The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-09-29
A Great Petition
Comes to the
Senators.
The Residents Insist That
They Believe Present
System Is Best.


Leper residents of Kalaupapa have
spoken to the Commission of United
States Senator'S, and there is no possi-
bility of doubling their stand as against
the taking over of the Leper Settlement
by the United States. In a petition
which will be filed by the commission
at once $50 of the patients at the Molo-
kai settlement have declared that they
will be better pleased if the control of
the establishment rests in the local
government.
The petition for memorial to the COM
mission comes through w. o. Smith
who appears as amicus curae for the
people. There was held on Thursday last,
mass meeting at Kalaupapa, which
was we'll attended and after the fact
that the expected visit of the Senators
would not be had, was explained, there
We're several rousing speeches bearing
on the effects of the leper bill of Dele
gate Wilcox, and it's effects upon the
people of the settlement It was stated
that the first effects of such manage
ment of the settlement as is contem-
plated in the federal control bill, would
be TO make certain the division of the
families. and that then there would. be
such military control of the settlement
as would insure the issuance to the
lepers of 8 ration like that which now
comes to the soldier.
After some discussion a commit
pose of distributing copies of and Sc
curing signatures to petition or
memorial to the Senatorial Comission.
So successful was this committee
which came up in the Lehua yes
day has on it the names of near
ly 80 per cent of all the inmates of the
settlement at the present time. The
and they will be taken up by the Sena-
tors and given full consideration. Be-
fore the papers were rendered they
were fully fumigated and it is even yet
probable that they will be copied and
the copies put into the testimony of Mr..
Smith. The memorial reads as follows,
there being an Hawaiian copy and
translation in English as well, in the
same handwriting, while the signatures
show that they are originals and that
there was nothing like getting long
line of names in the same handwriting:
I'VE, the undersigned, residents of the
Leper Settlement on Molokai, would re-
spectfully present the following memo
rial relative to our position and cir
cumstances. and would ask you to con-
slider the same ana present it to your
colleagues on your return to Washing :
ton.
First. We beg respectfully to repre-
sent that we are here, not of our own
free will but at the instance and by the
power of governmental authority, as a !
measure of sanitary precaution and |
protection for the community at large, |
and that our lot is a hard one, by rea-
son of a compulsory separation from
home and friends The hardships of
cur lot are however softened TO GER
tain degree by the freedom of our life
here under the present system of rules
and regulations. Therefore we most
earnestly deprecate and protest against
any legislation which would control our
liberties and subject us to further and
greater hardships than we now have to
endure. And in particular we would
protest against any law being enacted
tending to the separation of the sexes;
q measure which in our humble opinion
would lead to serious disturbances
without any commensurate benefits.
Second. We would respectfully rep
resent that we are not in, favor of
transferring the care and management
of the settlement to the Federal Gov
ernment, but heartily endorse the posi-
tfon taken by the Hon. Secretary
Cooper. that the Territory is able to