The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-12-07
AN ARTFUL ooDeER.

The effort Of Governor Dole and MS
administration 10 try 10 counteract
the statement that suit Is 20 be insti-
tuted in the United States court TO set
aside all land leases and sales made
in Hawaii since the ZSth day Of Sep
TENDER. 1899. is amusing to the on
locker. II is, OF course. not amusing
10 those who made the purchases in
good faith and who viii no doubt BE
put to the expense Of bringing suit
against the territory TO recover rhe
money paid for their land. In his or
gan, the Advertiser, the governor said
in an interview published yesterday
morning:
We have received a letter from
the secretary of the interior. and
we have also heard unofficially
that the SECRETARY OF the interior
has recommended TO President
Mckinley the approval of all land
transactions made in Hawaii be-
tween July Z. 1898. ana September
rs. 1899. the date OF the presidents
proclamation respecting the Is
land group, with the exception of
two. The recommendation
of the secretary of the interior TO
President Mckinley is, in my
opinion. as good as if the matter
was approved and the presidents
signature attached to the papers"
How ingenious this statement is,
but how many of the people the Gov
ernor expects to be fooled by it. it is
difficult to understand The Republi-
can was the first and only paper IN
Hawaii TO publish the fact that suits
were 10 be instituted to set aside all
sales and leases made since Septemoer
~. 1899. IL never said any attempt
was to be made by the attorney gen
eral OF the United States to have set
aside any Of the sales. grants or leases
made between the It'll day of July.
1898, and the 2Sth day of September.
1899. II is hardly likely that Attorney
General Griggs would try to institute
n suit in the United States court IN
behalf Of the government TO set aside
an express act OF congress. When
congress passed the Organic Act for
Hawaii il expressly provided in Sec
ton 10
That. subject to the approval
of the president, all sales, grants,
leases and other dispositions of
the public domain. and agree
ments concerning the same, and
all franchises granted by the Ha-
waiian government in conformity
with the laws of Hawaii between
the 9TH day of July. 1898. and the
eSth day of September. 1899. are
hereby ratified and confirmed
OF course the recommendation "
the Secretary Of the Interior TO Presi-
dent Mckinley on the sales, grants
and leases made during this period is
rs good as il the President signature
had already been attached. No one
was ever fool enough to say it was
not. The Republican particularly
pointed out the provisions of Section
IS of the Organic Act with reference
TO the confirmation OF all sales. leases
and grants made between July I. 1888,
and September 2S, 1899. when il an
nounced that suits would be made to
set aside ala sales and leases made
since the last named date.
This statement of the governors
simply shows how. like a drowning
man. he is now grasping at straws in
his endeavor TO fool the people and
turn them on from the main issue.
which is that the leases. grants and
sales that he has been making of pub
lie lands since the 18th day of Septem-
Der. 1899. are each and every one o:
them Illegal and void No ore knows
this fact better than Governor Dole
himself. but like many another man in
4 bad box. he is trying TO postpone
the evil day.
AS The Republican has heretofore
stated. the suits will be filed very soon
10 set aside all the leases. grants and
sales made under the territorial I'D
administration. The papers in the
case are all prepared and only await
certain preliminaries before being
filed