The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-12-31
NO MORE
LEPERS
Wan TED
Opposition to Plan
for National
Station.

WASHINGTON. Dec l7.-Delegate
Wilcox Of Hawaii today introduced u
bill making the 1eper colony of Hawaii
q United States government reserva-
tion, and providing that the colony
shall be under the control of the Sec
retary OF the Treasury.
WASHINGTON, Dec. Ex-senator
P1att of New York, and Representative
l. p Wagner of Pennsylvania will in
troduce bills this week providing for
commissioner of leprosy and home
for lepers. The intention of the bill
is to have the nation in harmony with
the suggestions for international action
of the Berlin leper conference The bill
provides for q commissioner of leprosy
who shall be a physician of ten years
practice and who shall receive a salary
of 5000 year. He Is to reside in New
York or San Francisco. For the erec-
ton of buildings for lepers s50.000 IL
appropriated. In addition a square nile
of the public domain Is to be set aside
for colony Of the unfortunate. No
site Is designated, but the apparent in
tention is to select some place on the
Pacific Coast.
There seems but one sentiment with
regard to the action Of Delegate Will
cox in introducing the bill reported,
tlle CItdlloH Oh iHe VI
iokai of a national leper station. The
consensus. not only of the interviews
given. but of many more which could
not be had for publication. Is that II
was a most unwise move in that 1t
would reach in the advertisement far
and near of Hawaii as the leper sta
tion of the country, and this would
prevent the coming of great numbers
of tourists.
This is not the first time the plan has
been broached. for during the short
session of last winter Congressman
Kahn. of San Francisco, introduced the
came bill. but 1t was too late to have
1t passed by that Congress. The opin-
ion seems to be that coming from the
delegate from these Islands 1t viii
mean more than from a natural enemy
of the Territory. There Is no doubt
but the proposal win be fought, and
IL IL is found necessary to create a
station it will be argued for some island
far away from this group.
Prince Cupid said that he did not
think il would make very much dif-
ference, as everywhere. according to
his experience, Molokai was spoken OF
ss a leper settlement. The fact Is, he
said, that there would be no greater ad-
vertisement of the fact of the presence
of leprosy with the making Of the res
erYation national than there Is now.
~
utterly opposed to the idea, as 1t would
simply give to the world one thought
which ever would be connected with
Hawaii. that II was lazaretto. This
would damage the country very much
and would be we'll nigh fatal to the
chances of the building up of grea,
tourist trade. He considered the fact
that such a bill was introduced as n
great misfortune, and the people should
see to 1t that II never passed.
Edmund Norrie, of the Independent
said: This has been tried before
and has always failed. 1t should fail
now. 1t would be ruin to the country
to have It spread about that the lepers
of a nation were gathered in 1t. There
would be n complete identification OF
Hawaii with the disease, and people
would stay away, for the reason that
they would get the idea that there
was a perpetual epidemic. We know
that the disease is not an epidemic
but the general public does not know
this. and will shun the Islands so tina
they may keep as far apart as the,
can. 1t would be disaster should
such a bill become law.
Hon. J. A. McCandless said that h,
never before had thought there wer,
two opinions as to the necessity for tn
keeping of the lepers of this Territor!
apart from those OF other lands an,
in a safe and comfortable place. H.
said the people now at the seettlemen
undoubtedly were carefully attended
we'll cared for and fed as we'll as the!
might be. 1t was the duty of tn
people Of the Territory to protect IL
unfortunate wards and to make al
provision for them without regard T.
the simple question OF expense. In hi
opinion there would be great damag
done to the Territory should It becom
matter Of common notoriety that tn
dumping ground Of the lepers OF
nation was upon one OF the Islands o
the group.
Andrew Brown. superintendent OF tn
water department, said: There shoul
never be such a bill introduced. Th
Territory cannot afford to have
known through the world that this ha
been made the dump for all lepers q
the Union. There are many who woul
come from the East and Middle Yves
and the South. as we'll as from tn
Pacific Coast States. This woul
spread the reputation OF the Islands a
a hotbed of leprosy, and We would los
everything. The plan is one whic
should not have been recognized b
any Hawaiian. Leprosy is declinin
here, and we should see that no ne,
blood comes to build it up.
Mr.. William Cornwell said that h
thought there might be action despit
adverse opinions on the part of Ha
waiians, but he thought the subjeC
was one which should not have bee
mentioned by any Hawaiian.
&
From those who have to do with tn
care Of lepers In Hawaii the oppositio
10 the establishment Of a national res
ervation at Molokai as proposed L
Delegate Wilcox. is even more bite
than by laymen who have had little In
innate acquaintance with the disease
and look upon the matter only fron
commercial standpoint. The Hawaiiln
are also against the wild scheme O
Wilcox and are beginning TO wonde
what their delegate intends TO do il
Washington.
Those members OF the Board q
Health who were willing to d,scuss >,