The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-21

Inc people OF PapaTkOu are preparing
for meeting to be held tomorrow
night and he would like to be able to
present the matter before them.
Mr.. Clay stated that the same APP
| piled to Olaa where a canvas showed
| 17S persons eligible according to the
organic act. Continuing Mr. ClaS said:
From what l have read | believe that
| any male person over the age of q
| years should be entitled to cast a bal
| lot at the primary election TO be held
next Saturday"
Objections were made to this on the
| ground that the suggestion was so
| broad that il admitted Chinese and
I japanese. Mr.. Clay said he believed
that under the laws of the United
States American-born Chinese were
| given the franchise and he thought
, the same law would apply in Hawaii,
| but he was willing to qualify that part
of this suggestion by inserting except
| Asiatics,' and leave the matter to the
| judges. of course" said Mr.. Clay.
| Chinese or japanese, having Hawaii
! an blood cannot be considered any
| thing but Hawaiians and they are en-
titled to full franchise at the polls"
Mr.. LoebenStein, eX-officio member
| OF the committee was granted permits
| sion to suggest that "All persons who
voted at the last election; all Ameri-
| can citizens resident in the islands on
| the 18th of August 1898, and all citi-
| zens Of the United States who have ar
rived here since then
Mr.. Richley said that persons who
had not voted at the last general cleo
| ton and who cannot read and write
| should not be allowed to vote at the
| primaries. The mover thought this
would be more in line with the pro-
visions of the organic act
Mr.. Clay advanced the opinion that
for the primary election, the first in
| the islands, we should not anticipate
| any action by Congress. Primary
| elections" said Mr.. Clay, are not
| governed by law, but are merely club
| proceedings. We are to pass through
an educational era in politics and there
is no advantage in adopting rules that
are too complicated for persons who
| have had no experience in such things.
| am in favor of naming broad rules
| for the election on Saturday and pro-
| pose the following: All male persons
| of twenty-one years of age or ever,
| excepting full blooded Asiatics, wno
| have affiliated with the Republican
| party, be allowed to vote at the pri-
mary election to be held at the several
precincts of the First District of IA
waii on Saturday, May 49,"
| j. L. Smith offered the following
amendment: That all persons enti-
| tied to vote for representatives at the
next general election be entitled 20
vote at the election on Saturday"
| Joe Vierra said this was unjust to
| Portuguese who could not at this time
read and write English. The 1eX1
| general election 6OeS not taly .>iana
until November" said Mr.. Vierra. and
by that time more Portuguese will be
| eligible than there are now. | Will op-
pose any such amendment"
| Question being called the chairman
put the amendment to vote and it was
lost. Mr.. Clay's motion was spuI and
carried. The mover suggested thar GER
tain latitude be given the Rejection
judges regarding persons having any
| Hawaiian blood in their vensf
| he next matter of Importance .Hfer-
red to polling places. Mr.. Clay spoke
particularly of Olaa, where he believed
there were IT'S voters. He thought il
unwise to compel all the voting en-
ployees to ride twenty miles for the
purpose of voting, nor did he think it
fair to have the polling places so far
away that they would be deprived of
|
their duties for so long a time. He did
not consider it to the interests of the
plantation to leave the place in he
hands of Asiatic employees.
| SherlH Andrews moved that the
| second precinct be giving two polling
| places: one at y miles Olaa. and one
at the Court House, Hilo."
| }. u. Smith amended to read ''one
at II miles Olaa, one at Waiakea, one
at H1lo Court House and one at Wal
naku, the latter to include Puueo.'
| There was considerable opposition 10
| both original motion and amendment.
Mr.. Nlerra thought men from Kattma-
ma and ka1wiki wouIu be willing to
| come to Hilo and if that was the case
there was no reason why the voters at
Walakea and Wainaku should not be
| willing to. Mr.. Richley thought the
| division of the precinct would lead to
| fraud and repeating. During the hours
| the polls were open there would be
| nothing to prevent men from voting
at one precinct and then at another.
| tie mad no objection to a polling place
at Olaa but in the other places he had.
| Sheriff Andrews said that there were
| men at Waiakea who worked unite
late and it might be impossible for
| them to get to the Court House in
| Tune to cast ballot. He felt certain
that byi the next general election the
| places mentioned would be made pre-
cincts aad Hiio town could not expect
to be the whole thing for all time to
come. f&uld we have municipal laws
the city % would not reach to OIaa
and it might not be so far as Waiakea
or WainaAu. He believed the precinct
should baSdivided now.
Mr. Claw then mOyad +bo+ U,,olIjr,,
| places be established at Olaa, Waia-
kea, Hilo Court House, Kaumana and
| Wainaku." Carried.
| The matter of electing judges of in
| spectors to serve at the primary did
not reach a vote at the meeting on
saturday night and action upon it was
asked for last night The chair an
nounced that three judges would be
needed at each precinct and that nom
nations would be in order. The fol-
lowing is the result of the vote:
| HiIo-F. S. Lyman, Judge Hapai. ]
| S. Canario.
Olaa-C. ]. Geddings, H. H. Gerlach.
|