Ka Nupepa Elele, Volume XI, Number 44, 14 June 1890 — THE AUDITOR-GENERAL'S REPORT. [ARTICLE]

THE AUDITOR-GENERAL'S REPORT.

it not for its evident truth and serious official chaiactor the A«ditorGener«rs Report migbt be takeu fqr an extended pieee of master satire on a rotteu and irrespousible government. In fnct, even to the īuitiated, tLe facts stuted are so monstronB and auomuloua tbere is uaoinent«rj Uesitation befoio adiiiission is reacbed that the cliarg<?s made &nd the protests exitexed stand in the Auditor-GenerHl's naine against the bonesty and high professions of the greatiy overpraised Eeform party * Cabinet. To the unijiitiated straoger tlie Report wil! pn»bab!y retaiu ita cliaract«r of satire to the end, as 110! naan not living here will lik€lybe able! to form a mentf»l coūception of a Goy , ernment where such a policy of politieal cross-purposes eun be heīd together Tor a bienninl period, with a running gqerrill.i \varfare disturbing the entire Civil Service and actually disrupting tbe Cabinet. I

The of th« Interior, ns asual, is tho chirf amlhead of o{Teuee; but he ?s by no moans the only offender, B«reaus of vario»a dejmit raeuts eouie in for a ahai'O of the b!ame in the general hīgh-h!indetl mal-adrainistrutioji of office during the hienuial period; the Minister of Finanee is as clearly convicted of being a silenrānd pliaot agent, parfcicip'ant, accessorj* aud abettor of "his eoīleague," Mr. Thurston, as His Excellency, the Minister of Finaucē was proven aiul convicteu by the Elele of being tB« "pli'uni j 6tc." of eeiiāin corporailc>ns\ti his uo torious, disgracefol audillcg-mi>point-ment of Mr. C?li. C-arWr the Tai Appeal Boards for-JEfttoah« Kau Bis tricts.

We know of uo epithet, at onee so degrading vet trutliful, by whieh the Mmist«r of Finance eouūl appropriately becalled, asTax- Appeal Damon, un{ess perhaps he is hereafter designated a« the official coileague aud abettor of Mal--AdnunistrationTliurs-ton. ln wforriiig to the olleial cotu p >ct s«stainod by ihe Ministers of In t"vi< -r aud Fiuanee. in defuu ee of the law, A«dit<>r Hv»ss thīufes that the Andit Aet s!ionīd bo auiei ded so as ''to make the Audit<)r's eiforts more efticient." 'ihe Auditor is certainly

right; the iaw rnust be am.endeu, if tbe mnl-adrainistrātion of the past period is ft B«tnple of whfit tbe ;mims* terla! ono-ninn power ran rteromplish in spito of the ietter*of the law and the protestations of the Auditor-Gren-eral. »

--Werbeli«'e-Mmister Thtrrston \vas a politicfil }jrophet and a titp.ordlcal re.former wheu tho ohl reyinte was foliowing in part or in wholo the v«ry eourse,and official policy of -whieh he now stands conyicted. īf the AnditorGeiieral wrote the followii)g pHViigrnph in his report with a ''sneer on his lip imd a smiie in his eye," he is jnstified by the fnets and the record c(mcernii)g inm of whom he wrote:—

•'lt will, n<s c!eabt, Hppear to your Honorabie Body from a perasal of tnis Kepc-rt imel .\ppendix, kii far .-it> tbe Interior Department is eoneemeel. wliether auj effort.s liav« lieen made to eucp"urftge refonrs or not, but. fe!ight impr6veßient c;in be ob-ser\-e(ī over prbvions results "in coniplying vfith tbc 2jianu»te« of the Andit Act, bwt Uiiil in f«i;t. they lieen i'beyeu onty it u-an moi'e eoni'eniini iōHo ao'lhaii otKerwUt.''

But l«t us enumeiaie some of the serioua charges and undeniable facts broiight home by the Anditor to the BefOrm Ministers aud their deinirt' ujents. The Auditor General. without f«ar iu- fnvor, aets forfch:—

