The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-11-03

Facing an angry and threatening mob
OF road laborers, who threw down their
picks and shovels yesterday morning
and marched to the municipal building
TO demand their pay, and to prevent any
further political tricks being praetised
upon them, members of the board Of
supervisors held two hastily called and
illegal meetings yesterday morning, and
in violation of the law passed payrolls
amounting to $II 600 this, that they
might square themselves with the la
bOrers for Mayor Fern Is and their Ia.
test, bRmdeT and cheap political trick.
Early in the day, aftor the supervis-
yors had read ap article in The Adyertis.,
or which showed up the vicious plot
concocted by Mayor Fern to prevent
the laborers getting their money be,
fore election day, the supervisors rushed
around, breathless, and called special
meeting TO cure the bhtnder made by
Fern when he told Supervisor Lester
Pctries last Tuesday that he did not
want the laborers paid today because
Il they were paid they would be "too
drunk TO vote on election day.
Democrats Lose 900 Votes
On this turn of events it is safe TO
say Mayor Fern and the board Of SUI
reryisors lost nine hundred votes. Lit
tle doubt Of tho truth Of this predic-
ton could exist in the minds of those
who saw the large and ever.swelling
crowd of laborers, who elogged the hall.
way Of the municipal building, jeering
and cursing at times, and requiring the
presence of police officers to prevent
damage being done to property,
They were snmrting under the unfair.
ness of the mayor s and board S action
toward them, and the arrogant and in,
considerable treatment received by them
at the hands OF these pemoeratic OH
Gals. From early morning until late
in the afternoon these laborers, whose
number exceeded 500, ''beat mighty
tattoo with their feet, = in the hallway
and on the steps of the building.
They did not pretend TO be doing
day i work. g .1sn'....a
Why should theylp it was asked.
'"Mayor Fern and the supervisors tried
to double-cross thoin!R &!.
Laborers Demand Their Pay
= BY nine o'clock the laborers began to
come TO the municipal building. they
demanded their pay. They proposed to
stay there until they got it. Word of
the stubborn attitude of the laborers
was flashed to the supervisors; they de-
cided that the men must be paid i'm,
nediately, whethar legally or illegally
done. Their election depended on it.
Mayor Fern, they said, was respon-
bible for the whole trouble. lie had let
it.slip that he didn t want the men paid
because they would be too drunk to
Vote; aud then, not content with that
bluhder Fern got up on the stump Sat
urday and said the labofers would haye
been paid but James Bieknell, city au,
ditor, had refused TO issue the warrants,
The absurdity of such statement, of
course, was apparent, for the auditor
cannot issue 4 warrant until it is ap-
proved by the board, and the board
had neglected to pass payroll, and
therefore no warrants existed to be
held up. But the mayors statement
had an elfeeta boomerang effect, ~
hit the mayor and board where they
live.
Tried To Iniure Auditor a","
s Aud with this is revealed the cause
OF tho hurried meetings yesterday, tho
desperate efforts of the board to GOV
or up tts #H
They were going to pass that 81 900
payroll, legally or illegally, and whether
the laborefs were able TO cash their
warrants or not they were going to pass
that payroll, aud slip the buck 10 the
auditor SO that they could 20 out. on
the soapbox and say they had done
their part to give the laborers their
inohoy, hut that Auditor Bicknell has
fallen down. On is Face il was cum.
ming and cheap trick, one that could
be-expected and perhaps even tolerated
in some Of the Latin American peanut
republics, but hardly in Honolulu whore