The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-08-22
REPORT ON
FIRE CLAIMS BILL
Continued from page one).


the claim outright as suggested should
be done by Senator Morgan he sad.
that, before he could feel warranted i'm
introducing either Of these bills. or
any bill. he should be made acquainted
with all the circumstances and facts of
the case, requesting me to prepare such
a statement and present il at the next
meeting Of he Committee. on Nav l5th.
| prepared a statement of the facts, up
on which we sought to reply To secure
tire relief for the Territory of Hawaii
from Congress, as asked for in the
Joint Resolution of your honorable
bodies.
On May 9TH, l was granted through
the courtesy of members of the Senate
Committee, and the kindly yielding of
the gentlemen presenting the Hawaii
an Ditch matter, of a portion of their
time, to offer a statement concerning
the fire claims losses in suppressng
the plague.
On May Sth l called upon President
Roosevelt and gave him a copy of
your Joint Resolutions, with a letter
reciting the reasons why Hawaii was
entitled to the assistance asked for.
The President seemed to be very much
interested in the matter and expressed
a willingness to assist the Territory in
any way that he could.
Then the hearings were begun on
May 5th, 1t was thought that the SEN
ate Committee would be able to make
report in time to amend the Sundry
Civil Bill, which was then under con
sidera ton.
Delegate Wilcox was present at all
of the hearings of the Senate Commit
tee, and expressed himself as being in
full sympathy with the manner in
which the measure was being consider
ed and conducted, promising to do all
he could with the m plbers of the
House to induce them to assist him
when the Deficiency Bill, with it's
amendment, should be reported to that
body. sol
Senator Foraker, being engaged on
May 18th, in making a speech upon the
Philippine bill in the Senate, the COM
mittee did not again convene until
May 18th Following this meeting, and
when it was thought the Committee
would take definite action a question
arose as to the amount of the fees paid
to local attorneys in Honolulu for their
services in the presentation of the
claims before the Fire Claims Commits
sion, it having been reported to the
Committee that some of the attorneys
were, to use the expression stated
making all kinds of money" out of
Japanese and Chinese claims as con-
tingent fees.
The effect of this report was coun-
teracted only by persistent personal
effort on the part of your representa-
tive, and of friends, to show that every
precaution had been taken by the
Commission to avoid all putting of
claims or fraudulent practices by at
torneys, or of any one engaged in pre-
senting claims to the Commission.
The result, however. was the with
holding by the Committee of it's report
until the members should be better in
formed upon the subject; and upon the
suggestion of the Chairman of the
Committee, that l furnish all data
available on this point, / obtained in
formation from the Chinese and Jap
anese Legations. through the kindness
of Mr.. ID. w. Stevens, and others, of
the amounts of fees the attorneys were
to receive from Chinese and Japanese
claimants for their services, which ap-
pearing to the Committee to be very
reasonable. and covering as they did
about four-tifths of all the claims pre-
scented to the Fire Claims Commission,
proved acceptable to the Committee,
aTS1 this objection was cleared up.
On June 10th, the Committee on Pa
cific Islands and Porto Rico unani-
mously and favorably reported a bill
for the relief of Hawaii to be offered
as an amendment to House Bill No. 49,
los, being the Deficiency Bill, together
with report thereon which for your in
formation is offered as an exhibit
Senator Hale, as Chairman Of the sub
committee on appropriations, stated
that 1t was impossible for his commit
tee to report faVOrably, or otherwise. on
the recommendation of the Committee
on Pacific Islands and Porto Rico, for
the relief of Hawaii, until the matter In
controversy over the Army and Naval
bill was settled, and even then he might
not be able to do so, as objections were
made by some members of the commit
tee as to the relief being not pro-
perly a deficiency matter.
IN view OF this. ii was thought de-
sirable that an original bill be prepared
Wnlcn was done on June 18th. and oner-
ed by Senator Foraker to the Senate,
asking for relief for the Territory of
Hawaii upon substantially the same
terms and conditions as in the Senate
amendment.
This original bill was at once re-
ferred to the Committee on Pacific ISL
ands and Porto Rico and held by tnat
committee awaiting the result of the
actions of Congress upon the bill as Of
Tered as an amendment.
The House refused to concur as to
certain Senate amendments to the De-
ftciency bill, and asked for a conference
on the matters of disagreement. Messrs |
Cannon of Illinois, Barney Of Wise lnsiu
and Livingston of Georgia, being APP
pointed as Conferees from the House. |
and Senators Hale Allison and Teller
as conferees to the part of the Senate |
1t was then undertaken on the part of
all friends of the measure that the cri- |
teal point had arrived, and all possible !
effort was made by those interested to |
induce the House members more es- |
pecially the cOnferees, to allow the |
amendment to stand and the apprOpria- |
ton for the relief of Hawaii to go |
through
II Is needless for me to dwell in de- |
tail upon the results with which you |
are familiar. However, the fact that |
the amendment carried an apprOpria- |
ton Of SlO0O,OO0 was felt to be of so |
much Importance as to require more |
careful consideration on the part of |
the members of the House
As soon as 1t was learned that the !
In N.H...N