The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-04-27
WILCOX 70 THE PEOPLE.
SPEAKS BEFORE THE RESEARCH
CLUB.
Discusses Particular Hawaiian Matters
Now Before Congress and Dwells at
Some Length on Land Question.

The public meeting of the Research
Club at the Y. NJ. G.. A. hall last night
was largely attended. There were a
considerable number of Hawaiians
present In the audience were many
ladies.
The speakers were Delegate to Con-
gress r. w. Wilcox, who spoke on "Ha-
waian matters in Congress" and e. M.
Boyd who spoke on How Congress Lee
gislates."
Charles L. Rhodes presided. Delegate
Wilcox was the first speaker. He be-
gan by urging that the way to state
hood law in conforming our form of gov
eminent and administration of affairs
to those of the American states parti-
cularly of the western states.
1.-THE American people," he said ARE
too great and generous to ask us to
abandon anything in the way of man
ners, customs, religion or, in fact, any
thing whatever, except that we should
adopt a truly American form of govern
ment. With our local experience In this
subject we should hail this as a great
privilege and hasten to embrace it.
Without doing so there can be little or
no progress for Hawaii Congress Will
feel timid about trying to do anything
for us unless we first show that we are
not only Americans in name but Ameri
cans in spirit. This we must prove by
our own acts. We can not afford to let
any selfish motives govern our actions.
We must act in a spirit of patriotism
to inspire confidence in the minds OF
those who would be our friends. | can
see a great future for Hawaii, if we can
all join hands and let the past rest for
those who come after us to pass Judg-
ment upon. For the time being, at
least, let us look to the future and let
us hope that the advancement will be
so rapid that we will be compelled to
stand and wonder what it all means"
Mr. Wilcox then took up the several
special Hawaiian matters which are in
Congress, discussing them briefly, the
Pacific cable, public buildings, harbor
improvements, the redemption of Ha-
waiian silver, a revenue cutter, Pearl
Harbor improvements and public lands.
OF the redemption of Hawaiian silver
he said:
1.-THE redemption of Hawaiian silver
is a question that is only important to
bakers and mercantile men in Ha-
wall. When l made inquiry at the
Treasury Department for the purpose
of obtaining a recommendation on this
matter, Mr.. Gage, the Secretary of the
Treasury, said to me, why do you
people in Hawaii want the Hawaiian
dollar exchanged for American silver?
1t circulates in Hawaii at par and is
+ therefore not only as good as American
silver, but better, for the reason that
it will remain in Hawaii and can not
be shipped out. You always have the
assurance that there is a million dol
lars of silver in circulation in the Ter
ritory" When a great financier of re-
cognized ability entertains these views,
| is it not prudent for us to pause and
give the matter some thought"
On the public land question he said:
I'm the short course of one evening S
talk it would be quite impossible to
cover this matter in detail. There
seems to be a disposition here in Ha-
wall to retain the public land system
! known as the Land Act of 1895. This
system is radically in conflict with the
| American system and can not be har-
| moniZed with it. American Congress
men generally assert that there should
! be no effort made to get high price for
! the raw land; that inducements should
| be made to encourage the practical
! farmer to move out on the land with
! his family and build a home-glving
him enough land so that he and his
| family by cultivating it can not only
! earn a living but can lay up something
! besides. When large numbers of this
! class become established, each making
an Independent living, the Government
! will receive more revenue in the course
of ten years in the way of taxes and
| business than it would by holding the
lands at such a high price that the
| farming classes could not buy them.
When the farming class goes ahead
| other business follows and in this way
| all the Western States have been built
| up. We must all admit that the practi-
cal Western farmer is generally an in
! telligent man. No amount of booming
or advertising will move him until there
are laws passed which will satisfy him.
| When he finds conditions favorable he
writes to his friends and others to come.
! This process continues to grow, ever in
! creasing, and a strong current of immi-
grafton sets in. In this way a self-re-
liant sturdy intelligent class finds its
| way to our shores, and in a few years
! we find beautiful homes in the rural
districts which is now wilderness.
There are no obstacles which this class
will fail to overcome if labor will acorn
plish it. This is the class which Hawaii
| needs the most, but ii must be under
taken in a businesslike and practical
way. The present system will never ac-
complish IL. | have found one thing to
| be true-you can not tempt an Ameri-
can farmer with a lease of land, how
ever generous; he spurns the idea. He is
! too independent for that. A few good,
| practical American farmers are worth
more to Hawaii than a dozen professors
! in our schools. have nothing to say in
| opposition to the professors, but | do
say that it will avail nothing unless we
do something more"
| At the request of the chairman Mr..
! Wilcox made a short address in Ha-
waiian for the benefit of the many Ha-
waians present.
e. NJ. Boyd told how legislation is Sc
cured from congress, detailing graph
cally the difficulties which any one of
| $4,000 bills must encounter in getting
through a legislative body of 1857 men.
| In conclusion he said: 81 have given
you this brief outline of the situation
at Washington in lawmaking time, with
the hope that it will at least give you
some idea of the methods by which we
| get our laws passed. 1t is merely an
outline. and behind it are multiplicities
of troubles. Mayhap, and l hope 1t
will be so, that the outline have given
will make you more charitable towards
your delegates if they seem a little