The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-22
HAWATS FORM
OF GOVERNMENT
Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee Conclude Its Revision.
SECTION DEFINING CITIZENS
Includes All Residents of the Territory
>on August IL, 1S9S-No Restric-
tions As to the Blacks
and Portuguese.

Washington, December 21-The senate
committee on foreign relations today con-
cuded it's revision of the bill providing a
territorial government for Hawaii, and Sem
ator Cullom reported the changes to the
senate. There were numerous changes, the
most important being as follows:
The section defining the citizenship was
amended by striking out the word white"
and also the explicit reference to Portu-
guese, and left to read as follows: THAT
all persons who were citizens of the repub-
lie of Hawaii on Aug. IL, 1898, are hereby de-
clared to be citizens of the United States"
The request of one-fifth of the members
of the territorial house of representatives
is made sufficient to demand the ayes and
nays, the original requirement being one
third.
The provision in regard to the qualifica-
tons of territorial senators is changed so
as to require that the senator shall be a
male citizen, thirty years of age, that he
shall have resided in the Hawaiian Islands
not less than three years and that he shall
be qualified to vote for senator's the expu-
cit property qualifications being stricken
out. A like change is made in the provision
IeSdI0liiB HeIlDtFS Ol the HOuSS, WIN dIc
required to be qualified by the changes to
vote for representatives
Section 49, allowing one house of the leg
islature to legislate after the other has adj
journed was stricken out, as was also the
provision requiring that each bill should
receive the written approval of three men,
bers before being introduced. The provision
authorizing the territorial supreme court to
pass upon the qualifications of members of
the legislature was not changed and it was
left as recommended by the commission
The governor is required to send his esti-
mates for appropriations to the legislature
as a whole and not to the senate alone, as
originally required.
The following restriction on the issuance
of bonds is inserted: Nor shall any bond
or other instrument of indebtedness be is
sued unless made redeemable in not more
than five years and payable in not more
than fifteen years from the date of issue
thereof"
The provision that no retroactive law
shall be enacted is stricken out.
In the qualifications for voters for ter
ritorial representatives the word under
standingly' in the educational quaifica-
tons is stricken out requiring simply that
they shall Tread, write and speak the Eng
lish or Hawaiian language"
No change Is made in the qualifications
for voters for senator's.
The provision in regard to the registra-
ton of Hawaiian vessels was changed to
read as follows: THAT all vessels carry
ing Hawaiian registers on the 18th of Au-
gust, 1885, shall be entitled to be registered
as American vessels with the benefits and
profits appertaining thereto"
Section 103, in regard to the crown lands,
was changed so as to eliminate the clause
confirming all valid leases now in exist
ence.
There are many technicalities, and In all
cases where Hawaii Is referred to as 1.-THE
government of Hawaii" it is changed SO
as to make 1t the territory of Hawaii.