The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-12-28
NOT WILCOy'S BILL
LEPROsY SCHEME SURPRISES HIS
FRIENDS.
Kalauokalani Favors It--Wilcox May
Have Introduced the Bill for Con-
gresham Kahn.

Delegate Wilcox surprised his friends
and the members of his own party in
Hawaii by his leprosy bill. In the Home
Rule councils here there was no dis
cussion of bill to make the island or
Molokai a national leper settlement
and the delegate said nothing before
leaving here about the bill he has since
offered in Congress-
The fact that the bill suddenly ap-
peared i'm the hands of the Hawaiian
delegate, without any previous discus
sion, has led to the supposition that he
is pulling someone elses chestnuts out
of the fire 1t is thought by many that
the bill was not prepared by Wilcox at
all, but was given to him to father by
some other interested party, possibly
Congressman Kahn of California, with
the idea that the bill would have bet
ter chance in the House If 1T was thus
made to seem at the start that Hawaii
not only had no objection to the plan,
but was anxious to have 1t carried out.
If Wilcox had prepared such a bill,
it is thought, he would have had some-
thing to say about it while he was here.
1t is known that Congressman Kahn
had such a measure in hand year ago,
and at that time strong kicks were sent
against the measure, from the Islands,
and Kahn's scheme fell through.
1T is quite likely" said a Home Rule
leader that Wilcox fathered the bill
for someone else, getting in exchange
promises of support for some of his own
measures. He may have agreed for
instance, to take Kahn's leper bill and
support it, if Kahn and other California
men would agree to help him on the
federal building propositions, or on his
land act"
Wncox's land act and his federal
buildings propositions were discussed
in Home Rule councils here, before he
! left, and were approved, and some OF
! the Home Rulers are ready to give theii
: approval to the leprosy bill, now that
/ it has come up. Il think it is a gooo
| bill =" said Senator KalauOkalani one OF
the party leaders I'm the last legisla-
ture we had to appropriate $4,000 fol
| the settlement on Molokai. If the fede-
J raj government will take hold of the
proposition and bear the expense it vii
| save Hawaii a lot of money and l dom
think it will do the country any harm
| am i'm favor of the scheme.
THE Home Rule party had nothing
! to do with it, for the subject never
! came up when Wilcox was here. | haC
talks with him about what he was go
ing to do in Congress, and we discussed
/ the land law and the federal buildings
| agreed with him as to them. Thi:
! Molokai bill was never talked of, how
ever. l thing perhaps he introduced i
/ for someone else"
1t is thought that the support of tht
| only representative from Hawaii vii
have a strong effect in favor of tn,
leprosy bill. Unless Hawaii is other
/ wise heard from, it will have a ten
dency to silence all opposition tina
might come from objections of the peo
pie of Hawaii, and if Congress has TIN
idea that the Islands are willing tC
have a national lazaretto on MololSai
the plan may go through with a rush
For this reason there is talk of a move
ment to express opposition to the bill
introduced by Wilcox, but on the othe
hand, it is not unlikely that Hom
Rulers will come out with an endorse
ment.