Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-03-11
EDITION
SENATORIAL ZEAL FOR ECONOMY.

II Tor tie SeHdIe , appdItut zeal lOT ccOHolHS
the Star Bulletin has only the highest praise
but on some of the definite steps to that end
| it must find fanlt. Such step is the proposed
change in rules providing for reference COM
mittee to which all bills shall first be submit
ted and which would have the power, if it found
| the bill to be valueless, to throw the bill out
Immediately, thus saving the cost of printing
In defense of this it is said that many senator's
introduce bills in which they themselves have
no faith and the printing of which is mere
waste of money. - - =. - =. ga -.
The logical flaw of the reference committee
scheme is obvious. In the first place, it would
give small body of men absolute power and
would furnish dangerously easy means of
"burying'' bills that,a small but powerful
clique might be interested in having easily
Suppressed. In the second place, there is some
thing ludicrous in the confession of the neces-
Isity of giving the senators weapon with
which to guard themselves against their own
foolishness. If it is true that certain senators
are in the habit of introducing bills they know
cannot pass and do not themselves favor, by
far the easiest method would.be to refrain from
SO doing.
President Chillingworth's public statement
that in at least six instances senators had I'M
troduced measures having SO little merit that
they themselves did not want to vote for them
and then appealed to him in private to be ex-
|cused from casting their ballot that statement
is not fattering to the senators nor encourag-
ing to the taxpayers.
Another phase of the matter IS that many
measures which in their original printed form
do not deserve to pass and in fact may be
nearly valueless- nevertheless lead to healthy
discussion which ultimately crystallizes IN good
Legislation. We're these bills to be buried IN q
preference committee, the value of public dis
|cussion would be lost As matter of fact
half of the legislation of 1917 is worked out In
the discussions Of 1915 on measures that can
mot and do not now deserve to pass. $
About the easiest thing q legislator can do
|is to accuse the printing offices of having a,
personal interest in seeing that all the bills
possible are introduced and printed, This
makes it rather difficult for newspaper con-
|nected with publishing coffee to speak ont on
q subject such as that now commented upon.
But even the most suspicious of our senatorial
friends even those who suspect everybody s
motives, including their own know that the.
greatest safeguard Of popular government is
wide publicity, and that money spent on print
ing bills and thus making them available for.
general scrutiny is money saved. For it breeds
interest among the people, among the tax.
payers, and they will all the more closely watch
the general administration of their public
affairs
If the senators wish to save public money
and the Star Bulletin believes from their ac-
|tions that they do-why shouldn't they hear.
prospective bills read through in committee Of
the whole, and then, It The bills are obviously
foolish, summarily consign them to the waste
basket. OF course this would take time but
as matter Of fact, the senate has had great
deal Of idle time on its hands this session. tt
would have the advantage of putting the en-
tire bill before the entire senate 1t is pres
|sumed that the senators in their zeal for econ
|omy are willing to take the extra trouble to-
handle foolish measures by this method. Are
|theyi
Federal Action May Drive Booze From the
Territory Public sentiment is already doing
il, sometimes slowly but always surely.
Watchful waiting can also BE done from q
feet at Guantanamo Bay.
Among the popular war decorations is the
Mexican Double Cross.
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