The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-04-16
THE HISTORY 0F THE BILL
LIKE ANNEXATION IT WAS
WAITED LONG.
Framed by a Commission That Met in
August, 1S9S--Considered at Two Ses-
sions of Congress.

The history of the Hawaiian bill, like
the history Of annexation, has been one
of delays and hope deferred. The New
lands resolution which annexed the Is
lands provided for the appointment of
a commission of five, two of whom
should be residents of the Islands, who
should formulate and report a form of
government for the Islands.
President Mckinley appointed Scna-
tor Cullom of Illinois, Senator Morgan
of Georgia, Congressman Hit of Illi-
nois, President Dole, and Justice Frear.
Senators Cullom and Morgan and Con-
gresham Hit arrived in Honolulu by
the Mariposa, Wednesday, August II,
1885, The commission organized and
held it's first session in the chamber Of
the House of Representatives, the old
throne room, Friday, August 10. Daily
sessions were held there the remainder
of the week, and on Monday, August
%, the commissioners sailed for Maui
and Hawaii on the Claudine. They
held public meetings at Waikiki, Paia,
Haiku, Kahului and Hama, on Maui,
and at Hilo, Kailua, Mahukona and
other places on Hawaii returning to
Honolulu, Sunday, August %. The first
open, public meeting in Honolulu was
held Wednesday, August 81. Several
similar meetings were held subsequent
ly, and a large number of memorials,
petitions and addresses were present
ed by organizations of Chinese, Japan
csc, Hawaiians and whites, including
addresses from the Chamber of Com
merce and the American League.
The commissioners took a trip over
the Oahu Railway as the guests of the
Chamber of Commerce, Thursday, Sep
TENDER Is. The congressional members
of the commission sailed for the States
by the Gaelic, September %.
The Hawaiian Star, which had given
very complete reports of the proceed
ings and work of the commission from
day to day, published on September
"a, a resume of the work done with a
forecast of what their report, and the
provisions of the bill drafted would be.
This forecast proved to be accurate in
all essentials.
Late in November of 1885, just before
Congress convened, there were sessions
of the commission held at Washington,
to complete the details of the work. At
these sessions all the members of the
commission except President Dole We're
present.
The bills drafted by the commission
were introduced in the Senate by Sena-
tor Cullom, and in the House by Con-
gresham Hit at the beginning of the
session, December 5, 1898, and were re-
ferred to the committees. They were
reported back in each house, but were
never acted on at that session. They
were reintroduced in both houses at
the beginning of the session in Decem-
Der, 1899 The Senate bill passed the
Senate with amendments March l, 1900.
The House bill was reported by the
House Committee on Territories to the
House with amendments February II,
1900, and was referred to the commit
tee of the whole House on the State
of the Union. 1t was made the special
order for consideration and debate for
April 8, 4 and 5. Congressman Knox
Of Massachusetts, had charge of the
bill
The debate was continued through
April when the bill passed the House
by a vote of 100 to 2S 1t now goes to
the conference committee of the two
houses.