The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-03-02
WHAT A CRAFT
IT WOULD Be!

, When the Bail Commissioner Act in.
troduced into the Senate by Senator
Coelho came before the Judiciary Com
mittee and the members had had an
opportunity to read between the lines,
one or two of the sugar baron members
and an attorney or two came to the
conclusion that they could just as well
pass the bill, close up their ordinary
business and seek the support of the
executive for appointment as bail com.
missioners, because they could make a
better and surer living out of the com.
missioner job than many others in
which they were interested.
In fact, the more they studied the
bill, the more they were convinced that
the bill if passed, represented gold
mine, and that the commissioner might
look for fees aggregating couple of
thousand dollars month. The more
active the police in making arrests, the
greater the troubles among people re.
sulting in issuing of warrants and at
tendant arrest, the more gambling that
went on in the community, if the de-
tectives could only locate them all and
lug them to the station house, the larg.
er the aggregate of fees. In fact, it
was suggested that the bill might prove
means OF greater graft than has ever
been afforded persons holding public
office.
1t is said that when the proposed bill
was analysed that the committee had
for reference the police court calendars
for Honolulu for week before them.
1t was fairly good week as far as
arrests went. There were gamblers
galore on those lists and assault and
battery cases, and the drunk list was
unusually large. There were persons on
the calendar who had to defend them
selves against the charge of theft, rid
| ing bicycles at night without light,
violating the liquor law and calling
each other bad names.
Now this bail commissioner bill call
| ed for fees for setting bail in misdea-
meanor and felony cases, $3.50 Tor the
| former and So for the latter. That is
when Joe was brought in drunk last
evening, and he wanted to get bailed
out, it would be necessary to get n
hack and send an officer out to Mr..
Bail Commissioner IS house to have bail
set, which would be So. Mr.. Bail Com
missioner affixed his signature to the
document fixing the bail at So. The
mere fact of fixing the bail cost Mr..
John Doe $3.50. That was the commits
| sioner's fee. The hack and officer re-
| turned to the station and John was
informed that for So he could now get
out of Jail. Then he would have to
call up friend or a man who makes
business of having cash on hand to
lend to arrested persons as bail money.
| Probably some one would advance the
SO cash to the station clerk, for which
courtesy John Doe would pay the lender
80 or rs cents-say so cents. That
ran his bill of cost so far up to 49,
The next morning John Doe appeared
before the police Judge and receives q
fine of So and costs, 81, which makes
the fine 50, which he must pay over
| Therefore his little drunk has actually
cost him in cash, 81. Of this 81, the
sum of $3.50 has gone to the Commits
sioner's pocket, 80 cents to the money
lender and $4 to the government.
Now take the case of bunch OF
gamblers. Detective Medeiros bring:
in batch of ten Chinese gamblers who
were tempting Dame Fortune in the
game of pai-kau. The bail is usually
$40 each, cash. The bail bill, however
states that the commissioner shall Sc
bail in each and every case. Therefore
each of the ten cases must be laid be
fore Mr.. Bail Commissioner, who set
bail for the>ten All Sam IS at $40 each
For each ease he receives $3.50, or 81
for the bunch, just for scratch OF tn
pen.
There are always well-to-do Chimes
with a gold-flled canvas bag to bai
out their countrymen. It's an old e'
tablished custom that when this money
lender advances $40 cash for bail tn
. bailee pays him 81 for so helping MI
out. That makes the bill of cash pal
8 out already $3.50 Then the ne,
| morning the judge fines each of the A
= Sans So and costs, 81, or SO. Thi
makes the total cash outlay just $50
: Of this, $3.50 goes down into Mr.. Ba
Commissioner jeans, 81 to the none
o lender, and Sc to the government.
a The Senator's, however, looking
the matter from more sides than on
saw opportunities for graft. Und
such conditions an inscriptions poll
Othclal and tne Dali coWihlssiVh
might see great financial possibilities
the bail bill. The police could bring
c dozens of gamblers, the more the me
h rier. The gambling huis would agr
h to the little plan, that $3.50 would
A little enough for the chance to extel
the business. Under an agreeme
re gamblers by the dozens could be n
m in and with insufficient evidence t
as following morning in court would
:. discharged. All that it would cost I
~ player would be the $3.50 for bail 1
IN and 81 for the use of the money.
division of fees, under an unscrupulo
at method of handling the act, would
- crate to the advantage of all &c
~ cerned.
ig During the month of February
fees of the bail commissioner would 1
have been less than $4,000, which wor
mean $4,000 per year. The argume
as may be made, however, that when
e. bunch of ten gamblers is brought
ed and request is made of Mr.. Bail Co
m missioner to set bail, that the whole
" men would represent but one ease,
S.. 50, for fee for the entire ten. III