
the police towards the denizens of
tenderloin and the attitude of the sol
IS dealt with towards the regula- a 81.
rs heiuer uITaSffapaa ~ nr Dalai =