Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-01-18
WASHINGTON NOTES.

During the latter part of last week
the interest in the Quay case was second
ary to the contest in the Senate to unseat
w. A. Clark of Montana on charges of
wholesale bribery of the Legislature.
On Friday, Senator Pettigrew OF S.
Dakota attacked the Administration s
Philippine policy, and sharp debate
followed.
The pending bill for the government
of the Hawaiian Islands, while creating
form of territorial government similar
in its general scope to those in the
United States, possesses certain features
which may seem scarcely in conso-
nance with our ideas of popular institu-
tions. One of these is that voters must
be able to speak, read and write the
English or Hawaiian language. With
the exception of very few of the older
natives, this will not disfranchise Ha-
waiians, as the compulsory education
system has made the percentage OF IL
literacy among them very low, indeed
There are however, $4,000 Portuguese
who came from the Cape Verde islands
30 or 25 years ago. Those who arrived
at manhood within that time may be
able to speak, read and write the Eng
lish language, but the original lmml-
grants certainly have not those require
ments In 1898 there were about 2O,OOO
japanese males on the islands, and
large number has come IN since aunex-
alton, being brought under contract to
work on the sugar plantations These,
under the treaties between the United
States and Japan, are eligible to citizen
ship. but the above mentioned educa-
tional qualifications will bar practically
all of them from suffage. The Chinese,
of whom there are 10, 167 males, come
under the Chinese exclusion laws of the
United States, and must within one
year take out the certificates of resi-
dence required by these laws. They,
of course, are not eligible to suffrage.
In addition to these qualifications, in
order to vote for senators in the terrific
rial Legislature electors must own real
property worth not less than $1,000, or
be in the actual receipt of money in
come of not less than $500 per Year. 1t
is probable that this will disqualify, so
far as voting for senators is concerned,
at least 80 per cent of the Hawaiian
natives.
On Tuesday Senator Rawline, q
Utah, presented to the Senate memor-
ial from Lorenzo Snow president OF
the church. reiterating the statement
that polygamy is not taught or polyg-
amous marriages allowed to be solemn
lied. President Snow then officially
wipes his hands of Mr.. Roberts in these
words: "Nor does the church advise or
encourage unlawful co-habitation on
the part of its members. If, therefore,
any member disobeys the law, either as
to polygamy or unlawful co-habitation,
he must bear his own burden, or, i'll
other words, be answerable to the tri-
bunals of the land for his action per
tanning thereto.
This says the correspondent of the
Pittsburg Times is undoubtedly de
liberate throwing overheard Of Mr..
Roberts by the Mormon church, through
its prophet, seer and revelator. Presi-
dent Snow does not use the word
courts, but tribunals" 9nd evident
| ly does it so as to include Congress
| among the bodies which have authority
to deal with such violations of law as
those with which Mr. Roberts is charg-
ed. 1t shows clearly how badly fright
ened the church is by this Roberts af
fair Coming from President Snow, IT
is especially rich, as the following
charge is publicly made and never de
MED in Utah: LAS nearly as we can
learn, President Snow has had nine
wives. some of whom are now dead
| Among the living is his legal wife, but
he is cohabiting with a younger woman
named Minnie Jansen, who has borne
him one child since statehood in Utah.