Ka Nupepa Elele, Volume XI, Number 11, 28 Kepakemapa 1889 — A SUSPICIOU CIRCULAR. [ARTICLE]

A SUSPICIOU CIRCULAR.

During the,past week .i ie Mimster of Finance ■ haa issned a eircnlar n.>a hlank retnrn-form to 'all proprietors of llonoL l i, who employ labor, |asking that the name, j iitKiuality, occupation and daily pay "of ,tho ariy«is employees in the indostrieH of this ritv" '> c hsted and returhed, "flhould you find it eoi to comj)ly," to I the Mtnibter of Ftnans;e! Xlie miuistcr further informs said propnetor» o', in:3ustrifs t'i-Lt. "this list will no* be publisherl «• -1 x,rill be c>ii«idered priva%e"=as dfiā~ italics are ours. 'We ūie uot suspici. by nature but owing to the aatecedenis aml; ait political inethods of the reform party it <x yiuos 1. duty to look close]y at every action of V- J>iesent goverument especially when sueh ai.t.īor. .iuses a suspicion in itself. We are.in the J>re ent cuse at a loss to kiiown whether the Minister of Pinauee has simply blun<Jered in au une hlo way, or whether. tlicre is a <ieeper polnieai iiuryoae behiud this suspicioiiij circul»r. Fo.'tjive u« if we say frankly that we consider some of ihe members of the present Cabinet eapahle of ei'hu - of tuese suppositious and we are not alor e ii this belief. The Minister of Finauc« pt , opj'ifis, if the circular nieaup āuythmg, 10 piy iiuio the couiidences existing between emploj<.t • 1 , rl employees for a purpose not stated clearly eii: ugh in said cireu l»r to warrant business in exposmg their private afl'airs to the leaderii \ officials of the reform party. Suppose tfcf.t lu, peOple or the lii.Ei.E should ask the minial y loi their cbufidence to the exteut uf eiiu details of the busiuess of departments, <!o y.-ni think they wonld grant it? Suppose fd>r metaiice that we aske<J the miuistry *to publiah a_! yf the naines of those teachers tlu-oughout jV>. -.iiodom, whose salaries have been meanly cut do .vn to bar>> ti»ing raies, together with a list of verb.ii u. '. -unlh >* eoutracts whieh have beeu deli!bes-n and i>penly violated by our ovejpnused 3Boai'l 1 ;-<uion, du you thiuk they woulei grant it. i* JiHrdly likely; you would likely be!tol<i you were interferiug, and that sucu inqunef vere the espeeial busin e sB of the legislature, fe- .ihey aie' In like uianuer the proprietorfe of ,n</a a ti'_6 b hould plaiuly tell the Minister of Fman<"V "My private busaness is not public bn.siness. ' But the Minister of Fiuan« < iaims that he issued these circulars with tho best o£ !ntentions, to collect labor atatislics ! Certai2i!y, 0, certaiuly! yes; just so! ah!—but what d(> yo ; them for? Is it not rather a curious co.ncident that provision second, of article 59, |of the onstitution, for the qualification of voters fcr iiobles, i-eads as follows ?— That he shall own and be posse--st his owa right, of taxable property m this •:.>• aiTi y of the value of not less thau three thoußaud dL.'i!ars over and above all encumbranoes, or *ha" aelualiu received an ineoiw of not h Ihan hu h>, r nl āolhu'n durin</ the ytar mxl pricfdutfj hm /e for meh ewiion:

We makes no charge as to the de; -u and iuof tliese uircular3 for we i t the iuta propf upuij. *" w; <lo i~Aj ili .i aii h'>ne»i man, >«u natural blunderer, would lxar<lly do a thiu. is a puhlie oMeial, whieh immediately briiigs l h:.m under a just anapieion—coßKideriag the re*PP °f hia purty aud hia friemds, Give the aet th's escuse of boiug a blonder ,and the (juestiou ,uacbediately. arises, is a bluadtrer a safe naau to the office of Minister of Finat)ee? >