The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-02-27
WHAT LITTLE HAS DONE.

We hope the olaa Settlers Associa-
ton. which sent Mr.. Little to Wash
ington, is deriving solace from his
work. This association consists of
free and Independent squatters, who,
wishing to avail themselves of the cas-
Ter grabs which the United States land
law permits, sent Mr.. Little ION to get
a ruling from Washington against the
further primacy of the Hawaiian land
law. BY dint of considerable free and
easy lying done both at Washington
and in this city, the plot succeeded to
The extent that the operations of the
Hawaiian law were suspended, await
ing the further action of Congress.
This policy stopped the growth of
Hawaii in minor agricultural way by
heading off the small farmer. That de-
sirable citizen could no longer obtain
public land either from this Govern
ment or from that of the United States
OF course the Olaa squatters, so far
as their titles went, were no better off
than before; in fact, they were much
worse off than they had expected to be
after Mr.. Little had exposed President
Mckinley to his hypnotic Importantly
Little, however, saved his face in Olaa
by means of the pledge that he would
remove every trace of the Hawaiian
land laws from the Cullom Bill.
He tried to perform this contract,
and what have we as a result? The
letter from Mr.. Armstrong, printed on
the first page of today's Advertiser,
shows that Little and his nondescript
allies have induced the Senate Commit
tee on Territories to agree upon a hy-
brid land law by which, when trans
fer of public realty is made here, I'M
der the laws of Hawaii, the deed, to be
valid, must be ratified at Washington.
What effect must this proviso have
upon the poor squatter or the small
farmer? Can he go to Honolulu, re-
cord his homestead entry and return
home to prove up" on it? Not he. In
stead he must do all that and besides
pay a Washington lawyer, or send
some one from these Islands, or go to
the capital himself, so as to get final
and favorable action there. The ex-
pense of this undertaking would be
large and the delay vexatious. TIC
make the round trip to Washington
from Honolulu would cost our friend
the squatter about S400, saying nothing
Of board, fees and incidentals in Wash.
ington itself. If he needed a claim
, agent or lawyer there it would be sc
much more. Then if some disappointed
rival for the property wanted to file {
deposition at Washington against thu
transfer he could force endless anC
costly hearings and re-hearings. Ions
before the end were reached the small
farmer would tire out. Not so tn,
afford to send a lawyer and keep on
in Washington if he cared to do Sc
The question of expense, if he covete,
a given piece of property, would be o
small concern to him; and he nigh
find it profitable TO raise objections t,
the transfer of any land at all TO tn
small home-builder.
So, on the whole, Mr.. Little has mad
it easy for the rich man to get Hawaii
an public land and hard for the poo
I man; has encouraged the land baron
and discouraged the squatter; and i
l,I the name of "Americanism"-a wor
which takes the place of patriotism a
the last refuge of the carpet-bagger-
: has induced the Committee on Terr
tories TO agree upon the most III
American land measure conceivable
= Perhaps it is a growing sense of hi
=, colossal biunder and the harm he ha
done to his clients, the Olaa .Squatter
I Association, which has induced NJ
Little to apply for an Alaska judge
d ship. One could hardly blame him fC
e wanting to go a long way off.