The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-01-21
ASKS THE REASON
Can Government Do More With
Wharf Than Railroad
Mr.. DILLINGHAM; WRITES AGAIN
What are the Desires of the People?
Quotations From Original
Railroad Acts.
Mr.. DILLINGHAM; WRITES AGAIN
CFrom Wednesdays Daily.)


lining the Government policy in re-
ference to the ownership of the
wharves of Honolulu harbor, which
was evidently called out by my letter
to the Advertiser of yesterday morn
ing.
The interview is worthy of note.
1t clearly confesses what l have charg-
ed. namely, that the Government is
out to confiscate the wharfage business
of the Oahu Railway & Land Co. rath-
er than it's wharves. He says in re-
ference to the new wharf: THE plans
of the new wharf now in the course of
construction call for continuous dock
of 600 feet. This will answer all needs
for the present. When the time comes
that more room is needed for docking,
then slips can be easily cut into the
long wharf now being built" In other
words, the Government can easily"
so the Attorney General can easily"
udht IuOIt "udIl 1OOul II
chooses to without disturbing the
wharf used by the Railroad Co. Then,
Mr.. Smith, if you can-to use your
own words-easi.y secure more wharf
room on land now in possession of the
Government and unused, why, in the
name of common honesty, do you find
it necessary to confiscate the wharf
used by the Railway? Why confiscate
our wharf, and at the same time fill
in land that can-to use your language
again-be easily made into wharves?
If you must drive the Railroad Co.
out of its wharf, will you not let us
utilize this area which "can easily be
made into wharves whenever you want
to-" What is there that impels the
Government to fill in tide lands that
you say can easily be made into
wharves, rather than let the Railroad
Co. or some one else utilize it for
wharves? Why is it that the Govern
ment, with one hand, is destroying
and abandoning wharfage area of its
own and, with the other hand, confis-
eating the railroad wharf? Is it not
fact, Mr.. Smith, that the Railroad Co.
is charging just the same wharfage
dues as the Government, and that this
confscation simply means that the
Government wishes to make the profit
that the Railroad is now making from
its wharf? You do not deny, Mr.. Smith,
do you, that the Railroad wharf is
being used all the time in loading and
unloading the freights of the different
enterprises built up along the Oahu
Railway? If the Government takes this
wharf you can do no more with it in
this respect to the advantage of trade
and commerce than we are doing, can
you? The Railroad is taxing the wharf
to its utmost capacity now, is it not?
Can you do any better than that?
1t is charging no more than the Gov
eminent is charging, and we are driven
back to the conviction that the Gov
eminent covets the profit that the Rail
road Co. is making out of the business
it handles at that wharf and covets it
none the less because that business
was created by the Railroad itself
We admit that the scheme of the Gov
eminent in taking this wharf, or rath-
er the profits of this wharf, is justified
on broader grounds than those taken
by Ahab when he coveted Naboth's
vineyard. The Attorney General tells
US that the Government covets this
vineyard for the benefit of the peo-
pie. In this connection we suggest to
the learned Attorney General that the
people covet other things besides
wharves; that the people as such are
covetous of the honor, good faith, good
name and credit of the Government,
and while they may not object to TAX
ing away this wharf from the Rail-
road, if it can be fairly and properly
done, they will object to anything that
savors in the slightest degree of un-
fair dealing or reputation on the part
Of the Government towards any one
of its citizens, or anyone in fact. Let
me recite to you, Mr.. Attorney General,
the pledges of the Government made
to this Railroad, and recommend them
TO your consideration: By the laws of
1878, the Government, under the Mon
archy, granted to railway corporations,
"the right to make jetties, wharves,
warehouses" etc. And by the Laws
Of 1883 in an Act passed to permit the
organization of this very Railroad, the
Legislature, of which you were a mem
Der, authorized the Cabinet, by con-
tract, to confer upon the organizers
of this Railroad "all rights, and privi-
leges conferred by that law of 1872
expressly naming among these rights
and privileges ''the right to construct,
maintain and operate wharves" I'm
der a contract made by the consent of
the Legislature, L. A. Thurston, Min
lister of the Interior, expressly con-
ferred upon the organizers of this cor
poration all of the rights and privi-
leges of the Act of 1878, again speci-
flcally comforting 'the right and pri-
vilege of constructing, maintaining
and operating depots, stations, yards,
wharves," etc. And finally by charter
this road is expressly given the power
to own or charter such steam or other
vessels that may be necessary for the
purposes of the corporation in collect
ing or distributing passengers or
freight upon, over, or across any of
the bays, harbors, inlets, rivers OF
streams on the Island of Oahu. And