The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-09-01
8 TERRITORY Of HAWAII
NAME THE COMMISSIONERS WILL
RECOMMEND.
Form of Government is to be Terri
torial With Large Extension of the
Municipal Idea.

IT will be the Territory of Ha-
wall" That is the name which the
Annexation Commission has decided
to recommend to Congress. Thus will
be preserved in the political nomen-
clature of the United States the dis
tinctive origin of this part of the
United States, just as the names OF
the states and territories of Florida,
Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Ar
iona and California perpetuate their
distinctive origin. The history and
tradition of the Islands, and the asso-
Citations that no one resident here
wants forgotten, will go on in unbro-
ken union with the name.
The form of the government will
be modelled on that of existing terri
tories. There will be no more nor
further departures from this form
than local conditions. and national po-
litical considerations, make necessary.
1t is probable that in working out the
details the form of government will
not approximate so closely to that of
state government as the ordinary
form of territorial government does.
But the ultimate possibility of state
hood will not be barred. Still there
will be no District of Columbia or
Alaska form of government proposed
Local self government will be given
through an extension of the municipal
idea. The Islands will be divided into
municipal districts having control
under restrictions and limitations, of
purely local affairs. Honolulu, for
instance will be a municipal district,
embracing the whole of the Island of
Oahu.
Hawaii may be divided into two dis
tricts. and Molokai. Lanai and Niihau
may be attached to some other munic-
ipal district.
The question of a territorial legis-
lature has not been fully settled.
There will probably be one, however,
but with limited powers.
All the attributes of sovereignty,
however, will be exercised by the ma
tional government of the United
States. The people of Hawaii will
be called on to consider themselves
Americans, looking to the national
government as the source of nation
al power. In local affairs they will
have the opportunity of exercising the
high attribute of American citizen
ship, local self government. The
form of government the Commission
will recommend will be one calculat-
ed to do away with the associations
of national independence which have
grown up in the past eighty or ninety
years. and to create associations and
the feeling of union with the United
| States of America
1t is pretty clear from what has
been said by members of the Com
mission from time to time, that in
framing a form of government for
these Islands, they have als0 been
charged by the administration at
Washington with forming a model
which can be adapted to Porto Rico
and other new possessions the war
has brought the United States.
The Commission is trying to so
shape its work as to be able to con-
clude its labors September Goth. The
visiting members will in that case be
able to return to the mainland by
the steamer of September 23rd. This
will be in plenty of time for .he
prompt presentation of the bill which
will be drafted right after the open
ing of Congress on the first Monday
| in December