The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-14
Deny That Such Graft
as Is Charged Can
Be PossibIe..-TaIk Of
Bribery.

Is there graft in the Legislature of
1902 There are direct denials and
challenges for proof, while at the same
time statements were made on the floor
of the House yesterday that there are
Graft and attempted bribery are talked
about and today committee to inves
tigate will be named.
The newspapers for the past few days
have been rejecting the opinions of
some of the members that all is not
right. From the day when the Speaker
intimated that he regarded certain
vouchers presented for payment as evil
dence that there are some ready to
graft if the occasion offers there has
been an ugly feeling in the air and
more or less guarded charges have been
made on the floor of the House in de-
bate and more openly in the lobby and
this feeling came to point yesterday.
A story, which is denied very emphat-
ically by those in the best position to
know the facts, appeared yesterday in
the Bulletin to the effect that some
of the Hawaiian members have been
Introducing irrelevant bills for the sim
pie reason that they, through dummy
voucher signers. could get rake off
by translating these bills into Hawai-
ian.
Kaleiopu took up the matter at once
and presented a resolution yesterday
afternoon calling for an investigation
of the charges made. The various mem
bers agreed that such an investigation
was needed if the House was to clear
itself of the charges made, while Long,
who is credited with being the member
most pressing in the charges of graft,
practically repeated the charges and
went further in stating that there was
some talk of attempted bribery that
likewise required investigation.
Those in charge of the matter of
translating state that they desire and
will welcome any investigation. Chair
man Castro, of the Committee of Pub
lie Expenditure, states that since the
opening of the session there have been
employed as transators only men
known to be competent. These are
Sheldon (not the member), Boyd, Tesla,
Poepoe, and Kaleo. Some work early
in the session was done by the messen
ger of the House, by John Wise and
one or two others, but the payment to
these territorial employees was made
only on the understanding that no more
vouchers in favor of those otherwise
under salary would be allowed.
The whole affair arises out of the
fuss kicked up ON Saturday over the
affair of the stenographer, which is the
same trouble which has come up in the
past two Legislatures-that of extras
for stenographer and translation.
Stenographer Lloyd, as result of
the trouble, is today out of a job, his
resignation thrice made being accepted
yesterday by the Speaker. A further
result of the trouble will probably be
that the rules viii be amended before
the session is finished doing away al
together with an official stenographer
and possibly also cutting out the COM
mittee clerks. It is the opinion of
those in the House who desire to see
business methods introduced into the
business of the House that next session
, the House should employ three or four
| stenographers at salary of $3.50 a
! month for the session and to have these
stenographers at the services of any of
| the committees and kept at the House
| during regular hours to do whatever
work they may be called upon to Do.
By such a system the Territory would
be saved some thousand of dollars.
The charges made against some of
ones, bute it is not thought that an
Investigation of them will result in the
uncovering of any great graft or even
much petty graft. 1t will result in the
exercise of more care in public expen-
| ditures for the balance of this session
and in succeeding sessions, however.
and will possibly bring about a change
in the system of having unnecessary
officials and paying them salaries three
and four times greater than the same
men could earn otherwise in any occu-
tpation.
/ Order of the Day.
Only one report, that of the Health
! and Police Committee tabling one of
Kaniho IS Molokai petitions, was re-
ceived yesterday morning prior to the
/ taking up of work on the order of the
| day.
The first bill read third time,
Rice's House Bill 202, to release So
| Continued on Page Two.)