The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-21
TO PRESS
WORK ON
DEFENSES
Continued from page ID


of defense for the Islands. It is learned
here that at one time there was under
serious consideration the making OF sus-
gestions that there be committed into
the hands Of the sailors the plans for
defensive operations around Honolulu
and Hilo, to the head of the Navy. This
would have meant the stationing at Pearl
| Harbor and Honolulu of monitors and
| battlesh,ps, which would constitute the
defensive force of the city land staticr
| This was not carried through, owing to
the fact that it early developed that the
| problem was one for the War office, and
| the sending of a board was sufficient to
indicate that the work would be carried
on by the regular branch of the service
to which is committed such matters usu-
ally.
HAD WRONG BACKING
| We have had several Hawaiians here
during the past month, and they have
| been treated to some eccentricties on
! the part of the office-seel1ing and legIs>
llatlon-securing lobbyists. The men who
have sought and failed to obtain, have
had the hardest kind of fights and it was
due to some of the men whom they had
pushing them, that at least one or two
found that their road was very rocky.
One of the unsuccessful ones was
young Mr.. Thompson, the attorney, who
has many friends here and was most
4 .
good fellow all the time. But he could
not be judge. He could not tell why il
| was that he seemed to be unable to get
any further than a mere calling ac-
lquaintance with Attorney General Knox
and President Roosevelt. 1 do not be-
| lieve he even thought for a moment that
he would be able to sit on the edge of
the Attorney Generals table and call
him Phil just like the lawyers from
| Pittsburg do, or that he would be able
| to slap the President on the back and
say Teddy" like q Rough Rider, but
coming with such endorsements from
Judge Humphreys, he at least expected
| that he would not be called upon to face
the icy stare, and would be permitted to
get within the inner guard.
! But he found it was otherwise, and he
never could find out why, even until he
departed from the city. He complained
to some of Humphreys friends here,
especially the judges attorney that he
| thought he was not given the glad hand,
as he had expected as the original Hum
| phreys man, and was inclined to ask
what about the vindication that was her
| aided
Upon investigation the reason for it all
/ was developed. Attorney General Knox
! is said to- have turned down Thompson
application for the judgeship with cold
lizard flop. and to have remarked that he
would see that Thompson did not get
| the place, simply because he had the
| endorsement of Humphreys, and that
any man who had that endorsement
| would receive the same treatment, at his
| hands, and at the hands of the Presi-
dent. This may seem pretty hard upon
the candidate, but it seems to be the
state of feeling which is obtaining with
the heads of affairs just now. Much OF
the ill-opinion of Humphreys is due to
the parade he made of his courtesy vim
Idication, ignoring the sharp advice the
Attorney General gave him privately
HAWAII IN CONGRESS.
There are many matters before Con-
igress which interest Hawaii, and none
more than the land question, perhaps
There appears to be a lun In discussions
along such lines, but while Cuba. the
lcanal and the cable more talked OF
than either of the other subjects, there
is a great deal of talking behind the
scenes as to what may be done upon the
subject of land laws. Last year Senator
Hansbrough wanted TO send commits
sion down TO examine into the systems
This year there may be totally differ
ent course followed, though as yet it is
Simply talk. This is to have commits
sion of representatives from Hawaii
come on here to present the matter tc
the Congressional committees which
must dean with them
This idea is obtaining strength owing
the Territory is to be here, for the pur-
pose of presenting the government side
of the appeals as TO the liberty of certain
persons convicted without grand jury in
vestigation and by majority jury trials
1t is understood that the Interior Depart
ment would not be d:spleased if there
should be a visit paid by others of the
local government while the Attorney
General is here and it may be that Sec
lretary Hitchcock may find it advisable
| to ask Governor Dole to come on fof
the purpose of discussing land laws
There could be, too, a complete under
lstanding reached as to public buildings
land lighthouses as well as something as
to policy in connection with the i'm
provement of the harbors of the group
as it is hoped to agree upon system oil
Improvement which will mean several
years work, but which will not make II
necessary to expend such large sums as
would be necessary if the work was laiC
out largely now and its doing begun with
a rush
LEPERS AND PHILIPPINES.
There has been little said or done as
to the leper bin, introduced by Delegate
Wilcox. The bill of Senator Platt, whlcf
would create a commissioner Tor that OIL
fee may come up later, as it has been
given some consideration by many OF
| those who have been looking into the
problem. 1t has been said on some sides
that it would be wise. perhaps, 10 deVei'
op q small island in the Philippine grouI
! into a reservation, and send there the
/ unfortunates from the States. me dis
I ease is prevalent in the islands of the OF
, lent. and there are many persons who are
allowed To live al home who have tht
disease This would mean that there
must sooner or later be a course OF seq
reeation there. if the schools and gov
eminent are to be developed along Amer
lean lines. It would be natural then Il
make the reservation there, where th'
largest body Of the afflicted are, and tn'
lerers from all other States and Terri
tories could be sent along. Some OF INT
| folks here who have been more or les:
! interested IN Hawaii believe that thi
/ would be Of interest to those Islands
] s'nce it would remove from them tn
] stigma of being a lazaretto,. and poin
I to the bill of the delegate as being stel
1 in that direction.
!: II may he hard to fight against such