Home: The Annexation Of Hawaii: A Collection Of Document
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HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 365 lutiou against the American minister. The house had cleansed itself of that matter by striking the resolution from the records of the house. The speaker thought that bringing that up again was inexpedient. He favored the resolution with that amendment, and he favored considering the resolution today. The claim that the cabinet was unprepared had nothing in it. This resolution had been the talk for a long time, and the cabinet were doubtless as ready to meet it now as they ever would be. We all wanted the flesh of this cabinet. Noble Hoapili called on the cabinet to say whether they wanted the delay or not. Attorney-General Neumann said he had not been aware that the resolution was to be brought this morning. He was ready to take some of the matters up today. There wore allegations based upon street rumors, to which lie was ready to make answer immediately; on other matters he would like a delay until tomorrow. He would like to have a few words to say on the registration act, etc. He had no desire to sit as a minister, and was ready to resign at any moment. He proposed to defend his action on the registration bill and O. E. & L. Co. bill as long as he had a voice and vote in the house. There were none so blind as those who would not see, nor so deaf as those who would not hear. If the house chose to grant time until to-mor- row, the cabinet would be thankful. If not, it was ready to proceed today. Noble Hoapili, continuing, said the remarks of the attorney-general raised doubts in his mind. (Attorney-General: "Well, I'll remove them if I can.") This was the fourth resolution of want of confidence brought in this session. One was with- drawn, the second was carried; on the last he had voted with the minority in favor of the ministry. Since that time the ministry had stayed here, and the house had certainly waited a long, long time for them to announce a policy. For a long time there had been a general feeling throughout the country that there was a great deal of corruption in. the police department and that the marshal should be removed. The cabinet had known that that was the almost unanimous feeling of the house. Yet they did nothing. He had no hesitation in saying that he supported the resolu- tion on that account. A few days ago there had been a big disturbance on the street corner and the police had been called onto stop it, but they would do nothing. Minister Macfarlane (sotto voce). It was a luau. Noble Hoopili. He asked the police officer why he made no arrest, and the officer said the marshal gave the orders not to arrest anybody except when caught in some act of violence. A hack was there without lights, and vile and obscene language was being used. The police would do nothing, and finally Peter High took the matter up and with speaker's assistance a man was arrested and punished. These things were a scandal, and if the attorney-general could not stop it someone else must be got. On the other hand, people came to him and told him that the idea was to re- move the cabinet, so as to get an annexation cabinet in, and annex the country to the United States. If he believed that, he would support the cabinet. He would rather have corruption and scandal than annexation. He was distinctly opposed to annexation, and was so instructed by his constituents, but he favored close re- lations with the great "makua" over there. Rep. R. W. Wilcox had but a few words to say. The attorney-general had sug- gested waiting until tomorrow, but the attorney-general was noted for his readi- ness, and could defend himself today as well as tomorrow. So far as the announce- ment of a policy was concerned, every man, boy, and child in the country knew the cabinet had done nothing; so, what could be said in their defense? The same could be said in regard to the police department; nothing had been done. The matter of relations with the United States had not been much discussed in the Hawaiian papers, and as to that something might be said; but without it there was enough and the question should be settled this afternoon. Attorney-General Neumann. How does the member know that nothing has been done about the police department? Rep. R. W. Wilcox. Have not the committee made their report and recommenda- tions? Attorney-General Neumann said he had also made his report and had wished a committee appointed in order that he might explain to them why their recommenda- tions could not be carried out. Rep. R. W. Wilcox said the proposition to appoint a new committee was an insult to the house and showed that the attorney-general was not fit to occupy his posi- tion. He admitted his weakness. He came here and admitted that he could not tell the house why he could not carry out the recommendations of the committee. He would therefore favor the resolution. The part about the relations with the United States might be stricken out as there was enough without that. Rep. Nawahi said if there had been any publications in the newspapers regarding the American minister, the latter would have his remedy in the courts. He, there- fore, favored striking out that part of the resolution. As to the rest, he did not need to state his views. The cabinet has had fair warning. He had voted against the last resolution simply to give the cabinet a trial, When it had been here a