Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-12-11
ME- s>iNG or THE PRESIDENT

Cnse 10 tiHWdll III his nCSsdke IeVulTes
study.
Certainly no intelligent man requires
to study this message to determine
what 1t means. 1t is so plain that he
who runs may read and the man who
sees any difficulty in interpreting the
meaning Of the messages reference to
Hawaii Immediately arouses suspicion
as TO his ability to read or his desire
to misinterpret the President and
make of his words an argument for
objects entirely foreign 10 the Presi-
dents mind.
There is nothing ambiguous to the
honest American In the statement IN
Hawaii cur aim must be to develop
the Territory on traditional American
Ines" should this give rise to doubt
or difference of opinion the Presi-
dent makes himself clear in the next
sentence when he says: 1--WE do not
wish a region Of large estates titled by
cheap labor" He does not stop there,
Having stated what he did not wish,
he says: I'VE wish healthy Ameri-
ran community of men. who them.
selves till the farms they own"
To give added force to his state
ments. to carry conviction that he is
not dealing with political platitudes,
he adds "All our legislation for the
Islands should be shaped with this end
in view: the we'll being of the average
home maker must afford the true ties,
t.l. n ~
ands." There are no generalities in
this: he is talking about Hawaii. about
the things that come into our daily
bus ness life. His remarks relate d.
rectly to the practical depopulation of
the country districts OF Americans.
and In too many places of the Hawa-
liam Americans as well. and the popu-
alton Of the same districts by an
As,atic people who do what filling of
farms Is done and also own the stores
and do practically all the trade OF the
districts in which thew reside.
Finally, as further exposition OF his
ideas. the President saws. 1.-THE land
laws should as nearly as possible be
modelled on our homestead system"
This qualifying phrase "as nearly
as possible" will serve as a source of
contention until Congress masses n
law enforcing in this Territory home
stead laws with limitations on the
amount of land one settler NAV hold.
The claim will be made and already is
being made that this IL lust what the
Dole land law is doing-modelIng the
land policy as nearly as NAV be after
the American homestead laws. What.
ever the Dole theory may have been IT
Is certain that 1t Is without results
and furthermore, and bearing directly
on the non-success OF the present land
system, the Dole administration has
antagon'zed at every step, any and all
endeavors to Introduce the American
system of land holding in this Terri
tory. and with equal vigor has II
fought to maintain contradictory
and vague law under which 1t is i'm
possible to give to any settler in this
Territory, whether new or old. clear
title to the land which he desires to
develop.
The Dole administration has held
that the situation is peculiar, that AM
erican laws and methods are not appll-
cable. and while asserting great
friendship for the home builders and
men who till Their own farms" the
large estates titled by cheap labor have
absorbed more land and the small
farmer OF whom so much In said and
for whom so little is done has become
by-word and a sheer.
The Americans Of this Territory
have maintained that there is no place
under the flag OF the United States. and
more especially Hawaii which has been
In American leading strings tor 10
these many years, to which American
laws are not only applicable but prac-
tical and In the end marked blessing
to the community. Americans, =, have
had to come to Hawaii to hear from
the mouths OF opinionated people
the shortcomings OF their nation under
whose laws their fathers thrived and
their fathers fathers, and which of all
the nations on the face Of the globe Is
held as the haven OF all men who seek
an independent home, life, liberty and
the pursuit Of happiness. The Amerl-
cans Of this Territory maintain that
the American land laws can be ap-
piled here, that these laws should be
applied here and that opposition to this
plan is prompted by selfish greed. and a