The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-04-12
THE TERRITORIAL BILL.

The territorial bill has been before the
House, and our fate was probably set
tied last Friday. Knox's speech was
commenced in happy vein, and the
phrases opening it are extremely grace
full, 1.-THE Hawaiian Islands are the Glib
ralter of the Pacific in war, the key of
the Pacific in peace, and the paradise
of the Pacific ever" 1t is as neat and
pithy a description of these isles of the
western ocean as has ever been put to-
gether.
But Chairman Knox by no means
confined himself to pretty phrases. He
put our present conditions before the
House very forcibly. That our Govern
ment is in no sense representative at
the present time Mr.. Knox asserted.
AS a fact, at the present moment, ap-
preparations are being voted by a body
which does not represent the taxpayers.
This is in no sense a criticism of the
gentlemen who form the Council Of
State, every one of whom might be
elected by the voters to a legislative
seat, but as members of the Council OF
State they are not representative, how
ever worthy they may be individually.
Mr.. Knox did not, as far as the tele-
graphic reports tell, point out how great
the strain has recently been, both on
those governing and those governed.
An enormous amount of responsibility
has had to be assumed by those in Of
fee. Extraordinary restrictions have
had to be put upon the general public.
The meeting of Legislature, could that
have been possible, would have served
two things certainly 1t would have
eased the responsibility of the govern
ing body, and it would have been an
excellent safety valve through which
pent-up public opinion would make it
self felt.
The conditions under which we have
been living are not healthy ones for
any country. That there has been little
or no murmuring is due to the fact that
we have had to accept the inevitable,
and have been wise enough to make
the best of it. But to a people who have
always been accustomed to active polit-
has been not only trying, but deleter-
ious. 1t has tried the political temper
to the very utmost. and the rsults will
be seen in the first legislature we shall
have under territorial law. 1t promises
to be the very liveliest that has ever
sat here, and we have had some lively
ones in times past.
Comment upon the bill SO far has
taken the line of attack upon our labor
system. That some things have been
very wrong under this system is true,
but Hawaii is by no mans the only
place where wrongs have sprung up, as
witness many parts of the Mainland.
However, the labor system is easy or
attack and affords opportunity for
much cheap oratory. The sooner we get
the territorial bill the sooner we shall
have the labor question changed, so
! it is to the interest Of those who object
/ to the system to pass the bill. -
/ But the men who favor the bill are
| in considerable strength, and after GER
! tain representatives have had the op
( portunity of talking upon it and get.
/ ting off anti-expansion speeches, like
/ Thomas of North Carolina, and Will
liams of Mississippi, the vote may come
our way all right with some minor
amendments, as the senate bill went
| through There was some heavy steam
worked off in the Senate, especially by
Pettigrew, who embroidered his re-
marks with some lurid statements de-
veloped from transformation supplied
from untrustworthy sources. The bill
went through, however, with only some
very minor changes.
! We shall then have to wait for the
conference1committee Seeing how nee
essary it is that some legislation must
be done for us, and that our case Is
urgent, it is quite probable that the
committee win come to speedy agree
ment, and that before the end of the
month we shall be under the new law
and our period of probation be over.