The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-06-19
"SQUATTERS' ON HAWAII. SOLDIERS CLUB HOUSE.
WILL TEST THE STATUS OF THE
PUBLIC LANDS.
Claim That Hawaiian Land Laws Are
Abolished by Annexation - Public
Lands Now .Unoccupied.


About thirty citizens of the United
States and residing in the Islands for
some time past have decided to find out
the status of the Land laws of the Re-
public of Hawaii and test the sections
of the Newlands resolution applying to
those laws. These men form one or two
of the numerous settlement associa-
tions applying for land in the new tract
in Olaa, and they have gone about the
boomer style.
They each believe they have the right
to squat on quarter section of unoc-
cupied Government land anywhere on
the Islands, but as the Olaa tract has
been surveyed in lots of fifty acres
each, they consider it better to take up
three of those regularly prescribed lots,
making $50 acres, than to haggle over
the additional ten acres and make
mistake as to the corner posts
The first move was made Sunday
morning when twelve squatters went on
the land, selected their lots and erected
their shacks today there may be double
the number. The houses are of wood
covered with heavy duck and are thor
oughly waterproof. The new tract looks
more like new mining camp that has
not been advertised, than forest jun
| gle. Furniture and cooking utensils are
being moved in and the squatters are
I
| fill all the requireemntS of the United
! States Land laws. They have employed
| a firm of local attorneys to defend their
| rights and one member of the firm will
probably go to Washington at the next
! session of Congress to assist in secur-
| ing protection asked for
One of these attorneys said "One
! section of the Newands' resolution pro-
vides that the United States Land laws
shall not apply in the Hawaiian Islands
! but that Congress shall enact laws gov
| erning the disposition of the lands. The
| resolution further says that the laws of
| the Islands not inconsistent with the
resolution and the Constitution of the
| United States, shall continue in force
| until legislated by Congress-.
| Now then! Our contention is that
| the Land laws are inconsistent because
the resolution says that Congress shall
| enact. We claim that the Hawaiian
Land laws were repealed by the resolu-
| ton that there is now no law govern
| ing the disposal of Public lands on these
| Islands. We contend, also, that the Ha-
waian Government has ceded to the
| United States all its right title and in
| terest in and to all public property, in
cluding the Public lands on these ISL
| ands and that on August H. last, Presi-
dent Dole, for the Hawaiian Govern
ment, delivered to the United States the
possession of all public property; that
United States Minister Sewall, on be-
half of the United States, then and
| there accepted the property on behalf
of the Government of the United States
That at that time the title to the Pub
lie lands on the Islands passed to the
United States and the last act to divest
| the Government of these Islands of the
title to lands was the acceptance of the
sovereignty and title to public prop
erty by the United States through Min
lister Sewall
"Since August ~. 1898, there has beer
absolutely no law authorizing anyone
to dispose of a single foot of Public
lands on these Islands. The land is sim
ply unoccupied land belonging to the
United States and any citizen of thai
Government has the right to initiate g
claim to a portion of the lands by settle
ment and occupancy. cy."-Hawaii Herald
I. With respect to the above president
Dole said this afternoon:
1.-The alleged squatters have not g
scintilla of a show of holding the land
The Newlands resolution is explicit OF
the point of the Public lands of Hawaii
Until special land legislation is enacted
by Congress-if indeed 1T ever is-Ha
waiian laws apply to all lands in thu
Republic.
''These people probably hope to holC
the land until after Congress assemblies
In that even, they VIII De disappointed
for the Government has already decid
ed, and is preparing to open the tract il
question. In a few weeks the land will
be opened in the regular way under tn
Hawaiian laws. If the present squat
ters, as they are called, take it up unde
the rules, why 1 suppose they are al
welcome to it as any one else. Blu
should they fail to do so, they will b
hustled out of the tract. That is all.
5 1T is foolish move. l can not i'm
, agine who can be advising those people
/ certainly hope they will not risk an.
money in their wild project"