Tliut th« Youcheis presented him by uo covcr oi' n-pi - «sieiit tha total expen<.lituies, Thnt «m««nts liave hean chßi'jjed thc approj>nNlums f;>r "Uoailn and Bridges"Hiid "Koiiu T:ixbs UneipeiKleil,' for wtiirb no vouchers weie ever reeeive«l or HppTOVed, That the Minit>ter of Finaiieo litt» rcpeate<lly viol»to<l the 19th of tlie A\idit Act, Th»t ihePowhil Bavsug»BAr»k lia* heeii su t«n as to eauije ,t«x payera to pay six peieent. iut«reiit 011 lnrge nhionnts of borrpwetl„au«T n«eli'is Burplnn, iyir.g in tīio trensury Taults. That ehaiimen of līo«d Boitr(la haVe been alloweil to <lr»w dir«utly from tho Tit3nsviry «ml aeeonnl t<> the laterior Depttrtnient afterwards. Tliat in vi-. olnliou of "th« l«w no "Deputy Bunerint«ndeut of Pnhlie WprJre" han been nppointe<V aUhoUgh tbe nal:irj' thorefor, of $4,800, hus been drnwn by tho Miui*ter of tha Interi<)r *nd used for othei' piu'potes. Thnt filthougb the ?Tfeistēr of Fiuauce »ckhowlcdged tlio Miuist<sr <>f the Interior was wri>ng, aiui the Supreme Court had so ruled, lie wus not pjt:piued to raia« the iBsue with hig <:<>]- le»gu.e, but woui-1 pny bis dr;iftK, whieh he hi:s done np to the prenent writing. Tlwt hirge siim» weie drawu froni tlie Treiisury by the Miaister of the. Intei'ior on advauce drnftx whieh n.eyer re ccived the Auilitof*s »pprov;il. Thnt some of the vouchers for au.e'n ad vance drnf ts ,\rpre not hfiuded iu ior fifteeu uionths after the first nion.ey-wiis d»a\vu. aii <>f which t)ie Au.ditoj" declined kt npprove. That this int-g' l '» r ity i-n<l delay w;.n. caUßed by the Ministt>iof the Interiot deliber»tely bieaking tbe lftw i» tliefiivt plnoe, Thut a ifirgv halauee of uuexpended Ko«<l T«x for K.au Pixtrict wns illeKally dra\vn from tbe'.Treai>ujy a:id <.tepo»»Wd elsewhere and tised f >r other jvurpos<<s Tb-.«t CoutiuKent Fuu<ls voted by the lnst Legi«.lātnre„we« eyijtiuuuliy tampered with and uiit=used is large umouut» in direct violntiou of tbē. law jind in spite of a rtistincf ruling to tlie eontran by'the'Supreme .Oonrt. Tuat uiuiuthori7.'j ; work w*s donp bv the Minist«r of the Intenor aud the espense iflegully cli«rged to otiier appivprifltions. Thfit Pnhlie Works <m credit or advnnce were nndertahen by tbe Mini:ster of the Intōrior who made rcspousible therefor without Legislative iuithority oi' wajr;mt ōf law. That the Minister of tlie Interior ti)Rde it a habit to sign drnfts upon the Treasury in bi»uk for irrespousible clerks (or others) to 811 in and dnw from the Treasury. That the Minister of luterior allowed a l«rge anidunt of Grvernment mouey t« be collected and deposite<l by h ment offleial in Damon and Bishop's bank iu uirect law. Thut the Miniater of the Interior violated the law in transferring appr<>pnalion» made for "Dredging Honolnlu HhiVxji-" and the "New Market House," tbe Auditor's »pproval beiug obUin<jd in au uudcrhaud manner entirely inconsistfsut an<l r,t varimce witb the bonest ns«gea e£peeted from the head of p Bur*>im. That departnient oft)ciiUs vr c|erk» were allowed to approve their owu bill« for ttlleged ineidentnLi afid draw "the nniouni directly from the Trea>;ury. Thnt ths Chief Clerk nf the luterior Depiirtment was »llowed to druw iu advance, npon au alleged "upeoiikl contraot," for $20,000 iu favor of \Y. G. Irwiu & Co., uud for whieh the Miui»terof Intei' ior prou»sed a legal voncbor wliieh bas not vet been forthc*ming. Thst the Minister of tbe tuterior nttenipted to niisuse tho nppropriations for "Sopport of Prisouere," auct did niisuse tbe "Eeceiptsfrouj Prison Labor,'*«f(ir other purposos th;ku provided by la\r, to the aruonut of over f29,000.

The above are onh- a portion of the fact.s set forth and proven !>y the la-vv and record against the so-called Reform Cabiuet and especii»lly agftinst Ministei-s Thurston and Dumon, who have worked into «aeli other's bauds in carrying out a policy of nial-adminis-trttt.ion. Are not these facts, tH*ken in connection with othfr lat-e expt»surcs in tho Legislature, snfficient to show that the Keforiu party's Cabinet bas out-Heroded any previous re<jime in political corrnption and official mal< feasance? They are co'rtaiuly sufiicient to all uxcept perhaps those uieuibers of the fanjily compHct and religio' political faction, wlio liave always proven theniselves denf to qjoral obloqay, «allona to political basencss ai d iuditferent to official corruptiou whenever these are brought to the tl)resholds of their purty friends; and especialh so wheu the indHllible stigina faiis upon those particnlar shining ligbtfs lovingly ratea as pylitical saiutsl

The position t»ken and fnlly sus tainod by the Auditor-General througli• olit his a report is exact!y the posi' tion whieh \vas taken by Mr. Thurston und his party ugain>t tho old nghitc, long prior to tue revolutiou.of 1337. His theoretieal professious V iu j favor of honest governuseiit and his i repeated elaiiu forthe virtues of verae | ity neeia to have both deserted Mr, Tnurston as soou he boōiiuie a per sonal faetor iu the Hawaiiau Goveruruent, Both Mr. Thurstou and his frieuds s«ea> to ha\e gwutly overost; ttiated his ink;llectual ealiln'o as well| as his official qu&lifieatious and politi j oal honestv of purpose. Theoreticaliy Mr. Thurston \vasa "greatstatesuian - '" but praetieally he hus been a poliīieal aud oAieial failnre. Au icc-apabk> {i'oin start to finish, the now notorions Minister of the lnterior has fully| t*nrued the foīlowiug coneUisieu as to| his oHieial iuooittpete;nee wītU* whieh the A«ditor Gentn;:l suuis up his able and tiuiely ix J port:— ' l\> »u\\>uut f»>r tUe umiij o{iu i ut>tj>.u<vv >*• lustwUi t i» tl»is Rijxir; »i whioh law h:.« lwti u".. s\ 1 I !l:at I cs'>. jx>iiu I > th« oim onni' :iUiv«' al! oth •• jh-i - tU<- «.:«.«* oauw, r<;.. tln'cut t*\v tv.ttvh\)Uikt« iu m*uv itut«ucc« FuUk \Vatks,." ,