The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-03-08
HAWAII TRIES
| Law MAKING
LEGISLATURE THAT PROCEEDS
UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
LANGUAGE GIVES TROUBLE
Many Members Unable to Speak
English Forces Employment
of Interpreters.

Honolulu, March l., via San Fran
cisco, March 7-The first territorial
legislature of Hawaii began it's ses-
sions at Honolulu, February 20, and
has been in session since. j A.
Atkins, independent, Hawaiian Chi
nese member from Kaunai, was elect
ed speaker Of the house and Dr..
Nicholas Russell of Hawaii, white
man, president Of the senate.
On the third day, Secretary of the
Treasury Cooper was ordered out of
the house and escorted out by the SER
geant-at-arms.
Acting under the section of the
territorial act which provides that he
shall 'record and preserve the laws
and proceedings of the legislature,
Secretary Cooper took a place on the
floor with stenographer, to secure
record of the proceedings. Represent
ative Blakely, independents. offered
resolution requesting him to leave
The resolution set forth that his pres
ence was a violation of the rule that
the three departments of the govern
ment, executive. judicial and legisla-
tive, must be kept separate, and it
was urged that Governor Dole had
put Cooper where he was to intimidate
the members by letting them see that
the executive officer was taking a
stenographic report.
| Cooper was declared by the repub-
licans to be present as represent
ative Of President Mckinley, as he
had been ordered to transmit report
to Washington, but even this plea did
not deter the independents. After
long debate, they passed the Blakely
resolution by a vote of 20 to 9, the
nine being all the republicans in the
house.
1t is understood Cooper has asked
Washington for ruling as to the
meaning of the instructions given him
to send record.
With both houses in control of the
independent home rule party, and con-
tanning majority of the native Ha-
waiians, the legislature has already
been the scene of some remarkable
speeches and the end of the session
promises to see many very radical
measures adopted, among those to
which the controlling party is COM
mitted being liquor disrensary law
taxation system that will be com
hination Of the single tax and income
tax doctrines; an election law based |
on proportionate representation and
law excluding from the territory all
no tn
with consumption or leprosy.
The question of language is another
source of trouble. The organic act
says that all proceedings of the legis-
lature shall be conducted in the Eng
lish language. Half of the members
cannot speak English and Hawaiian
Interpreters have been employed in
both houses. 1t is the opinion of some
lawyers that this will come before the
courts when some laws have been
passed.
Chief Justice Frear and Governor
Dole, who were mem bers of the COM
mission that adopted the rule in ques-
tion. have expressed the opinion that
it intended to provide that no Ian
guage but English should be spoken.
The Independents claim that laws
and resolutions, etc., shall be in Eng
lish. Every measure and every speech
is being made in both English and
Hawaiian.
The house meets in the throne room
of the old palace building, now occu-
pied by government officials.
The speakers chair is the former
throne of Hawaiian monarchs.