The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-01-28
Mr.. ThurstOn's Reply to Mr..
AshfOrd's Charge of Accept
ing a Bride While in Office.

Mr.. Ashford has charged that Mr..
B. F. Dillingham; bribed me while
was Minister of the Interior by Civ
ing me five shares of Oahu Railway
and Land Company stock, in ex-
change for which gave the Railway
Company "one-half the harbor of
Honolulu"
Mr.. Ashford stated on the floor of
the last Legislature that he told
wilful falsehOOd concerning the treaty
TO the committee of citizens appoint
ed by the meeting at the Chinese the
atre.
A man who will falsify once will
do it again, if he thinks that circum-
stances require it.
Evidently Mr.. Ashford thinks that
circumstances do now require fresh
assortment of falsehoods, and he has
invented the one above set forth as
a sample.
When the charge was first made
had intended to rely upon my own
reputation and that of Mr.. Ashford as
being a sufficient reply, until had
time and opportunity to make full
digest from the records and CORES
pondence of the Interior Department
concerning the transactions between
the Railway and the Government
while | was Minister of the Interior;
but as the interests of others may be
| affected by delay in publishing a
denial, [ hereby state that the charge
| made is untrue.
Without going into details I will
| state:
l. That while 1 was in office no
| grant of land, or other privilege, was
made to the Railway by the Govern
| ment, except under authority of the
statute regulating the granting of
| the rights of way and station grounds
to railroads, upon Government lands.
2. With the exception of an acre
| and II fraction adjoining the King
| street bridge, no land has been grant
ed to the Railway on the harb0r side
of the road leading from King street
to the prison, and this small piece
that was granted to the Company
was subsequently surrendered to the
| Government and purchased by the
Company from the Government at
public auction.
3. All of the land lying south and
east Of the Prison road, owned by the
railroad, and constituting the ""Ter-
minal Division" was purchased by
the company from the owners, who
were first the Government, as to the
acre above mentioned; second, the
Bishop Estate, and third the You
mans Estate. The lands acquired by
the company from the said two
estates front on the harbor; the piece
obtained from the Government does
not.
4. The Railroad Statute authorizes
the granting in fee simple to the rail
road of wharf and landing sites from
Government lands, as we'll as lands
for other purposes. Under this prOvi-
sion, Mr. Dillingham;, on behalf of the
company, applied to me as Minister
of the Interior for the grant of wharf
site extending out into the harbor
upon which to build a wharf. l de-
clined to give it, stating to him that ]
thought the Government should re.
tain the Ownership,,Of every foot of the
harbOr frontage. He then asked fol
permission to dredge out strip some
60 feet wide lying between the com
pany's land and deep water, this strip
| being from to feet under water.
declined to consent to this either, a:
it would thereby give the company
| COllIIOl Ol UuC cldlIIlGI
that he had the legal right to enforce
both propositions. / replied that
would use the full power of the Gov.
eminent and carry the matter through
all the Courts to prevent it. / offered
however, to give him permission t.
locate wharf, which was needed fo
immediate use, and to utilize the 81
foot strip without charge, upon con
} dition that the Government cOulC
take possession at any time upol
giving 80 days notice and paying tn,
cost of the wharf and filings, if any
After several months negotiation
an agreement on these lines wa
. drafted by myself and submitted t
, Mr.. Ashford, as Attorney General
for suggestions. With some Sigh
amendments, it was approved b,
him. He was at this time bitterl,
hostile towards myself and the Othe
= members of the Cabinet.
, This is the only transaction between
Mr.. Dillingham; or the Railway Com
pany and myself concerning tn
= wharf site or any land adjacent to tn
harbOr.
5. Besides refusing to accede to MI
Q Dillingham's request concerning tn
water front, L also refused to gran
him more than about One-half Of tn
G land that he applied for for station
and yards upon the site of the old fisl
pond lying mauka of the prison. MI
/ Dillingham; expressed himself freel,
t at the time, to the effect that tn
: company was not getting the assist
ance from the Government that h
g had q right to expect, and by law wa
entitled to.
: 6. Each and every transaction be
2 tween myself, as Minister of the In
terror, and the Railway COmpan
was, before completion, submitted t
:. and approved by the entire Cabinet
and each grant of either land or pr
vileges, including the one concernin
g the wharf site, was signed by the Ell
f tire Cabinet, including Mr.. Ashford.
I. So much for the alleged sale o
t "one-half of the harbOr."
: AS to the alleged bribe for so doing
[ have to say this:
o The date of the wharf site transaC
V ton is March Is, 1890. | resigne
from office June IA, 1890.
> On Christmas morning, 1890, NOR
l. than nine months after the transat
ton in question, and more than 81
months after I had left office, [ re
n ceived q note from Mr.. DillinghaT
enclosing five shares Of o. r. & |
Co. stock, requesting me to acceI
it as Christmas present.
From the time that Mr.. billing
t. ham initiated his colonizatio
- | scheme in 1885 DriOr IN nv pOiuo inf