The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-02-05

= people there can organize another anc
competing corporation
That is the true principle OF corpora
lions today. There is no modern con-
stitution, of all the forty-five States OF
the Union, that has not long ago got
rid Of this speciaI-franchfse provision.
It always leads to trouble, and il is a
monopoly that the genius of these times
inyeighs against. Let there be passed
by this Territorial legislature a gem
eraI provision for Incorporation. Let it
i come here, approve it if we see fit, and
| in the long run we shall have gotten
rid of this whole subject so forcibiy
embodied in this measure.
Mr.. Robinson of Indiana. Will the
gentleman favor reciprocity with his
colleague, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Payne, as he. with my con-
sent, took much of my time, and yield
to me just little time?
Mr.. Grosvenor. I will give the gem
tleman all the time he wants.
Mr.. Robinson of Indiana. The only
point was to show a list of cities that
have granted franchises 70 street rail-
ways and for electric-lightfng COM
panies. number of them in Ohio per-
petual, and in all the States ninety
! nine, fifty, forty years-something I
am not in favor Of
Mr.. Charles B. Lands. For original
franchises.
Mr. Robinson of Indiana. And for
i thirty and twenty-five and twenty
| years covering cities throughout the
| country. I am referring solely now
! to statistics on the length of franchises.
| Mr.. Grosyenor. The gentleman is not
quite correct; but allowing that to be
| true, in every one of those franchises
/ power is given to the legislature to
! control the rates of fare or the rates
that may be charged by the lighting
companies, and everything of that sort,
, and absolutely to repeal the charter
| if they see fit to do it.
| Mr.. Robinson of Indiana. The gen.
! tleman then overlooks-
Mr.. Grosvenor. One moment. Let
me explain further. If that provision
was in this franchise, 1 should not feel
about it as do now. These franchises
are wisely issued for a long term of
! years. We have franchises in Ohio
that have no limit at all. We are now
limiting them.
I believe the longest street railway
franchise in Ohio is now twenty-five
years, but in every case, without ex-
ception, the legislature reserves the
right to change all these terms that
affect the people, and to limit the issue
of bonds and stocks and everything of
that sort, bringing them completely
under the regulation of the system of
government which we have. If you /
had that here, there would be some
propriety in this measure.
Mr.. Robinson of Indiana. Now, Mr..
Speaker, the matter is productive of
one thing. We are governing an in
sular possession, Hawaii, $500 miles
from our nearest point, inhabited by
census population of $4,000 people, now
grown to 175,G00 people, of whom 10000
are Chinese and japanese coolie labor
ers, 10000 native Hawaiians, and less
than one-tenth by the census are
whites, and to get that total white
population you have to take the Portu-
guese, the Koreans, the Spanish, Aus
TRANS, and the Italians into your call =
culation. Very few of the people, of
those who are white, are natives of
our own country.
The total vote there at the last cleo !
ton for Delegate was $4,000. OF those ,
Il, 900 votes less than 1000 were cast by
white voters in the island of Oahu, on
which the capital is situate. They are
the ones who are using the electric Z
light; they are the ones who have
passed upon the necessity for this leg
they are the ones from whom ,
till now no dissent has come to Con-
gress, though eight months have inter- 9
vened since the Hawaiian legislature
passed the bill; and questions such
as these will always surround you I'M ;
ess you give them the quality of home
rule. 1t is true that representatives ,
Of particular interests come to our
and to Congress to urge .
which they seek to guide US !
n with their light as paid attorneys; ;
but, sir, Ex-Governor Dole is not of !
such. Governor Carter is not, and we .
all hope that the appointees of the
President and the men appointed by :
hem, who urge US to approve this leg !
Station, are not. If they were, we we'll :
could say, Away with insular govern
nenti
If it is the purpose of the House and
Of Congress not to give these people
nome rule when their legislature, the
second elected under the law, has fav-
bred it, and when those who are con-
stituted the judges of the needs and :
interests of the people and TO provide
for the wants of the people of the Is
lands have stated that they are in :
favor of it, where the legislation for !
zen months has been before the people
and no word of dissent or disapproba- :
ton has appeared, if it is the purpose
Of this House, in their legislation for
nsular possessions to destroy that :,
quality of home rule, I stand with it ,
n the future. The Committee on the :
Territories favorabIy reporting this bill |
S your servant, and will bow to your r
mandates.
I was opposed to Hawaii being an r
lexed as an insular possession. 1 am U
opposed to their system of landed es- =
ates, mounting to tens of thousands {
md a hundred thousand acres under a L
single corporation and worked exclu-
iveIy by coolie labor. So many coolie 9
aborers are there that I believe the 9
NELL of white labor has already been +
ung in the Hawaiian Islands. 1 am Q