Ke Alakai o Hawaii, Volume IX, Number 30, 30 October 1936 — Vote The Straight Democratic Ticket!! Beebe, Vitousek – "The Gold-Dust Twins!" [ARTICLE]

Vote The Straight Democratic Ticket!!

Beebe, Vitousek - "The Gold-Dust Twins!"

u- prominent Republican candidatēs for the «. <--islature, none stand forth morē strongly in u > ii) it of the "Big Interests' ? of Hawaii—-to whom \ o holden for their bread and butter, with a little i u i eiieeae and honey now and then.—than Speaker il > A Vitousek, candidate for re-election to the hou.se, , o H. Beehe ? former representative of the 4th - i. t < t nd the aforesaid "Big Interests" in the house, < n i t a eandidate for senator from Oahu. Ko candidates advertise in bolder letters. more extensively or in more publications the fact that thev have workēd-and will work onlv for the interests cf the eommon mun —you and me—in the legislature than do these two, who inight properly be dubbed, "The Gold-Dust Tvtins." Speaker Vitousek, a member of ihe law firm of Stanley, Vitousek, Pratt & Winn, not only has not nor stood up for the eommon man and his rights ih the legislature—but he has made his position as speaker pf the house of representātives pay him large and luscioiis dividernds in the form of legal commissions for his firmu One of Speaker Vitousek's most criticised acts as a lawyer-legislator is the fact that he took a promihent part iii iiaving enacted the present gross ineome tax in its pre;sent erratic form ; —and subsequently appeared »B>eouiiate-l for a group of semi-professionals and sought to obtain for iliem the preferential rate of */2 of oiie percent tax, whieh had been granted to la:wyers, instead of the I*4 pe.rcent tax that every other line of business endeavor in the Territory is forced to pay! Some members of the Bar Association of Hawaii are extremely critical of this legislator-law 7 yer, Dr. Jeky!l and Mr. Hyde activity. .of Speaker Vitousek, .some contending that it might be described as unethical in the extreme. Does Speaker; Vltousek make it easy for Lawyer Vitousek to prosper? On March 26, 1936, the firm of Smith, Warren, Stan-l-.-y a bill for $5,000 to ihe Bo&r.d of Water Supply—-"On aeeounl of legal services rendered in the action now pendihg in the Circuit Court of the First J«d!clal Circuit brought by the Bishop Estate and involv-' it;g water development in upper Manoa Valley ■— $5,000.** This bilī was paid on March 27, 1936, by Check No, 1510, Voucher No, 93. Does Speaker Vitousek make it easy for Lawyer Vitousek to prosper toighti!y? On February 26, 1935, the Board of Water Supply received a bi!l from Smith, Warren, Stanley & Vitousek— "To legal services reiidered in the matter of the case of De Mello vs, Board of Water Supply on the appeal to the Supreme Court, including preparation of brief and supp!emental brief and attendance at argument before the Supreme Court—ssoo.oo. 11 This bill was paid by Check No. 1436, Voucher No. • SO. ; Does Speaker Vitousek make it easy for Lawyer Vitousek to prosper even as the green bay tree ? īt is conceivable that Lawyer Vitousek might hāve been retāmed to fight these two cases by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply if he were not Speaker Vitousek ; — but it is prettv niee for an organization such as the Board of Water Supply to have a friend in court such as Speaker Vitousek when the Board might want a few legislative favors 5 such as the Issuance'of bonds or somethihg of the sort! Speaker Vitousek's deep and great regard for the interests and welfare of the eommon people of this Territory was well illustrated by what happened to the 01d Age Eetir(ment «*y<st m bill passed by the 1930 legisiature as an adjunct to the Social Security policy of Presiderit Rooseveit. The hill was mtroduced in the house—but carned īio appropr o was valueless as far as obtaming Soelal SccuriU foi thc aged and decrepit of Hawaii was eoncerned. IL. __e___sary appropriation was added in the Sēnate through an amendment, Governor Poindexter found a serious defect in the measure and said he would be compelled to veto the bill if this defect were not corrected, The house, led by Speakgr Vitousek, refused at fust to have the bill returned for the nece»sary correction. On!y after strong Senate representat»ons had been made, wfth a threat to expose the enlīre plot to pass a meaninglcss Ōld Age Retirement bi!l, did the House consent to have the bill brought back for the necessary correction! A bi!l repealing the $10 high school tuition fee, introduced by Senator Charīes A. Riee and passed by the Senate s was held in the House Finance Commlttee by ] Chairman W'illiam H. Engle on Speaker Vitousek's order. Only on the last day was it reported out, with the recommendation that it be filed—or killed Now Vi- , to«s«k 1s rabidly advocating abolition of that self-sarae $10 tuition fee for high school pupils! | Other serious defecU i n Speaker Vitousek's record j liar G already beēn pointed out—as witness his insistence : that the "pmiemiom" — meluding lawyers, of course — j should be taxed at a rate of only one-half of one percent <

