Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-08-18
TRUE OR FALSE l

r
The charges of senate journal graft made by
Senator Coke against John H Wise and Wise's
reply as published last Saturday constitute an
issue Of fact that can be quickly and with COM
paratiye ease settled beyond peradyenture or
doubt
Senator Coke says that Wise's remuneration
Of fifty cents-per typewriter page is an exorbt-
ant profit Wise replies that for this fifty cents
Ne not only airanges for the typewriting, but
does the comparing Of the typewriting with
the records the indexing of the senate journal,
and prepares the original records for filling in
the archives. 1t ought not to be difficult to as
certain just what Wise is instructed to do and
Just what he has done for this fifty cents page.
Senator Coke says that Wise dipped into the
fund for proofreading, paying the proofreader
only $3.50 out Of the $3.50 he should have had.
Wise answers that he paid more than $500 for
the proof-reading, hiring w. J.. Goelho as well as
Fishel and doing much of the work himself. Coel-
no should be able to sustain this statement and
Wise should have either the returned checks or
receipts showing the payment to Coelho. Wise
also says that another man, A. @. Marcallino,
complained of faulty proofreading by Fishel. If
that is SO, the corroboratS sssidence should be
easy to obtain.
Asto the charge that wise stuffed the jour
nal with all sorts of WORT ess fecords and mat
ter not essential to it., in order that he might
swell his profits that isABimatter less easy of
concrete proof or disproof Ii lies with the sen.
ate to say what it wishes to 90 in the record and
what it does not; If the senate leaves the matter
TO the discretion of the clerk and is willing to
accept the result, we do not see how. Wise can be
charged with positive graft One senator, how
ever, already indicates his dissatisfaction with
the large amount of unnecessary material he
says has been stuffed into the book that sena.
tor is Coke and if he has a just cause he is en-
titled to a fair hearing onsits It would be we'll
to hear from the other members of the senate,
now that the journal is printed ! Do they believe
unnecessary material has been put into the book ?
The main portion of the Coke charges can, by
q short investigation of fact, be either substan-
tiated or found untrue. The senate hold-over
committee could conduct this inquiry, in
case the accounts committee declines to pay any
attention to the charges and no move is made by
the territorial grand jury
Senator Coke has raised one point that seems
worth following in any event 1t is evident that
titft ~ HON no uecisiOl IN tue part Vi Inc sen
ate itself or any committee Of the senate as to
just what is to go into the record. 1t is left to
the discretion of the clerk. That is why this
charge of stuffing the journal can be brought at
ALL
Why should there not be definite way of de-
Gliding, before the journal is printed, what is to
20 into and what is to be left out oft? That, it
seems to us, should be the duty of a committee
of senators and not passed on to the compiler of
the journal He is now held responsible for get
ting everything possible into the record and has
no express authority to keep anything out.