The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-05-02
Clubbing Officials Into
Line by Cutting
Salaries.
SCHEME SLIPPED COG
The Territorial Committee
Can Not Browse on
Capitol Jobs.
CTrOm sundays AdvertIaer.1

With the closing of the legislature
and the cessation of talk about broken
pledges, campaign warcries and the
other aftermaths of political election,
other reports Of woald-be political
trades are coming out, with an intima-
tion that politics have at last become
perennial with us. The closing hours
of the legislature, in which the knit
ing became fast and furious and in
which the political ends of the busi-
ness which people had hitherto avoided
pressed themselves to the front, result
ed in political imbroelio wherein the
territorial departments and the Repub-
lican central committee are the chief
figures.
The question of political patronage
is the bone of contention and Superin-
tendent Campbell Of the department of
public works seems to be the utility
goat. In a chorus of verbal slams
handed out to him the fact that the
matter applies to all the departments
has been generally overlooked. 1t has
reached the stage, however, where it
does not matter whether Superintend-
ent Campbell wrote letter to the cen
trail committee offering the patronage
Of his department or not, but whether
the entire territorial Offices have be-
come pasture for the political organi-
cation.
Everybody connected with the mat
ter is becoming mysterious whenever
correspondence is mentioned and dla-
metrically opposite statements are the
order of the day. Chairman Cooper of
the committee is standing pat and re-
fuses to divulge any communications,
but says:
81 think that when the public ar
rive at the facts at the bottom of these
rumors they will have occasion to
change their estimate of some of the
persons involved.s
When the general appropriation bill
went to the house from the senate all
the heads of departments were sup
posed to be at 1915 month, it being
generally understood that the heads
had agreed among themselves that
everyone was to receive the same.
Shortly afterwards all the heads re-
ceived a letter from the territorial
committee asking them to extend their
patronage to the committee and notify
It whenever there was a vacancy to be
filed, that the committee might fill it
with a "good Republican, whom it
wanted to reward.
So far as understood the letter was
generally ignored. Treasurer Conkling
wrote back in reply to the effect that
he had never hitherto appointed any
body except Republicans, but that he
could not concede the fact that politi
cal qualifications fitted q man to per
form the work in his Office. He de
elined with emphasis to extend said
patronage in the way requested.
The next day there was a financial
calamity in the house of representa-
tives and the salaries of the heads Of
department with several exceptions
took a heavy drop, ending up at tht
$500 month mark. The news wat
NO sooner brought to the government
officials of the slaughter than there wa
a general protest.
Conkling met Chairman Cooper IL
the lobby of the house and asked hin
if he was legislating against theil
salaries.
eyes, " said Cooper, eve are going
to show you that the territorial com
mittee stands for something
Conkling then retired from the firing
line and met Campbell, to whom h
impaired his information. Campbell
was highly indignant and asked Conk
ling if he was willing to join him il
an agreement to Offset the committee
activities. Conkling agreed withou
hesitation.
The bill went back to the senate will
no Improvement in the salaries, the at
torney general, who has no fpatron
age" to any extent to extend, beint
one of the few who got off without
cut. The senate may not have beel
in on the 'tgamen or might have dis
approved Of the house amendments 70
other reasons, but these amendments
with all the rest went to conference
The salaries still remained the sam
up to the last moment, and true TO fh
agreement, the various heads smokel
the pipe of peace and let matters TAX
their own course, without making an,
move to grant that apparently inval
liable patronage" in spite of the fac
that the committee wrote letters b
Speaker Holstein complaining abou
them,
Then all of a sudden the appropria
tion bin was reported back and Camp
boil . salary was put in again Mt $40
q mouth. There was . general eF
that Campbell had broken bis pledge 1
q letter Of surrender written 10 "a
committee, but he haa denied any SUI
render and the committee refuses {
make It public II Il has It. The matte
stands that the committee has not 20
the patronage Of The ofiiees.
=---ssssus s=-s---
A passing cloud which last night 4
Intervals obsenFsa che siaz Japltai