The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-02-10
COMMENT IN
WASHINGTON
Over Conditions
In Hawaiian
Islands.

The cabled protest of Gov. Dole tc
the President against the extension OF
our general land laws to the territory
OF Hawaii has attracted attention tc
the report Of the Senate subcommittee
which visited the islands last sum-
mer. and especially to the testimony
taken by the committee which was not
issued with the report made public
some ten days since, but has Just been
published.
Among other things. the report OF
the committee specifically recommends
the extension of the United States
land laws to the islands. The friends
of Hawaii claim that the operation OF
these laws in the territory would work
grave injury, and in support OF their
contention they point to the fact that
there is q strong movement at the
present time In the United States look
ing to the repeal OF several of our
present land laws, which has, in fact,
as principal argument that part of
the Presidents message relating to
the new irrigation law and the public
domain.
The President in his message
strongly condemns the desert land
law, the Communication clause of the
homestead law and the timber law,
and acting upon his recommendation
bills have been introduced in Congress
providing for their repeal. It Is now
claimed that to make these laws oper-
alive in Hawaii would be a grave mis-
take, since the laws there in force,
which are those which existed during
the period when Hawaii was repub-
lie, are fairly good and especially ap-
plicable to existing condition there
THE HAWAIIAN LEPERS.
The committee also recommended
that the leper settlement now existing
on the islands be made a national
leprosia, to which all the lepers in the
United States should be sent.
what has Hawaii ever done that
she should be inflicted with this?"
asked a prominent Hawaiian planter
who is stopping in Washington. 1--WE
have. enough trouble in handling our
own lepers without assuming the bur-
den of all those which can be picked
up in the states. Leprosy Is a dread
full disease" he continued, "and yet
most people have far greater horror
Of being near leper than there Is any
real reason for. would not hesitate
in the slightest to shake hands with a
leper. in fact, have done SO. Leprosy
can be contracted only through con-
tact by the mucous membrane, or
through some sore or cut.
'For this reason the lepers in our
leper settlement are allowed to marry
and bear children, and there are only
two instances, | believe, where the
children of lepers confined in the Ha-
waiian lazaretto have had the disease
transmitted to them. They are taken
away from the parents when they are
very young and kept in isolated es-
adjustments until it Is seen that they
are free of the disease.
Nevertheless, we have In the ISL
ands all We want to take care OF in
this line. Our authorities are also
constantly on the alert to find those
among the general population who
have become afflicted. Every effort is
made, naturally, when a man or wo-
man finds that he has leprosy, to keep
the knowledge from the authorities,
and among the pure blood natives es-
pecially all sorts of schemes are re-
sorted to to escape detection"
WATER FRANCHISES.
Another recommendation OF the sub
committee which is being vigorously
protested against is private legislation
by Congress relating to water fran
chises in the Islands The major por-
ton of Hawaii Is dependent upon irri-
cation, and good land which has water
available for irrigation is of great
value.
Water rights are as valuable as they
are in any of our Western arid States.
The usual method OF the government
has been, when any proposition has
come before 1t, to allow the construc-
ton of irrigation bitches or storage res
ervoirs on the public domain 10 hold
public auction and sell the right 10
the highest bidder, subject to such re-
strlctlons and conditions as the govern
ment sees III To prescribe.
The Senate committees report how
ever recommends the passage Of II. II.
II ,997, which grants over the heads Of
the Territorial government an extreme
ny Nhluhhi" lIlBhtlnn franchise Wllnoul
any recompense To the government
Hearings were held on this Hawaiian
ditch bin last session before Senator
Foraker's committee, and Mr., Foraker
himself introduced resolution proyid-
Ing that tho application IN this case
should be- submitted for the approval
~ the Secretary ~ the Interior of the
United states,
An examination ~ the testimony Ia
ken before the committee during 40
hearings IN Honolulu last summer
shows also that permission was given
by tho committee 90 parties interested
90 present any testimony desired after
the close ~ the committee hearings. II
seems mat subsequently a petition
from an the planters residing along lh'
| linn NJ the proposed diloh, protesting
lHgHluHi the enactment ~ ~ AZ n NtI