The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-05-01
DOLE IN
DETAIL
Short Hand Report
of Committee .
Hearing
THE GOVERNORS
EXPLICIT TESTIMONY
Complete and Unssrbled Extracts
From the Official Report Of
the Committee.

OL1<O w 11No IL Tic oONCAhIiCuG
sficial report OF the hearing o
Governor Dole before the commit
tee On Pa life Islands and Porto Rico
on Monday, April Il:
The committee met at 1890 q. m.
Hon J. b. Foraker in the chair.
Present: Hon. Sanford B. Dole, Gov.
ernor of the Territory of Hawaii: Hon
John NJ. Thurston. ex-senator from
Nebraska: Hon. r. w. Wilcox, Dele
gate from the Territory of Hawaii
Hon George r. Carter, member of the
Territorial Senate of Hawaii; Edward
s. Boyd, ESQ.,, Commissioner of Public
Lands OF Hawaii; William Haywood
Esq. and others
The committee thereupon proceeded
to the consideration of the bill Is. 1850
to apportion the term of Office Of seven
Senators elected at the first general
election of the Territory Of Hawaii;
also the bill Oh. r. 1880 granting to
the Hawaii Ditch Company. Limited.
the right of way over public lands in
the districts of North and South Ko-
hala, In the Island of Hawaii, for the
purpose CT constructing and maintain
ing bitches or canals and the neces-
sary reservoirs, and the like, for irri-
cation and domestic purposes in said
districts.
ABATEMENT OF HON SANFORD B.
ADOLE. GOVERNOR OF THE
TERRITORY OF HAWAII
The Chairnan-Iu order that we may
have it in the record. Governor. please
state your full name and your present
official position.
Governor Dole-My name Is Sanford
Ballard Dole: 1 am Governor Of the
Territory of Hawaii.
The ChairInan-I call your attention
TO Senate bill 445s, entitled "a bill to
apportion the term of office of seven
Senators elected at the first general
election of the Territory of Hawaii,
and ask you to please give us the ben
eft Of any observations you may care
to make in regard to it, whether COM
mandatory or otherwise.
Governor Dole--The organic act pro-
Sided that the first Legislature under
the Territorial Government should ap-
portion the number of Senators who
should hold office for two years; and
no. further provision was made. The
Legislature failed to carry out the act
~ that respect; consequently we are
without any possibility of having le-
e.el Legislature at our next term IN
1eSs Congress gives us some relief. This
bitI Is based on the principle of throw
ing out In each district enough Sen
ators who received the lowest number
of votes to make up this number of
seven.
The only other way would be. per-
hapS. to either put all the names in a
hat and draw out seven, or to arbi-
trarily select seven from the fifteen
and assign them to the two years
term The Legislature on the last day
of it's session. held joint session OF
both houses, in which it proceeded to
do this. It voted for three men. not
who should hold office for two years. !
Hut who should hold office for four
Years, and then 1t broke down. There
was some discussion as to whether 1t
was legal for the Legislature to hold
joint session, and there were some
other objections, and enough members
stayed away to destroy the quorum.
The Legislature adjourned sine die and
nothing more was done
The only other alternative that seems
possible or practicable would be to pro-
vide for an entirely new election. am
election of eight Senators for four years
and seven senators for two years. with
a provision that all elections after that
should elect Senators for four years.
This bill is more in line with the pro-
visions of the organic act.
ne CnalE1nafl-<aS L dAdCiSe Se1h0
the organic act provides that you shall
have a general assembly of two houses.
and that the Senate shall consist of
fifteen members?
Governor Dole-Yes.
The Chairman-And 1t provided for
their election, but did not provide how
ii should be determined which ones
should hold over?
Governor Dole-Yes: Ii left that to
the Legislature.
The Chairman-The Legislature was
to determine that. but failed to do it?
Governor Dole-Yes.
The Chairman-So that the Legisla-
ture has adjourned without having de-
termined which ones hold over and
which ones go out. Now you come to
Congress because you have no other
rshears of determining It, Is that thei
iieay
Governor Doie-we have absolutely