The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-04-03

Most of the members of the Hawaiian
Legislature cannot speak even the Con-
gressional Record kind of English
Detroit Free Press.
The row and rumpus and babel of
tongues which accompanied the open
ing of the first Legislature of the Terri
tory of Hawaii Indicate that the island
solons have at least one advantage
over the rest of us. They are at liber-
ty to swear in several languages at
once.-San Francisco Call.
The language question is causing
trouble in the Hawaiian legislature
owing to the fact that, while the organ
ic act of the territory declares that the
proceedings shall be conducted in the
English language, half of the members
cannot speak English at all. The stu
alton naturally is met by these MEM
bers by IGNORING the rule, and using
their native tongue, which compels the
use of interpreters in both branches.
1t is rather of tyrannical proceed
ing to outlaw entirely the language
which the majority of the voters
speak. Some compromise in this mat
ter ought to be made for the simple
convenience of the people.-Springfel
Republican.
HAWAIPS POLYGLOT LEGISLA-
TURE.
The territory of Hawaii the first of
our new possessions" to be granted
territorial government, is already
having trouble in it's legislative halls
What shall be the official language
of the Legislature is the most conspicu-
GUS point at issue. The territorial act
| provides that all proceedings shall be
conducted in the English language but
obstacles to the carrying out of this
provision appeared from the start. The
two houses of the Legislature contain
members who are white, half white ano
half Hawaiian, half Hawaiian and halt
Chinese, and full native Hawaiian. Fol
! many of these members the Hawaiian
| language is the only tongue in which
! they can express themselves. Even
the speaker of the lower house, of mix
| ed Hawaiian and Chinese blood, has
! but slight command of English. The
result of this condition is that all the
debates and other proceedings have tc
| be translated back and forth between
the two languages, and the interpre-
ters are kept busy. Territorial law
officials declare that this unauthorized
use of the Hawaiian language by the
| native members, who, having a ma
jority, are able to declare it permssi-
| Bile, will vitiate any legislation that
may be enacted.
The Hawaiians are not exactly in
the position of the Hungarians who
are insisting upon the right to use their
/
parliament nor yet of the Irish mem
bers who want to speak Gaelic in the
house of commons They have had
their own Legislature under the Ha-
waiian monarchy and the republic for
many years, in which either language
was permitted and interpreters were
provided for the service of both Eng
| fish and Hawaiian speaking members
! If the Hawaiian majority now chooses
to make an issue of the matter, the
fight may have to come to congress for
| settlement.
If the liberty demanded by the Ha-
waiians is conceded in the future to
or" ether islands, the conditions would
be interesting in the extreme. The
| imagination recoils at the thought of
| a legislature in which English, Spanish
| Tagalo. Visayan, Moro and a few more
| tongues should be the languages of de-
bate on questions of public import in
the Philippines