The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-09
HAWAIIAN
LANDS.
Congress toProbe
Public Domain
Status.
Especial Correspondence

| YASHINGTON, Jan. 27.-Before
/ M there is any change in the
4 " status of Hawaiian land mat
! tiers there will be an investiga-
1 ton by men thoroughly versed in the
/ American land law. This may be stated
with emphasis at the present time as
being the concensus of the opinion of
the prominent members of both the
iSenate and House committees on public
Hand. Senator Hansbrough, who some
time ago introduced a bill which has
for its object the extension of the Amer
lean system to the Hawaiian Islands,
does not expect that his bill will pass,
and in fact is not convinced that it
would be proper to make all of its pro-
visions apply at the present time, but
! introduced the bill as a basis for a final
enactment.
4 Senator Hansbrough of North Dakota
| is thoroughly acquainted with the land
laws of the United States as they apply
| to the great western public domain. AS
chairman of the Senate committee on
public lands he has made personal in
vestigation and in his own state has
| come in contact with the workings of
the laws under all possible conditions.
| He has received cords of letters from
| Hawaii giving him vast quantities OF
| Information and transformation upon
| land topics, and it is with this knowl-
! edge that he now believes the first step
should be a thorough investigation in
Hawaii before any action is taken. In
this Senator Hansbrough is joined not
only by other members of his commit
| tee but as well by Representative
Lacey of Iowa, chairman of the House
committee on public lands.
An early meeting of the Senate COM
mittee on Pacific Islands and Porto
Rico will be held, at which meeting
Senator Hansbrough will be heard in
regard to the necessity for action, and
assurances have been given that At
Itorney Haywood, representing the COM
mercial bodies of Honolulu, will be
asked to be present. Land Agent j. F.
Brown, who is on visit to New Eng
land, will be summoned TO take part in
any discussion that may be had. The
result will be without doubt thorough
airing of the entire land question, as
Delegate Wilcox has been notified by
Speaker Foraker chairman of the COM
mittee, that his presence will be de-
sired.
| From a source l cannot name / learn
| that there is a feeling entertained by
some members of the Senate that the
investigation which is probable should
| be of wide scope, and in this it is not
difficult to trace the hand of the Ameri-
| can Settlers Association and some of
the attorneys working for it. The al
| Legations made in former years un-
doubtedly have been repeated with the
effect of raising a question in the minds
| of many Senators as to the methods Of
handling public lands in the Territory.
This found expression in the following
statement from prominent Senator:
while would be absolutely opposed
to the United States deriving any direct
| benefit from the public lands in Ha-
wall, they having been distinctly set
lapart for the benefit of the Territory,
/ yet I believe the administration of
these public lands should be in the
hands of American officials and not UNI
(der the control of the Island Governor.
No one could impeach the personal
honor or honesty of the members of
that Government, but l think it might
be well if all safeguards were taken to
lprevent even a suspicion of collision
lin the handling of the land
This would indicate that the argu-
ment, or rather statement, made by the
lSettlers' Association in regard to GER
tain leases advertised had found lodg-
ment in the mind of the Senator WHOSE
words are quoted.
Senator Hansbrough was very franz
lin his statement of opinion that nothing
can be done with fairness until a thor
Tough investigation has been made, no
by an agent, but by commission o.
members of both Houses of Congress:
! which would look into the matter no
. only as to values but as well in the
!, lmatter of the location of various arabic
tracts and the practicability of max
ing homesteads of large tracts now il
sugar and which must be irrigated a
high expense to make them produc
tive In spite of the fact that littl'
is likely to be done during this shor
; session, an attempt will be made t.
rush through a bill providing for sucl
: a commission with the hope that tn
: investigation may be pushed during
3 the long recess. E. NJ. BOYD.
!,