The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-06
HOW 1T FINALLY REACHED THE
GOVERNOR.
The Strange History of the Efforts to
Pass an Important Bill Through
House and Senate.

There was no greater disappointment
among Home Rulers when the legisla-
ture finally adjourned than over the
death of the county government act,
but the history of the bill shows that
its friends killed it rather than cover
nor Dole. The county bill had
strange history, which ended when IL
was suddenly boosted through the
senate unfinis 90, and sent to the
governor for signature.
From the day when it first appeared
in the house, a bundle of clippings in
nocently introduced by Representative
Makekau, till it met it's death in
pigeon-hole in Governor Dole's desk,
the county act had the center of the
stage and the course it took makes an
interesting bit of the history of the first
territorial legislature of Hawaii The
original Makekau bill went to a special
house committee on County and NUM-
cipal government and that committee
introduced a substitute. The substi-
tute was really the old bill shorn of
the last so or 70 pages, dealing with
city government, school districts and
various other things found in the
statutes of Oklahoma and Nebraska,
Hard work began in the house on
second reading of this substitute. 1t
was read and approved or amended
section by section. In this work the
Rulers co-operated. Emmeluth, Rob
artson Dckey, Wilcox, Gilfllan, Ma
kekau and a few others followed the
long weary reading of the bill through,
making amendments here and there
until the last section had been approx
ed.
During this stage of the bills pro-
gress the hard details of the work were
left altogether to the few men mem
toned Reading of the sections of the
bill in the Hawaiian language was
abandoned early in the process OF con-
sideration because the Hawaiian mem
bers, with few exceptions paid no at
tention to the subject. Secretary Mehs-
ula read a section in English, 1t was
passed promptly or amended on motion
of one of the half dozen members
mentioned and thus the reading went
on Many of the Home Rule members
left the hall, others dozed in their seaTs,
unable to follow reading in Epglisn
anyhow and raised their han1S lazily
now and then when the times for voting
came.
When the last section was reached
it. was discovered that several sections
were omitted or imperfect. There was
no General provision for elections under
the act, the disposition of moneys coll
lected by the county treasurers was
not provided for and there were other
acknowledged defects. With the idea
of saving a day which would have been
required for further amendments in the
house, the representatives decided to
send the bill to the senate as it was,
leaving to the upper house the task OF
amending.
First and second reading in the senate
were by title" On third reading 1T was
proposed to read the bill through, ac-
cording to custom, but the reading did
not progress beyond section two OF
chapter one. When this section was
read Cecil Brown objected to Waimes
as county seat of Lunalilo county
There was wrangle of the usual senate
kind, and the Home Rulers decided tC
cinch matters and escape very drearJ
Job of listening to a long bill by passing
it at once. The Republicans were pre-
pared to give the bill earnest consider,
alton. But it soon became evident anC
indeed was so announced that The
Home Rulers would not consider any
amendments, much less adopt them
They passed the bill on third reading
without it's ever having been Taad be
fore them or by them, The bill went tC
the governor as it was when it left
the house
The defects in the bill were admit
tedly so important that Robertson
who was one of the hardest workers
for the bill in the house, if not the
hardest, remarked on hearing of the
Senate's action, that the bill was sc
imperfect that the governor could moi
sign it.
Governor Dole is now accused of kill
ing the county government act, bu
some of it's friends say that the senate
killed it.