The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-07-25

Tor California.
WELL IN HAND.
Now 1t is fact" went on Governor
Atkinson, that under the law the
Governor of Hawaii has the right to
call out the Federal troops stationed
In Hawaii to preserve order in case of
riot. But would prefer not to resort
to that excepting at the Let moment
The power of the nation is behind the
power Of the state. If the need arises.
But, as I said before, the militia will
not be disbanded, ana We have the stu
alton here well in hano."
However, the popul1r subscription
for the militia, although there is small
doubt that the amount needed will be
raised, has not yet netted the sum said
by Colonel Jones to be needed to keep
his force up. Mr.. Tenny Peck who has
the matter in train. said last night
that the subscription papers. and
pledges to the people had only been
mailed yesterday. ''As a matter of
fact" said Mr.. Peck last night. "but
little money has SO far been subscribed
by the people for this purpose The
people, in fact. have not yet had
chance to subscribe. But the amount
will be forthcoming"
MAINLAND STIRRED UP.
And, in the meantime, the action of
Hawaii in relegating the militia to the
category of useless things. has stirred
up rather sweeping storm in army
circles on the mainland. The Army and
Navy Journal of July 9. the official
organ of the War Department, has
Lieut. Col. John Mcclellan, Art. Corps,
commanding the Artillery forces sta
toned at Honolulu, has called the at
tention of the War Department to the
anomalous state of affairs in Hawaii
as described in the Army and Navy
Journal of June II, and the result ap-
pears in a pertinent expression as to
the duty of the Hawaiian government
from the Judge Advocate General of
the Army. The situation in Hawaii is
dsquieting. The territorial legislature
has virtually disbanded the Hawaiian
militia by refusing to appropriate
money for its maintenance, the conten-
tion being that the task of upholding
law and order in the islands should
devolve entirely upon the United States
Army and Navy. This action, taken at
time when labor conditions in Hawaii
are extremely critical, has had a most
deplorable effect. Colonel Mcclellan
states that large numbers of Japanese
laborers employed on the great sugar
plantations of the islands have shown
an entire disregard of the police au-
thorities and that, owing to the scar
city of other labor they are in control
of the situation. The helplessness Of
the police and the abolition of the mill
tia will make 1t necessary for the Gov
ernor to call upon the United States
forces to suppress any disorder that
may arise, and he is empowered to do
so by provision of the Act OF Con-
gress providing civil government for
Hawaii. But, as we have already point
ed out. it is altogether unjust that the
United States Army and Navy should
be called upon in Hawaii to perform
police duty against local law-breakers
who in other States and territories are
looked after by militia maintained for
just such work. This view, we are glad
vocate General of the Army.
A SURPRISED COLONEL.
1t will be remembered that when the
Advertiser called attention to the fact
that the Governor of Hawaii had the
right under the law and the army regu-
lations, to call out the United States
troops here to suppress disorder Colo
mel Mcclellan, then in command at
Camp Mckinley, found himself con-
fronted by section of the army regu-
lations concerning which he seemed to
have been, heretofore. in ignorance.
Colonel Mcclellan was later brought to
acknowledge that the Advertiser was
right and he was wrong-and then he
fell back upon the statement over his
own signature that he had not been
altogether correctly quoted-although
he would not specify in what he had
been misquoted, despite repeated in
vitations to. do so. The plain truth
probably was that Colonel Mcclellan
this paper in his own particular prov
ince.
Now, according to the Army and
Navy Journal, Colonel Mcclellan has
gone a good deal farther, and seeks to
raise an alarm on the mainland rela-
tive to the situation on the plantations
here that the facts as they exist do not
warrant. Nobody will deny that there
has been labor trouble on the planta-
tiorfs. There have been labor troubles
and probably will be again. Such
things are almost the necessary accom-
paniment of the labor conditions that
exist here. But it is not true. as the
Army and Navy Journal quotes Colo