Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-09-23
GOVERNOR DOLE QUESTIONED
BEFORE The COMMISSION
Questions Dole.
CONTINUED from Page 81


this point and asked permission to
question Governor Dole, which was
given. The first question was II the
witness recalled a conversation which
he had had with him in 1s9i-the time
of the Provisional Government-as to
the lines on which the land act should
be framed. Witness had no recollec-
ton whatever. Emmeluth went on to
say that such conversation had taken
place and that he had suggested the
desirability of a simple law under
| which a man could take up a piece OF
land. live on II and pay his taxes. The
law that was passed was too volumin-
Gus and could not be understood by an
ordinary layman.
Wahiawa colony-An Ideal.
Asked by Emmeluth " the Wahiawa
Colony was his ideal as 10 what n
colony should be, witness said IL was
one of the several colonies that had
been established here. He took great
interest in 1t. No, II was not yet his
( ideal but he hoped It would be some
day. The value placed on the land was
s. an acre. Asked as to what the final
grant had brought, witness answered
( that this last grant had been put up I'M
der special agreement-sn install
ment plan-and the land had brought
s65 an acre. Asked II all the original
settlers were still at the colony, wit
ness replied that all but two were still
there. Asked II any Of the land had
been sub-let to others for cultivation,
witness answered in the affirmative.
However he did not know how many.
Asked IL some of the settlers were not
using their places simply as out-of-
town residences or suburban homes,
witness answered that they would have
10 use the places as homes so as to get
titles to the land.
Homestead Laws Not Perfect.
Emmeluth-Has the homestead law
been perfect?
Dole-No. it has not been perfect but
II has done lot OF good.
Emmeluth wanted to know II IL was
not so that nearly all the coffee lands
had gone to the sugar plantations in
fee and the witness replied that they
had.
Observation-Disclosures" System.
! Emmeluth next referred to the Legis-
lature OF 1898 which was composed OF
the select element under the restricted
franchise, had the bill for the santa.
ton OF Honolulu been passed at that
time, would not the plague conditions
that had obtained here since that time
been obviated? Witness said he did
not remember the bill and Emmeluth,
stating that the system here was u
"nobody's business" system, retorted
that he considered the witness had sig
nally failed in his duty to the public
by not knowing OF the bill which he
had referred to.
Executive Council Records.
The next matter brought up by EN-
meluth was the .records of the execu-
tive council which had been requested
by the House OF Representatives and
which had not been submitted. The
witness wished to state that the ses-
siops of the executive council were on
the secret order. Governor Dole was
then asked why this matter was not
submitted when asked for
Governor Dole answered that the
House wanted not only the records OF
the executive council but every letter
which the Governor had received from
or sent to, Washington. His clerical
force was not large enough to attend
to this matter. Nothing In particular
was being looked for. The House SIM
ply wanted everything there was in
order that they might have 1t before
them.
The witness then went on to say that
the meetings were not secret and that
oftentimes people were I'm attendance
at the sessions. or course, there were
no newspaper reporters allowed in be-
cause great many of the matters
brought up pertained to individuals.
personal matters which it would not
do TO have made public.
Emmeluth here explained that the
reason for making the request was on
account OF the actions of the govern
ment from the time OF annexation up
TO the meeting OF the Legislature. Some
of the acts were open to grave suspi-
cion. Special privileges had been grant,
ed and the House wished to find out
about these matters.
Governor Dole answered that II II
had been stated specifically what was
wanted, he would have been only too
glad ito furnish the information desir.
ed. No public Official would have been
denied the privilege OF scrutinizing
what he wished.
Special Session Retrospect.
Next came questions as to the refu-
sal on the part of Governor Dole to call
special session for specific legisla-
a.. II.