The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-09-24
DAVIS CAUSES
MERRIMENT



cases cited by Attorney sllliman and
l.. A. Thurston on appellate conditions
and decisions. George Davis said IL
was a great pleasure to have the chief
| justice under examination. Mr.. Silii-
man stated he had not taken that view
of It, Attorney General Dole and Judge
Gear arrived at this point.
George Davis asked why he had new
er been called to the bench on a va
cancy, asking if he had ever heard Of
any dishonorable act in his career,
/ that he had been here eight years.
This caused much laughter and the
Commission squelched the inquiry.
Judge Gear stated that both he and
Judge Humphreys had never been call
ed in, having been on the bench a year.
Justice Frear stated that Judge Gear
l. had been absent a great part of the
/ time, which was one reason, his being
! busy another reason, or being disquaii-
/ fed another. Judge Gear claimed that
attorneys had been asked without cir
cult judges being asked. The chief
justice did not think this had been the
case without reason.
Delegate Wilcox brought up the case
of N. w. Hilo, Mrs. Kaahanui Hawai-
hoa and Kalauokalani, who had paid
rent on land since 1892. This land had
property in advancement of an at
tempted monopoly of a Rapid Transit
Company as against an old car serViC-
The land had been given to the Ka
piolani estate in exchange for road
widening. The delegate asked that
these exchanges, sent to Washington
! for approval should not be so approx
ed, and wanted the Commission to act
the road widening being unnecessary.
Il nfN n1 Of col
wharf and claimed that the next legls-
lature would be subject to corruption
in an endeavor to make good the pro-
mise of the governor for repayment of
! 100000 by Hackfeld 81 Company for
! their wharf.
| He presented a memorial and stated
that the white people had long wished
to burn down Chinatown and se4ccted
a windy day on purpose to get rid OF
sore eye" This he believed to be
| the truth. He thought the claims
should be paid as the poor people suf-
fered, that the whites had squandered
| $780, 600.
Senator Mitchell asked him point.
blank as to his belief for the reason of
burning Chinatown, whether it was on
honest attempt to get rid of the plague.
| The delegate said he was absent try
ing to get a franchise for the Hawaii
ans in Washington while one of their
present Commissioners tried to dis
franchise them. He thought the plague
was made an excuse for burning the
town.
He asked that 40 acres be made a
homestead and that the land laws Of
the United States be extended locally.
He objected to the Governors recon-
mendation of a site for public build
ings.
He read the portion of the Presi-
dents message regarding homestead
laws. The mass of the people wanted
it but the sugar men wanted no Am
orleans, only themselves, and coolies.
They wanted a rich mans country.
The government was giving away leas-
es without advertising, and referred to
the old grand division of lands under
the monarchy. That the planters had
nearly all the government lands under
long leases and that tales of long leas-
es under the monarchy were all storiG )
The big corporations fenced mp their
land and controlled it, He wanted
homesteads of forty acres divided as
soon as leases ran out and asked for
an investigation by the home govern
ment. Coffee, growing on the higher
altitude, could replace cane as an in
dustry. He quoted Manager Rentons
Plantation at 1894, and DR.. Stubbs
quotations of $3.50 an acre production.
The witness cited other sugar re-
ports showing various yields on dry
and irrigated lands, Senator Foster
was surprised to hear that ten tons al
acre was ever produced here. The wit
ness was not against the sugar indus
try. Figures on taro and rice indus
tries were also brought forward to
I
the small rentals, according to actual
value, accruing to the natives.
THE government if left alone woulJ
release to the sugar people and were
against farmers. This climate WAS
fine. White men would work in the
cane fields If they were paid. Chinese
We're better than Japanese who took
labor from Hawaiians."
He brought up the leper question
again. He asked the government to
take charge of the government and ad-
init lepers from the mainland, not the
Filipino lepers however. Judge Hum
phreys prompting, the witness stated
that lepers were fed on rotten salmon,
rotten food given, rotten clothes, and
that the local government sought to re-
tain control in order to aid their fav-
Orite to unload rotten goods on the lep-
err and handle the 5000, 600. That lepro-
sy was spread by vaccination, that the
natives were all scared by the govern
ment and by the Board of Health, APP
pointed by political favoritism.
| Senator Mitchell suggested that
speeches be relegated to the delegates
campaign methods. The light house,
harbor dredging and revenue cutter
were touched on and dismissed briefly
by the Commission as thoroughly look
ed into already.
The poor man." the witness con-
cluded, would have no benefit after
leases concluded. The government
would auction these lands in large
lots and they would revert to the SUI
gar men,"
Prompted by A. s. Humphreys, the
witness stated that the government
was exercising Illegal right of "emin-
ent domain" in respect to the Rapid
Transit Company, and that the Hack
field wharf matter let out without ac-