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

i For the senate's apparent zeal for economy
the Star Bulletin has only the highest praise
but on some of the definite steps to that end
it must find fault. Such step is the proposed
change in rules providing for reference com
mittee to which all bills shall first be submit
led and which would have the power, if it found
/ the bill to be yalueless, to throw the blu 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. ..... j
| The logical flaw of the reference committee
Escheme 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
lcliqne 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 senator's weapon with
which to guard themselves against their own
foolishness. fit is true that certain senator's
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. T.. H. ,.. ! S..
President Chilingworth' public statement
that in at least six instances senator's had in
|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
lis not fattering to the senator's nor encourage
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 erystallizes in good
legislation. We're these bills to be buried in a
reference committee, the value of public dis
eussion would be lost. As matter of fact
half of the legislation of 1917 is worked cut in
the discussions of 1915 on measures that can
not and do not now deserve to pass. .
About the easiest thing legislator can do
is to accuse the printing offices Of having q
personal interest in seeing that all the bills,
possible are introduced and printed. This
makes it rather difficult for newspaper CON
nected with publishing office to speak out on
d 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 publ and that money spent on print
ing bills and thus making them available for
general scrutiny is money saved. Forit breeds
interest among the people, among the tax
payers, and they will all the more closely watch
the general administration Of their public,
affairs. y
If the senator's wish to save public money
and the Star Bulletin believes from their ac
lions that they do-Why shouldn't they hear
prospective bills read through in committee Of
the whole, and then, if the bills. are obviously
foolish, summarily consign them to the waste
basket. OF course this would take time but
as a matter of fact, the senate has had great!
deal Of idle time on It's hands this session. IT.
would have the advantage Of putting the en-
tire bill before the entire senate, It is pre-
sumed that the senators ID their zeal for econ
omy are willing to take the extra trouble to-
handle foolish measures. by this method. Are,
theys