The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-04-30
KEEPING OUT Of QUORUM


Home Rule party tactics last night
resolved themselves into an effort Co
prevent consideration OF the loan bill
10y Keeping quorum Of members away
from the house. The loan bin was re-
gardod as the best card left I'm the play
for an extension of the session. as fail
ure Co pass 10 is supposed to mean
suspension of AN public improvements
until the next legislature. The Home
Rule members thought that if this bin
was unpassed the governor would be
forced To- extend the time of the ses-
sion. and by staying away themselves
and using a lobby To keep away others
who We're only half with them. they
prevented any action.
Sergeant -at-arms NakOokOo added TO
his already brilliant record of useless
ness by spending an hour looking for
members and failing to find any, when
they were hanging about the very place
of meeting. The Home Rule hlibuster
leaders outside the hall among whom
was Prendergast, whose sense of the
houses dignity was So keen that he
objected To smoking at an evening ses-
sion, did not object to sending lobby
list i'm time after time To invite members
on the floor to the bungalow to drink, in
order to keep a quorum away
For over two hours the contest went
on. In the throne room sat a dozen
members of the house including the
Republicans and Democrats and a few
Home Rulers. outside. Home Rulers
lowered and watched and when the
number present approached sixteen
lobbyist Nurrie went in and whispered
invitations to visit the bungalow and
have something The invitations
seemed to have more attraction than
chances to do business, for patriotic
| lawmakers made many trips and the
| final result was that the waiting menu
bers gave it up and the loan bill lid net
pass second reading.
There was a quorum when the house
first began business, but when the loan
bill was mentioned the Home Rulers
began to leave. When it was found
| that there was no quorum present
Dickey, who was chairman in the alb
sence of both Akina and Beckley, an
nOunced that he was going To send cut
the sergeant-at-arms to look for he
abSenteeS Robertson said 1t was no
use. NakookOO was incompetent to lind
anything and was in cahoots with the
absentees anyhow.
DiCkey issued warrants and the SER
geant went out with them. What hap
pened to him no one knows, Lut h Ie-
turned after a time without my of the
absent members that were hanging
about the building waiting to see what
would happen. If a quorum had been
got together there would have been a
sudden return Of the members absent,
and they would have stopped action on
the loan bill
Beckley wandered in once while the
sergeant-at-arms was busy falling to
find anybody. Beckley took the chair
and declared the house adjourned for
lack of quorum, but the waiting
members would not have it. They APP
pointed kumulae a special sergeant-aJ-
arms and he went forth in to the night.
He brought back Keiki, Makannai and
Keliikoa and announced that he had
met speaker Akina and the latter had
refused to enter the house.
There were now fifteen members pres
ent, but Makainai seemed ready to fly
the coop if business began and Keiki
and Keliikao were doubtful" Another
roll call was taken and Makainai made
motion to adjourn. Adjournment
carried and the night session came to
| an end The members present and
those whom Nakookoo could not find
went home
In the afternoon session an effort was
| made to take up the loan bill, but ii
| had disappeared and after a good deal
of discussion of what should be taken
up motion to take a recess was car
ried.
The bill to provide for an additional
circuit judge was passed to the gov
ernor. 1t came from the senate. Early
! in the session Robertson introduced
such a bill in the house, but it got to
! the senate on a day when the members
of the upper house were in a bad hui
NOR and they unceremoniously killed it.
J When they found out what they had
done, they passed it again as a new
bill. The houses dignity was ruffed
| by the process, but as there was not
| time for any wrangle with the senate
! over the proposition the new bill was
| duly passed.