The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-21
\. Y. sun
ON HAWAII
ItProposesMarked
Franchise
Change.
THE LANGUAGE
QUALIFICATION
This. it Thinks. Ought to Be
Americanized -Ridicules the
Legislature.
The following editorial article appears

in the New York Sun of June s.
What is called the Home Rule party
in the Territory of Hawaii has controlled
both Houses of the Legislature during
the first session and the supplementary
session. Under the liberal franchise es-
tablished in the islands by the Act or
ganizing the Territory, the native ele-
ment of the population contributed the
votes which enabled the Home Rulers to
capture the Senate and the House, and
at the same time to elect Robert w. VII
cox, the old Royalist, as Delegate to Con-
gress
OF the total vote of about 8, 400, Wilcox
received 1902; Sam Parker the Republi-
can, 3,756, and Prince David Kawanana-
koa, the nephew of Liliuokalani,S 4 $50
votes as the candidate of the Democrats.
The Democrats elected no Senator, ana
but a single Representative. The Home
Rule majority in a Senate of fifteen Is
three; and in a House of thirty members
1t is eight over the Republicans and one
Democrat combined.
The general character of the majority
responsible for the legislation of the ses-
sion is thus described by correspondent
of the Courier-Journal, writing from Ho-
nolulu on May 10:
When the Legislature assembled a
sight and condition presented itself the
like of which had probably never Rssesses
been witnessed in any part of the Bnited
States. On the majority sides OF the
Houses were fishermen, hack-drtvers and
hula dancers, who knew no more OF the
English language than the Inhabitants OF
Mars are presumed to knSw. Although
the Organic Act prescribes that proceed
ings must be in English, these men vot-
ed that Hawaiian might also be used, and
proceeded to employ interpreters 1t Is
almost impossible to describe or give a
clear idea of the proceedings"
The country Is already pretty wen
aware of the fact that the first perform
ance of the Hawaiian Legislature as an
American Territorial body has not been
satisfactory either TO the responsible cit
iZens of Hawaii or to the friends and
well-wishers Of the new Territory here
in the States. The proceedings have been
marked by levity at times amusing and
at times exasperating. Governor Dole
has done what he could to bring the
Legislature to proper sense of the or
binary requirements of duty and of dig
nifty. The job was too big for him; and
after wasting sixty deys in all sorts Of
nonsense, the Senate and House were
compelled to adjourn On the date legally
terminating the session without having
made appropriations for the schools or
/ for necessary public works now in prog
ress. The appeal from Mr.. Akina, the
Speaker of the House. to extend the ses-
sion for thirty days on the ground of un-
| finished legislation drew from the Gov
ernor this well-merited rebuke:
1.-The conduct OF the present session OF
/ the Legislature offers no assurance so far
that such extension would tend to pro-
mote the interests of the Territory, but
Str to ffnca
i contrary"
The Courfer-Jeurnafs correspondent
mentions some of the bills that have ac-
/ tually been passed and are now laws.
One Act exempts persons worth less than
J 50, 800 from liability for debt Another
abolishes the poll tax. A third imposes
I per cent income tax. A fourth ex-
empts from all taxation men with more
than five children One resolution was
| introduced, and came near adoption.
abolishing the United States quarantine
laws so far as Hawaii Is concerned;
another provided for general Jail de-
livery, liberating forthwith all prisoners
in the custody of the Territory. The leg
/ islators wound up their labors by passing
vote OF want of confidence in the Gov
ernor and sending Beckley, the Home
Rule leader in the House, over 10 San
Francisco to communicate the same to-
President Mckinley.
| Astonishing as is this record. we do not
think it proves the incapacity OF the peo-
pie of Hawaii for local self-government,
or need discourage anybody about the fu-
| lure of the islands. Nor does 1t AFFORD
any good reason for regretting the an
lnexation Of Hawaii The machinery OF
our institutions has stood severer strains
than the ignorant, reckless and light
minded Home Rule majority has put up
on 1t this spring in Hawaii There are
even some States of the Union wherein
the Legislatures, temporarily In the con-
| troll of scatter-brain Populists. have
wasted time and enacted extraordinarily
absurd laws. It does not follow that
Wilcox and his gang will continue In
definitely to control Hawaiian legislation
| Meanwhile, however, there are two
questions which Congress may well con-
slider at its next session.
| One is whether the provision OF the Ha-
waiian Act that voters must be able to
speak, read and write the English or Ha-
waiian language" would not be improved
/ by amendment eliminating "or Hawaii
an
! The other is whether the provision ex-
cepting the Territory of Hawaii from the