Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-03-10
The NEXT STEP

plctC investigation of the finances Of the cOun-
ties ...I "-...... ..- ..-.~
Nothing less will satisfy the demands fer JUS
tice for impartial inquiry for publicity, growing
out Of the revelations Of Hawaii county's fnan-
cial scandal. .~-. r. .....:.
The officials Of the other counties hold pop
ular confidence There is not a breath Of suspi-
ci0n against such man James Bicknell Of
Honolulu, for instance. But the auditors Of
these other counties, all of them exposed To the
temptations of system apparently as flagrantly
weak that of Hawaii. county, should he the
first to demand expert investigation Of their of
fetal acts
Very apparently the whole system, particu-
larry in its lack Of definite relation with the ter
ritorial auditing department, is faulty, grossly
faulty. 1t favors the incompetont; it shields
the corrupt; it protects the criminal because he
is secure from outside scrutiny.
H. Gooding Field, whose examination of Ha
wall county's financial status opened the way to
these later revelations of scandal, declares that
he drew the attention of the territorial auditor
to the discrepancies in the cash balances shown
on Auditor Maguire's yearly statement.
Territorial Auditor Fisher declares that he
has nothing to dc with the auditing of the coun
ty books. This may be quite true but certainly
Mr. Fisher has done little to draw official atten-
ton to the scandal brewing through the abuse of
a system he himself installed. Certainly Mr..
Fisher has not cried out against the suspicion of
wrong as he might have cried out if, as alleged,
he saw the evidences of iuggled figures plain be-
fore him Or if he has cried out why has not the
territory acted?
The unpleasant truthisflfats thoughthe board
of trade of Hilo started the wheels of justice|
rolling in authorizing the Field investigation,
there was no territorial force to keep the wheels
rolling. -
When the Lyman crookedness became pub
lie, the press of the territory called for an inves
tigation that would go further than the Field in
vestigation AT repeated intervals since, theI
newspapers have asked the territory or the coun-
ty of Hawaii to come to the front in fight for
the truth and the whole truth. But apathy and
official neglect have baked the demands of JUS
tee; officials have been too busy doing some
thing else; politics, business, influence these
have blocked the pathway to public inquiry:
The cloud of scandal has burst; the terri
tory is astounded, stupefied; and now at last
the territory will probably act.
One of the lines of action ought to be the es-
adjustment of bureau Of accounts that shall
have the power to audit both territorial and
county books The Star-Bulletns proposal of
this last Saturday has received general common
dation 1t is in line with what Field has con-
tended for many months, and in view of the
work that Field has DONE he is well-quaified tOI
make suggestions. Tomorrow the recommends
tons of the Audit Company of Hawaii, which I'M
der the authorization of the senate hold-overl
committee exposed the corrupt Mcguire system,
will probably be presented TO the senate. They
will contain also some excellent suggestions.
The attorney general has already begun prep
arations for criminal prosecutions, and theSel
will involve not only the submission of evidenced
as to the juggling of the county books, but alsOl
as to the relations Of the First Bank of Hilo with
Mcguire and 1.-The system" 1t is unfair until all
the facts are known to pass Judgment on the ac-
tians of the bank officials or any of them They
regarded their business with the county as pri-
yate business. However, when criminal prosecu-
tions are under way, the bank officials may very,
property, under subpocnas, produce their books
and make complete explanation, and this GER
tainIy is to bC expected. -. ~.
It sometimes takes scandal to produce re-
form. We have the scandal. How about the re-
form? "."..: .-".