The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-03-09

With menace to the very existence of the COM
of this port for months to come, they shilly-
shally back and forth in -you-see-it-and-
now-you-dont" fashion that is hurniliating.
We well may say: "What manner of men have
we for official representatives." ".E.
The commissioners know, as every one knows,
that the United States is on the very verge of
sible hostilities with Gerrnany--they may come at
any hour.
They know, as every one knows, that the loyal
German citizens on board the eight refugee Ger
man ships in Honolulu harbor will do anything
their government orders them to do ts
This fact has been demonstrated within the
month"; when these same men on these same ships,
smashed and wrecked their machinery, burned
their boilers beyond repair and set fire to the Geier,
then tied up to the wharf, making effort to put
out the fire and preventing the local authorities
from doing so. And they admitted they were doing
all this under orders" That this statement was
true is demonstrated by the fact that every Ger
man ship in every American port was simutan-
eously treated in the same manner, in anticipation
of probable hostilities.
The commission knows, and every one knows
who reads the papers, that one German steamer
was deliberately sunk by her crew, in an American
port partially blocking the harbor part of this
same campaign of destruction, directed against a
possible enemy as %. SIS. ....u. ,.u
What good does it do that the captain and crew
of this steamer have been indicted for the act? The
steamer is at the bottom and the harbor is dam
aged. failing the crew will not remedy this.
The commission ordered two of the steamers
out of the harbor Saturday last; but before the
harbormaster could carry out the order it was
rescinded. Since then the commission has been
in more or less continuous secret session, appa-
Al-.N G. 6
entire SUGGEST For yesterday afternoon after four
days of strenuous travail, they gave birth to the
decision that the ships could stay in the harbor,
moored to the principal wharf in the harbor, upon
the AGENTS giving BONDl ...rt ...',.@ &...2l.
OF what good will bond be, If the ships are
sunk. blocking our harbor? 81
The amount Of the bond would be a cheap price
for Germany to pay to block this port for four
months, in case Of warl .. &.
We do not want German money. We want the
assurance that the Germans will not do in Homo
lulu what they have done in Charleston.
Does the commission believe that the existence
of bond will delay the crews of these steamers
for one minute, if they receive orders from their
government to blow the ships up and sink them
where they will do the most damage?
If the commissioners have any such belief, they
entirely nisjudge German loyalty and courage.
The Advertiser is not condemning the Germans
on these ships 1t is stating that they so loyal
that they will obey orders regardless of conse-
quences.
We wish we were equally sure of the loyalty to
the United States of some who call themselves
"Americans."
Even though the face of the bond were collect
IDLE, what is mere money payment as an Offset
to lives that may be destroyed and the closing of
this port for months.
But what is a bond?
1t has been we'll described as formal permits
sion to bring law suit"-and that is what it is
nothing more.
No matter what happens, there will be pay
mert on the bond, under the most favorable
dtions, until long and bitter law suit has dragged
its weary way for years, through the courts, with
good chance of collecting nothing.
A suit bond is a technical proceeding, and
every possible technical obstacle would be thrown
in the way of collecting this bond
The long and the short of it is that there is no
safety for this port and its commerce, as long as
these steamers are in the harbor-and this applies
equally to all eight of the German steamers, and
not to the two only! ..."..... .s>
It is idle for the commission to claim that they
have no jurisdiction over the other six steamers
because they happen to be tied up at railroad
wharf. '
The commission does not control private
harbor of Honolulu, and it is directly responsible
for the protection thereof
The action and inaction of the commissioners is
clearly in dereliction of their duty!
Zimmerman states his belief that the German
plot to secure invasion of the United States by