The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-07-16
THE FIRE
CLAIMS
FIGHT
CONTINUED from page l.,

not questioned. "Our duty to pay at
least in part for that property" added
Governor Powers, we can not in JUS
| tice deny, and a great country IKE
ours should not seek to avoid" He de-
clared that the destruction of property
| was done under the direction of a COM
mission having the matter in charge
and representing the sovereign power
of this country.
| Mr.. Sulzer of New York, for whom
Mr.. Haywood had secured an allowance
| OF time sailed in vigorously in behalf
of the amendment If the plague had
| not been stamped out in Hawaii at a
cost of a million or two it might have
come to this country and cost several
thousands of lives and several millions
| OF dollars.
| Mr. Hill of Connecticut also spoke for
| the amendment, telling how the Gov
eminent had paid $750.000 for the relief
| of the Porto Ricans from the ravages
of hurricane; 100000 as a matter of
charity for the sufferers at Martinique,
and it seemed to him that the least the
Government could do was to divide the
expense with the Territory of Hawaii
for the property destroyed by fire dur
| ing the prevalence of bubonic plague.
Uncle Joe" Cannon had the closing
argument. He dwelt upon the provis-
| ion that not more than 10 per cent of
the claim should be paid to attorneys,
so that 100000 only would go to the
people of Hawaii who had sustained
losses by the fire. Mr.. Mondell inter-
rupted him to say that the evidence
] before the Senate committee showed
| that many of the claimants did not I'M
derstand the English language and rad
to have attorneys, who would receive
f1aiY-
to five per cent.
This legislation is a gift" added Mr..
Cannon. ut is fastened on to this bill
with a grip of steel and it wants his
hill to pull it through Mr. Cannon in
sisted that the matter belonged of
right to the Committee on Territories
of the House.
| Does not the gentleman know" in
| terposed Mr.. Mondell, that the Ha-
| waiian people have been asking their
| Delegate before this Congress to take
| this matter up ever since Congress met
| last fall, and that he did introduce a
| bill, and that it is not the fault of the
| Hawaiians themselves that it was not
| taken up by the committee?'
Mr.. Cannon then launched into a hu-
mornus characterization of the bill, in
sisting that it was not born the right
| way. THE House is asked he ex-
claimed, ITO adopt this illegitimate
child.
II would like to ask what part the
attorneys have taken in this PROPOSE
ton that would entitle them to 10 per
cent" inquired Mr.. Coombs of Califor-
MIA.
THE people interested in the claim
and God know; I do not, responded
Mr.: Cannon who added that there were
not 50 persons in the House who knew
anything about the bill. Then Mr..
Cannon began to tell about the rich
sugar plantations in the islands and
| how we removed the duty of from IL
| to cents a pound on sugar some years
go for the benefit of the Hawaiian
people. During 80 years." said he,
1--WE practically paid bounty of two
cents a pound on Hawaiian sugar,
amounting in round numbers to $780,
| coo, goo She prOspered Great planta-
tons grew up there, such as | have
never seen anywhere else. I am not
| thoroughly familiar with sugar planta-
tons but 1 was down there once. Great
fortunes have been piled up there
great plantations exist there now"
Then Mr.. Cannon told how, after an
nexation in 1898. Congress agreed to
pay every dollar of Hawaiian indebt
edness and also to pay the Hawaiian
postal savings bank indebtedness. Mr..
Cannon insisted that it was just
much the duty of Hawaii to pay for the
| losses ensuing on the plague as IL was
for Arizona to bear the loss from an
epidemic of smallpox or for other
communities TO pay for whatever in
convenience there might be from the
chicken pox. the measles, whooping
cough and diphtheria.
Now, is there anything from char
liable standpoint that should make
Uncle Sam give a million dollars to this
dusky daughter? She does not begin
to be as poor as New Mexico or Ari-
IONA is. She has no debt at all, and
Arizona and New Mexico and the mu-
inequalities have much debt. If we are
going into the giving business for our
Territories let us have a fair divide.
If it is fair to pay a million dollars to
the Territory of Hawaii, ii is fair to
give a million and a half, the total
amount of property destroyed. Legal
ly we are not bound; equitably and
morally we are not bound. We are not
bound from any standpoint of public
policy"
Thereupon the vote was taken, as al
ready stated. and the result was unfa-
vorable to the amendment, which went
out subsequently in a conference on the
bill.
The Senate shortly before the ad
journment of Congress adopted a reso-
luton authorizing the visit of a sub
committee of the Senate Committee on
the Pacific Islands and Porto Rico to
visit Hawaii during the summer. The
modified from the original resolution
presented by Senator Mitchell of Ore
gon. After being adopted by the Sen
ate Committee on the Pacific Islands
and Porto Rico, it was passed upon
favCrably by the Senate Committee on
control of contingent expenses. The
resolution as it passed reads as fol-
lows:
Resolved. That the Committee on Pa
cific Islands and Porto Rico be. and is
hereby authorized and directed to in
vestigate the general condition of the
islands of Hawaii and the administra-
tion of the affairs thereof and for the
purposes aforesaid said committee, or
Il subcommittee thereof. appointed by
the chairman, shall have power to send
Tor persons and papers, to visit the ISL
andS, to administer OathS, TO sit during
the recess OF Congress. and said COM
miJtee shall report at the beginning of !
the next session of Congress the result |
of its Investigations; the expenses of
said investigation to be paid out of the |
contingent fund of the Senate.
Senator Foraker has designated the I