Evening star., 1901-05-17
Native Hawaiians Demonstrate Unfit
ness to Legislate.
HAVE FORMED PARTY ON RACE LINES
Violent Antagonism to Governor
Dole.
DELEGATION COMING HERE
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
HONOLULU. May 4, 1901.
The first legislature of the territory OF
Hawaii closed it's allotted session Of sixty
days on the Both of April. 1t had accom-
plished but little Of the important business
before 1t. Some of this business such as
the appropriation bill and loan bill. was
Of urgent necessity. Other measures, such
as county and city municipal bills. were re-
garded by the home rule majority as OF
vital importance and urgency. All Of these
failed to be matured. The governor was
empowered by the organic act to extend the
session for thirty days more. The native
home rule majority of senate and house
united In urgent and repeated requests to
Governor Dole to extend the time in hope
that they might thus be enabled to accom-
plish of the measures upon which
their hearts were set.
The Governors Reply.
The governors reply to the first of those
applications a positive refusal In which he
persisted, was in terms which are perhaps
unique in gubernatorial action, as follows:
The law provides for a special session of
the legislature In case there Is an adjourn
ment Of a regular session without the en-
actment Of the necessary appropriations for
the conduct of the government during the
succeeding biennial period. The legislature
therefore has the power to compel the cali
ing of a special session for this purpose.
The methods of the present session have
been wasteful of both time and money, and
there is little to show for a large eXpendt-
ture of public funds.
Under the circumstances it seems to me
that it is unreasonable for the legislature
to look for both a special session and an ex-
tension Of the regular session as WELL with
the inevitable accompanying large ex-
penses.
The delay in enacting the appropriations
has continued to so late period that all
expectation of such legislation before the
expiration Of this session by limitation of
time appears now to be hopeless, and the
calling of special session to be impera-
tive. Such limitation of time WILL L sub
nit, take effect on Tuesday, the 30th day
of April.
II cannot therefore accede to the request
of the senate, failing such appropriations"
Incapacity of the Legislature.
If no governor in the Union has hitherto
so replied to a legislature, probably no leg
islature has given such cause for 1t. The
most conspicuous example of the members
utter incapacity to do business was in the
fact that it took over one-half of the sixty
working days Of the session to pass the
first bill, which was to appropriate the sum
of $4,000 for legislative expenses. They all
wanted the money, but they chatted and
gabbled and blundered over it day after
day. and week after week, before they
signature. The amount was larger than
had ever before been consumed for ex-
penses by a Hawaiian legislature, but ii
was all used up before the sixty days had
expired and some thousands of dollars were
left unpaid. The governor has summoned
| a special session, to meet on the Sth OF May
for the exclusive purpose OF passing an ap-
propriation bill.
This legislature is one that does not rep
resent the intelligence or the business force
of the people of Hawaii. The great body
of it's members represent only the less IL
telligent and more worthless majority OF
the aboriginal Hawaiians, mainly an idle,
dissolute, unthirfty and incapable class 1t
Is of such that most of the rank and flle OF
the home rule" majority are composed, the
same that elected as delegate to Congress
the frothy and incompetent r. w. Wilcox.
A large proportion of the more thrifty and
intelligent natives and part whites Joined
with the white republicans and democrats,
but being divided into the two old parties
were overcome by the large majority of the
native rabble. The men nominated ana
elected by these home rulers were almost
entirely natives and part whites scarcely
any of whom had previously had any legis-
latiye experience, and none of them had
any standing as public or business men.
All the natives of any ability or experience
belonged to the other regular parties with
the whites. and shared with the latter IN
their nominations. but were mostly deieat"a
by the home rule majority.
The home rulers elected TWO White men
of some intelligence, one to the senate and
one to the house. Both of these failed Of
any leadership and both had cranky tads
to Impair their efficiency. The few other
white men were republicans, one of them
the only white lawyer of ability In the
house and the only man there competent to
prepare OF scrutinize a bill. All that he
found opportunity to do was to point out
fatal defects and blunders In most OF the
| bills In process of being passed. There
were two able lawyers in the senate. ana
one leading business man, Baldwin, the
sugar king" of Maine, whose personal in
| huence gave him an exceptional lead over
| home rule competitors in the election
| Mainly It was a thoroughly native ha-
Waiian legislature, such as had never be-
| fore existed here, either before or after the
revolution of '93. there always having been
| strong and leading force of capable white
members.
The Race Line Drawn.
| This native independent home rule"
narty distinctly draws the race line. It
| was it's intention to exclude the whites
| from political power, absorbing such pow