The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-17
HAWAIIAN
MATTERS AT
WASHINGTON
Especial to the Advertiser.)

| tSpSCldI ~ Tic l4StIp
WASHINGTON. February 1.-The
Hearings on the Chinese exclu-
sion bill are proceeding before House
and Senate committees. The radical
Eexclusion people are not meeting with
the progress they expected. 1t is al
ready determined that the Kahn
Mitchell bill. prepared by the Pacific
Coast Senators and members, will be
materially changed in the House COM
mittee The arguments against the
bill have been very strong. Thus far,
however, there have been no develop
ments favorable to the hopes of the
Hawaiian people for special exceptions
| allowing Chinese laborerS to come in
there
Delegate Wilcox is now able to sit
up considerably every day. but has not
yet been out of doors. His physicians
say that he is out of all danger, and
that in perhaps two weeks he can be-
gin to go out.
Mr. Edgar Caypless went to Chicago
early in the week He is expected back
in a day or two.
Probably before this letter reaches
Honolulu there will be announce
ment by the President regarding the
court-martial of Lieutenant Howell.
who married in Honolulu, and who is
now at Salt Lake City, under sem
tence of dismissal from the army on
a charge of drunkenness. There is
every probability that Lieutenant How
oh
with a light sentence, and be retained
in the army.
The judge advocate general of the
army has dissented from the verdict
of the court-martiaI and Secretary
Root has approved of the judge advo-
Gates decision. 1t seems that Lieu
tenant Howell had incurred the disap-
prevail of some of the old sergeants
of the battery, who were constantly
ing the company as their old captain
had been in the habit of doing. The
lieutenant did not like that sort of talk,
and so one day. after he had taken
two or three drinks, put the battery
through a severe drill, after his own
ideas. 1t developed that while the
drill was pretty rigorous, it was alto
gether a proper one. but there seems
TO have been a conspiracy to do" the
lieutenant on a charge of drunkenness.
While his drinking may have Eeen re-
sponsible it was by no means of such
a character as to warrant his dismissal
from the army.
Mr.. McCrosson is expecting at an
early date, a hearing before the House
bill of the Hawaiian Ditch Company,
referred to in previous letters.
Representative Kahn, of California,
has introduced a bill to relieve Col |
ector Edward r. Stackable, at Homo
lulu, for the loss of three gold GER
-ificates of $4,000 each, issued on the
Assistant Treasurer of the United |
States at San Francisco, on January
81, 1901, payable to the order of the |
Bank of Hawaii, which were lost on |
he Pacific Mail steamer Rio de Janeiro |
February % last, near San Francisco |
larbor. The bill went to the COM |
nittee on claims, from which it has |
,een favorably reported. There is pro- |
yision in the bill that Mr. Stackable |
must first file in the Treasury a bond |
If indemnity in double the amount of |
he principal of the certificates with
,ood sureties.
The report on the bill for redemption |
# Hawaiian Silver coinage has been
PRESENTED to the House by Chairman
;outhard, of Ohio. The action of the
ommittee was mentioned in previous
etter. There is little in the report
kept the formal correspondence the
ubstance of which has already been
ent in my letters.
The testimony of Mr. William Hay
-ood before the ways and means COM
littee has not yet been printed, but is
expected before the middle of next J.
-eek.
Secretary Root has recommended to
congress the appropriation of 5000 to
ainburse the Honolulu fire department
Dr damage to its apparatus while as
listing in extinguishing a fire in the
pal pile belonging to the Quartermas-
ars Department in November 1900
he letter was referred to the commit
ee on claims.
ERNEST G. WALKER :