The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-04-13

In the morning session Of the House
Saturday Stenographer Lloyd sent
two letters Of resignation TO the Speak.
or, neither one being accepted; the
Speaker himself talked of resigning;
Representative Cohen stated that he
was considering resigning from the Fl
nance Committee; Representative Rice
handed in his resignation as n member
of the Public Accounts Committee, and
Representative Douthitt has issued
warning that he will not only resign
as chairman of the Judiciary Commit
tee. but will likewise resign his posi-
ton as a member Of the House if the
unanimous reports Of his committee are
10 be rejected by the House majority.
There was also talk of "graft" and
lntimations both on the floor of the
House during debate and in the lob
bes afterwards that much more could
be told than had been told. The stem
ographey announced that if he wanted
to he could a tale unfold, while the
Speaker states that the stenographer is
Incompetent. The members from the
Fourth are by a majority declaring
that the Speaker is a tyrant and that
the House Rules gag is used altogether
too much, while the Speaker is EN-
phatic in declaring that so far as he
is concerned the money in the public
easury is there as a trust and not to
be squandered by the House for the
sake of paying political debts,
The whole thing arose out of the
same thing that made trouble last SEES.
sion-the extras of the stenographer.
For several days there has been trouble
lao Cta ,har nd
who had him appointed have consider
ed that he was not getting his share
of the pickings. Early in the session
he was ordered by the Speaker to pre-
pare transcripts of the doings of the
House, as noted in his stenographic re-
1 port, and have these ready to use as
f the minutes of the proceedings. He
4 prepared vouchers for this, deeming it
extra work, but the vouchers were dis
allowed and his friends state that now
he has to sit at one side and see the
clerks of the Journal Committee using
A his minutes and getting paid for type
writing them, while all the time he re-
members what a fine thing the stenog-
rapher of the House in the last session
: had, trebling his ten-dollar.a- day
salary.
Then there are typewriting jobs be-
ing given out to the stenographers of
; the various departments-jobs that
heretofore had come mostly in the way
Of the official stenographer. This was
too bad, especially when the Secre-
tary of the Territory refused what
few vouchers he could manage to get
: past the eagle eye of the Speaker and
6 he scrutiny of the chairman of the
Committee on Expenditures and Ac-
counts.
Things climaxed Saturday, when At
onso presented a resolution on the sub
eet which allowed the stenographer
extra pay for preparing the minutes
I,f the House, and dated the time when
i he payment should begin from the
irst day of the session. The resolu
f ion, which had been passed around
mong q number of the members for
he past several days, came as a sur
rise to the Speaker, and stirred his
re considerably. 1t was:
Resolution.
"Be it Resolved, by the House of
Representatives of the Territory of Ha-
iaii of the Fifth Legislature:
"That the stenographer of the House
Representatives be and is hereby al
owed the following compensation for
erviees rendered:
= Fifteen cents per folio for tran
cript and draft of official daily min
ties;
81 Give cents per page for carbon
+ opies of the same delivered to the
ournal Committee;
Give cents per page for carbon
,py of the same delivered to the Sec
,tary of the Territory of Hawaii.
"Be it further Resolved, That the
ommittee on Accounts and Public Ex-
enditures shall honor all claims for
e above services beginning with the
st and ending with the last day Of
e present session."
Experience With Graft.
The Speaker made a long statement
y ncerning the matter as soon as Cas-.
moved to table the resolution as
mething that was intended as slap
him and his committee. He referred
the rules of the House placing the
icers of the House under the direct
ders of the Speaker, and stated that
was at his order that Lloyd was pre-.
ring the minutes and that it was
20 his orders that he be not paid for
lem.
"This House is not paying the stem
rapher ten dollars day for simply
ting in his chair, nor for making
,roglyphics in his book that are of
value to the members of this House
less they are transcribed. / have
n vouchers for unheard-of accounts
scented by paid officials of this
use and do not want to see any more
them.
THE chair has had experience in
mer Legislatures of what is called
aft So long as / am in this chair
will not tolerate any such expendi'
es as are desired under this reso-
on 1t is the money of the people
we are spending, and we are only
as trustees and agents of the
ple."