The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-26
Of
TIL: HOUSE
Yesterday sRecord
Of the Lower
Branch.
1 J yesterday being petition day, the

L yesterday being petition day, the
Y House did a big lot OF routine
business. A little party friction
developed in the morning session over a
resolution introduced by Robertson in
structing the clerk to post on the bulle-
tin board a schedule showing what had
become of the House bills that had been
sent to the Senate, After considerable
discussion the resolution was adopted,
however, by a safe majority. Robertson
declared that If the Senate was going to
bury all the BILLS that came from the
House without even asking the introdu-
Ger to appear before them and explain
what their purpose was. II was useless
for members to sit up nights preparing
bills and working with the committees.
In the afternoon. however, there was
plenty of fun, first over the Senate con-
current resolution No. 2, which provided
that March 80 the House and Senate
were to sit in joint session and elect"
the eight Senators who, under the Or
ganic Act We're to hold over for four
years Copious quotations from the Or
ganic and other Acts were made, and
after several motions had been voted
down, the resolution was adopted Is to 8.
which was changed by adding kumalae,
Emmeluth and Makekau to the major
ity or the ruling of the Vice Speaker.
Mr.. Beckley, that those who declined to
vote would be counted in the affirmative.
Except for Kumalae, the eighteen were
Independents, and except for Kekaula,
/ the nine who opposed it were all Repub-
! licans.
The second tilt was on the passage Of
PnhartSnnfl hill for the adODtiOn Of the
Grand Jury system, which has been held
up for one reason or another for several
weeks. but which succeeded in getting
through finally with a good majority, 10
to Z, the nineteen being all Independents
and two being absent. During the de-
bate on this bill the argument was ad-
vanced that inasmuch as the law had
stood for twenty-five years az it was.
, there was no need of changing 1t ito
conform to the practice of courts
abroad" which statement was promptly
| picked up by Robertson with the retort
that it was not the practice of foreign
countries that was under discussion but
the provisions of the United States Con-
stitution which completely knocked out
the old method of finding indictments by
a Judge on the presentment of the Attor-
ney General. Messman thought it was
going to increase the expenses to poor
ltigants, but Makekau came to the res
cue with the statement that the old law
! was not changed in the slightest, except
as required by the Constitution, and he
thought it better to have indictments
presented by a Grand Jury rather than
by the former method. An attempt was
made to lay the bill over until today in
order to caucus on 1t, but the Independ-
ents were not agreed on that point, and
Prendergasts motion to that effect was
: lost. What the Senate will do with the
bill remains to be seen. They have turn
ed down the three Judges for the First
| Circuit bill by Robertson without even
passing It one reading and have buried
one or two other bills by the same Rep
resentative. That was the purport of
Robertson's morning resolution relating
| to posting list of the bills sent to the
/ Senate
Senator Crabbe's bill for preventing the
fraudulent wearing of the Grand Army
button was reported back for the printer
and placed in the list of bills on second
reading.
Notice was received from the Senate of
the passage of three bills by that body
| Senate bill 36, and Senate bill g. relating
to forest roads, and Senate bill SO. relat-
ing to the adjustment of capital punish
ment The House, however. did not seem
to care much more about Senate bills
than the Senate seems to care for House
bills, and they were not even read by til
tie.
Seven petitions were introduced, four
on the same subject, the extension of the
Hawaiian Tramways Company lines to
Moanalua at one end and to Palolo at
the other, with a branch up Pauoa val
ley. Mahoe scored two on this list, one
signed by 301 residents of Palama, Ka-
lihi and Moanalua, and one signed by
140 residents of Honolulu. AyIett had
one signed by 274 residents of Honolulu
and Puuki one signed by Kaimuki peo-
pie.
petition relating to breakwaters at
Hamoa and Hama, Dckey said, ought to
be referred to Delegate Wilcox
! There was lot of reports from stand
ing committees, but the main feature
was the report of the result of the con-
ference with the Governor on the alb
sence of Land Commissioner Brown The
report, which appears elsewhere in these
columns, sent to the printer and
translator.
Three bills came back from committees
Mahoe's gambling bill, Hihio's Sunday
law and Emmeluth's bill for improving
the streets of the City. The Sunday bill
was referred to the Sunday Committee
of which Mr.. Aylett is chairman and
the others will come up in regular course
at which time the reports will be con-
sidered. An appropriation of 5000 fol-
roads in North Kona and of $1,000 foI
South Kona was recommended by tne
Committee on Public Lands and the re
lport went over to come up with the
appropriation bill. Haaheos dog ia,
, bill came up again in the form of a mi
, nority report of the Judiciary Commit
tee recommending that the bill go to th'
Special Taxation Committee. Majorit!
+ and minority reports went over to conn
up with the bill
Some warm argument resulted on tn
report of the Public Lands Committee
recommending that the Kumalae resolu
; ton asking for improvements in the Re
, walo streets be tabled. One member o
! the Public Lands Committee moved tina
? the matter go to the Judiciary Commit
{ tee to frame a bill and another membe
of the committee seconded the motion