The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-02-25

| tnat You We're speaking OF. were car
ried out. and any vote that happened
TO be put in with a mark on il was
thrown out as a bad ballot, as having
a mark of identification on it. under
the provision that anything with az
Identification on it shall not be put in
then in that case you would not change
the result of the election, and We could
throw out all these. and you could see
what the result waste 900 TO 1000
The Chairman. Yes; and a man who
goes to any such poll TO vote ought not
| to lose his vote because a ballot was
unlawfully printed. or because the cleo
| ton officer did not carry out the in
| structions of his superior.
Mr. Atkinson OF course not
Mr. Miller. I can not see how he
would lose his vote-how he could be
held to have lost his vote-simply be-
cause he voted a ballot of that kind;
he knew that it was torn off, that dis
! tinguishing mark. whatever it is; it
! is done in his presence.
The Chairman. But the secretary
says, Suppose that it was not torn
| off, then he suggests that it should
not be counted
Mr.. Atkinson. No. And there is an
other thing I would like to state-that
; I told them I wanted them to send in
their complaints, and | advertised that
morning in the papers; I put in a whole
! column advertisement, and said that
! if there We're any complaints to bring
! them to me and I would attend to them
personally, and during that day / got
! no complaints: but of my own initia-
/ tive, from what I heard from the gov
! ernor, I got into a carriage and drove
around to the places, and I found that
some had been following the instruc-
| tions and some had not.
The Chairman. Honolulu is the place
where the returns all finally go?
Mr.. Atkinson. Yes sir.
The Chairman. How long does it
take you to get them from the most
remote precinct?
Mr. Atkinson. The returns?
The Chairman. Yes; the returns of
the election.
Mr. Atkinson That is. from the
steamer coming in. We have the wire
less coming in, you know The official
returns. you mean?
The Chairman. Yes.
Mr.. Atkinson. They take some time.
There is one place. Papa, from which
the steamer comes once in ten days,
to go on a long horseback ride. There
is no telephone there, and it might take
nineteen or twenty days to get the
returns from that place.
The Chairman. They could not come
from that island on horseback to HO-
noIulu?
Mr.. Atkinson. No, sir; by steamer.
The Chairman. It is any time, then,
tan tn three Wpal<So
Mr.. Atkinson. From ten to twenty
days
The Chairman. How long is the trip
from here to Honolulu?
Mr.. Atkinson. Ten days.
The Chairman. They can get the re-
turns here in Washington, then, sooner |
than you can get them in Honolulu?
Mr. Mcclellan. Yes, sir.
Mr. Atkinson. I Iefts Honolulu and !
got here on the tenth day. It can be |
done in nine days-nine and d half /
days.
Mr.. Mcclellan. 1t takes the mail
eleven days.
Mr.. Weemz. How long does the
steamer trip take?
Mr.. Atkinson. The transport takes |
eleven to twelve days, but the regular |
steamer takes six days. They generally !
hold themselves down to that. 1t is
. 100 miles.
Mr.. Mcclellan. There is one practi-
cal suggestion that I would like to
make in this matter. Here is an cleo
ton that seems to have been carried
on in good faith by the authorities, and
the results have been very marked. in
so far as the majorities are concerned,
not simply in their representation in
Congress, but in the local Legislature.
That Legislature will convene this week
Or next week. If there is any doubt in
lnyhodys mind in regard to that SEN
atotial legislative result. it has not
been expressed in the public press at
all. The 6les come here and are in the
Library, and we all can
see them. The only complaint is in
regard to the delegateship. Now, the
point is this: If the election of the
Delegate is declared illegal in that
method. it will retroactiveIy and con-
structively raise the question of the le-
sality of the local legislature which is
sitting this week or next week. and the
avs which they enact will, of course,
De brought into question, and there will
De endless litigation growing out of
hat. / do not cite that as a ground
or not taking up a matter if the facts
warranted it, but I do cite it as a ground
Why no tnve tigatton into the results
should be made and it is a serious
question. because it raises. consequences
erious far beyond anything alleged in
his hOme-rule memorial. This protest
$ made by the Home Rule party. which
eceived the smallest vote of any of
he three parties in this election. and
hat party is the one that per-
istently attempted to divide the entire
erritory on race lines. 1t has been
heir entire stock in trade to attempt
o have all the population in the Ter
tory divided on race lines. They sue
eeded in electing the first Delegate
hat was returned to Congress. They
ave never succeeded since in controll- Y
ng the government. They are the peo- l
lie who are making this protest here, c
nd a gaiuSt the interests SubSta ptially, c