The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-10

CONTINUED from page II

other business that any steam vessel
may lawfully engage in without regard
to classification. Respectfully,
o. L. SPAULDING,
Acting Secretary.
Collector of Customs Honolulu, Ha-
wall.
The volume of correspondence and
of communications between the gov
eminent and people Of Hawaii and the
Interior Department is rapidly increas-
ing. Every mail brings added evidence
of this. The correspondence is on an
increasing variety of topics, including
contracts, bonds to ensure the thor
ough execution of the same, disposal
of public lands, and the like. These
questions are acted upon directly by
| the Secretary of the Interior, and in
case of protests or complaints, for
warded from Hawaii, the usual course
| is to return a copy of the same imme-
diately to Governor Dole for his an
swer, before any decided action is TAX
en-. Accordingly, this official routine
means generally four trips between
Washington and Honolulu before a
protestant or complainant receives an
answer. That means over two months
of time.
| The Interior Department is very IN
sistent on all protests being duly sign
ed About August 1st protest against
the sale of certain public lands in Hilo
arrived. 1t was in typewriting, and
was signed in typewriting, the name
attached to the bottom of the 1-page
document being simply American Set
tiers Association" 1t went into the
files of the department, but was 9TH
erwise completely ignored. The de-
partment wants signatures of individ-
uals, and wants them in ink. This par
ticular document was accompanied by
a clipping from the Honolulu Repubh-
can, referring to the sale of lands in
Hilo. The protest reads as follows
Mountain View, July Is, 1901.
| Notice is given of further disposal of
| a large block of improved agricultural
land, which is offered for sale at pub
lie auction by the Hawaiian Commits
sioner of Public Lands without any
proclamation to the people. There are
few, if any, that believe these pro-
| visions for disposal of lands to be le-
gal, and it should not be held legal
| These public lands are passing into the
hands of spectators, which should not
be countenanced from Washington.
1t is our belief that the executive
order Of the President, issued Septem-
Der Il, 1899 never having been with
drawn or revoked, is still in full force
and effect, and it ought to be till Con-
gress is able to pass a law regulating
the disposal of this property.
THE AMERICAN SETTLERS AS
ISOLATION.
There are but few other protests re-
garding the sale uf pJblc lands 1t the
Department of the Interior. All Of
them, in fact, are regarded by the
officials as of little import, as the de-
partment has made IL known il Ho-
nolulu that it does not favor the sell
ing of public lands in block, and that
this property is to be disposed OF to
individuals as far as possible. Some
months ago instructions were given
Governor Dole not to allow the gov
| eminent auctioneer to bid in these
lands at sales, nor to allow clerks in
the land office to do so. A protest
against the dispOSsesSing of certain
squatters was received away back last
March, and also a protest from T. j.
Ryan, of similar character, the same
month. The protest first referred to
reads as follows:
Olaa, Hawaii, March 10. 1901.
Hon f. A Hitchcock, Secretary of the
Interior, Washington, d. c.
Notice having been given to US
through the public press that you have
required the Governor of this Territory
to report the facts relating to settlers
upon the public lands of this Territory.
To this we offer no objection; provided,
that no action be taken on such re-
port by t e department until the set
tiers shall have been allowed to SUB
nit a report or evidence in relation
to such settlement.
The Governor has taken an active
part against the settlers from the
start. commencing in June, 1898, ana
has In every way possible sought TO
dispossess the settlers ever since. We
do not hesitate to say that Governor
Dole is now and at all times since the
date Just above mentioned has been
prejudfced against these settlers, and
by reason Of such prejudice and plas
it is not likely that he Will report an
| the facts, and viii avoid reporting any
i, thing favorable to the settlers. We
, the undersigned settled in good faith
upon said public lands; have made
substantial and valuable improve
: ments. and with bona fda intentions
: of filing upon the tracts upon which
we have settled under the special laws
l promised in the resolution OF anheAa-
ton. when Congress shall have passed
: said special laws, and we were Offered
an opportunity to make a legal filing
thereon. We have at all times anc
do now seek an investigation OF TIL:
2 subject by the federal authorities a
= Washington, and we pray that We
cd IN show all the facts by sWorT
testimony.
s a. HUNTINGTON,