The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-10-09
WALLACH NOW
HAS LAST
HOPE:
Board of Health viii
Be Asked to Give
Him Chance.

Governor Frear gracefully turned
down j. Lor WalIach and his Home
Rule hackers, despatching letter yes
terday to Charley Motley In which the
buck is passed up to the Board OF
Health. As was predicted, the Govern
or gave as his main reasons for the
refusal of the petition that Wallach
be allowed to treat number of select
ed lepers the fact that the matter was
one to come properly before the Board
of Health and that the committee de-
sired by Wallach was not one to take
lintelligently in hand the question OF
either disease or cure
The refusal of the Governor to en-
tertain the Home Rule program failed
to dampen the ardor of the healer or
his patron Motley. Now they propose
taking the matter up directly with the
Board OF Health at the meeting of that
body either today or tomorrow. There
is reason to suppose that this time the
Board Of Health will be found willing
to make proposition to WalIach,
probably to allow him to go to Mololiai
to demonstrate his claims. 1t is taken
for granted by both Wallach and Not
ley that the references to the Board
of Health in the letter of the Governor
are straight tips to them to make this
attempt
The letter of Gevernor Frear is as
follows:
Executive Chamber, Honolulu, Ha-
wall.
October s, 1907
Mr.. Charles Motley, President, Inde-
pendent Home Rule Party, Homo
lulu, Hawaii.
"Sir. I have examined the petition
and accompanying exhibits presented
TO me few days ago by you and
Mr.. William White representing the
Executive Committee of the Independ..
ent Home Rule Party on behalf of Mr..
j. Lor Wallach, and have given these
and also the statements made by you
and Mr.. Wallach on that occasion due
consideration.
The request is that Mr.. Wallach be
permitted TO select and treat Iepers
under the conditions set forth in his
statement attached to the petition. The
conditions set forth in the statement
and explained to some extent orally
are, in general, that a committee of |
twenty laynen be selected, subject to-
Mr.. WaIlach's approval, TO go with him
to the Leper Settlement to select .fif- |
teen Iepers to be brought to Oahu, |
there to be subject to his sole superyi- /
sion and treatment for six months, at
a place provided by him and at his
own expense, subject to the approval
Of the committee; the public to be al
lowed to see the lepers when they ar
rive, the history of each case and a
photograph of each patient to be pub
ished officially in the newspapers from
time to time; the opinion of the COM
nfttee that any of the Iepers have been
cured to be final, and such persons
not to be returned to Molokaf. The
committee, 1 understand, are to form
their opinions from outward appear
tnces, without expert or bacteriological
est.
,'All viii agree that the discovery of
| cure for leprosy would be one of the
greatest boons that could come to these
stands. Many believe that Mr.. WAL
ach has such a cure: many believe
hat he is an imposter or seIf-deceived:
many feel that he should be given an
opportunity to show what he can do
ome because they believe in him, some
because they think it would please
thers and do no harm, some because
hey think it would be the best way
0 prove him an imposter; the LegisIa-
ure at its last session passed a con-
urrent resolution requesting the Board
f Health to give him permission to
reat 9epers.
THE board is, of course, under the /;
aw the appropriate body TO act In a
natter of this kind and / might well
efer the petition to that body with or {
Tithout suggestions on my part, but :
nder the circumstances deem it best
D reply directly, because, if for no
ther reason, the request is of such I
n extreme nature that I could not
commend it myself and I do not see
ow the board could grant it as
latter of policy even if it could under !
he law.
Not only should the law be observ- n
i, but the board should act with due ;.
autfon and sound reason for the best :
lterests of the public. the lepers and q
ven Mr.. Wallach himself. If his claims 8
re well-founded. He claims to have F
lred in this city 209 persons, some of =
HON at least, he asserts, were 1epers.
lie is unwilling to furnish proof OF =
lese facts in a way that can reason c
Continued on Page Three.)