of their ineome, while everybody else engaged in bu&iness in the Territory must pay one and one-quarter of his gross ineome as tax tp to the Territoriargovernment. ' ♦ And, of cQurse, it must not be forgotten that it was Speaker Vitouspk who so jockeyed that self-same gr.oss ineome tax bill around in the house so that there was 110 1100 exemption provided for such indmduals as lei-sellers, newsboys and bootblacks! And in view of Mr. Vitousek's record as a legislator and as a ' one half percent professional H man, many residents of Oahu are ijefidQZiiii£ to a«k l ra.th<fV embarrassing questions as to just where Speaker Vitousek's activities begin—and where do Lawyer Vitousek's activities end— if ever. And whether it is a day-and-night proposition, such as the doub!e-faced life that was led by the famous character of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As for Former-Honorable Eugene H. Beebe, who aspires to the Senate, he is making fervent pleas to exempt from the gross ineome tax provisions the yery same peopie whom his political bed-mate, Speaker Vitousek, insisted should not be exempted. Two years ago, the Former-Honora,ble Beebe was not a candidate for public office, but was. campaigning for the Republic.an party as a matter of principle. Kis loftiest pi-ineiple enunelaiea two years ago was~"We ean cut Governor Poindexter's throat —- aad laugh at him — if we elect all Republican& to the legislat«rc!" Certainly a high-sounding prmciple—one that would be bound to make for good government—"eleel Republicans so that they ean cut the throat of Governor Poindexter—and then laugh at him." For hy doing this the highprincipled Republicans woula be cutting the throat of the President of the United States—and laughing at him! Because the Governor of Hawaii is the persQnal representative in the Territory of the President of the United Statesl And the For,mer-Hon. Beebe is another one of Speaker Vitousek's "oiie-half of one percent ,, professional men—t. another lawyer. He happens to be a partner in the firm of Smith, Wild, Beebe & Cades. The senior member of this firm-—Arthur G. Smith—has served for years without number, as the ' S legislative counsei"—lobbyist to you and me— —for the Honolulu Chamber, of Commerce, the H&waiian Sugar Planters' Associatlon and firms and indmduals of that ilk—but not including any small business enterprises or anybody might aspirj to| the designation—"eommon people." I Woyld it be of advantage to Ihe Hoaolulu Chambei of Commerce, the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Asiociation and firras and individuals of that ilk to have in the upper house of the legislature the law paitner of their "legisiative cousel"—plain, everyday lobbyist to >ou and me? T\-.ouia k . Dou t be fooiishl 11 the Former-Hon. Becbe is to be clected to the Senate, many peopie contend, the īen-iiu'o iuighi save money by dispensing with the aenule sessiuu a::d have all Uie bills passed or rein ilie offkv of Sruilh, Wild, Beebe & Cadesl Likewise, if Speaker \ itousek is to be returned to his former status as Cza.r of the lowei' house, wliy not dkpcuse with the fervices of the resl oi the house menibers und ha\ „li uouse bills passed or rej"ected in the law offices 01 Scaiin.j, Vitousek, Pratt &. Wini^! That ouglit to be one way of cuttum down Territoriai expenscs—and il is highly reasonabl(£, also, If FormerHonorable Bttbe is suceessful ixv his $£uaiorial aspirations» he will, of course, be chosen as of the highiy lmportant judiciary committee—a poa|tiou whieh has been filled efficiently, faithfully and foi mau> se*sioa* by Senator Williaui H. Heen~"eveu ths>ugh he U a Democrftt/' as hii Republica« coacede. 1 ! v \

Beebc and Vitousek—"friends ol Uu? eoaunou peopie" — "WiLh oiiii Uie intere»tjj of the orduuiry eiiueii ai liean!" Bah» iook ut their recoids—look ut Uieii* associauousf iook ut tlieir uspirations—and iigree: "Bctbc Aiid Vitcu«dk —'lhe Gold-Du»t Kum'" 1 l l