The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-10-23
THE LAND BARON
FROM WINDNARD
CONTINUED from Page One

the extension OF Inc spirit or the Fed
eral land law
"Governor Frear has a good deal te
say about what the Republican party
has done. He speaks of the visit of
Mr.. Newell here as one of its achieve.
ments. | am glad Mr.. Newell has
come. But his coming has nothing to
do with the laws governing the public
lands OF Hawaii, nor their administra-
ton. II tell You what the Republi-
can party has done and hash t done in
regard to the public lands of Hawaii
and II tell You what Governor Frear
has done in regard to them. They
haven t asked Congress to make it any
easier to get the public lands into the
hands OF citizens who want to make
homes on the land and to support their
families from the land But it has ask
ed Congress to make it easier to keep
the public lands out of the hands of
the people This whole region right
around here on PunehbowI is public
land held under lease by you. A bill
was introduced in Congress about four
years ago to enable you people to pur-
chase the lands on which YOU have
built your homes, at the expiration of
your leases, on reasonable terms. Has
the Delegate to Congress or the Gov
ernor, CT the Republican party, done
anything to secure the passage of that
bill2 Nothing. But what they did Sc
cure from Congress was an act ena-
bling the Governor and the Land Com
missioner to make longer leases to
plantations, thus keeping the public
lands longer out of use as homesteads.
Possibly under this law lease of the
land on which you have built your
homes, can be made to the Kapiolani
Estate for fifteen years.
s'The Governor says that we can get
the Hawaiian land laws amended. But
the fact remains that the present Dele.
gate representing the Republicans has
been in Congress for six years and
hasn t got them amended yet except
in the interests of the plantations and
the large landholders, and against the
interests of the public and those who
want homesteads.
"What was almost the first act of
Governor Frear's own administration?
1t was to put out of the possibility of
homesteading for many years to come
$4,000 acres of public lands on the
Island of Hawaii; and shortly after
wards another % 600 acres was put out
of the reach of homesteaders for a pc
Rod representing the greater part Of a
generation.
Governor Frear says the public
lands yield a revenue to the Territory
of 100000 year. I have here the
figures furnished me by the Territorial
Treasurer for the five years ending
June 30 1905. They show net reve-
nue. of s9,662.39 a year, which is a
good deal less than 100000 a year I
haven t the figures for the past three
years, but | do not believe the revenue
has increased to anything like 100000
a year
fsGovernor Frear SAYS that the Dem
ocrats in this land matter are asking
for an impossibility. Well. we are ask
ing for the extension of the principle
of the Federal land laws to Hawaii,
which, it seems to me, is right in line
with President Roosevelt IS expressed
determination that Hawaii should be
developed along traditional American
lines, and should not continue land
of great estates titled by cheap labor.
extension of the principle of the Fed
eral land laws to Hawaii? VIII any
President be- Certainly, William Jen
nigs Bryan. our next President, will
not be. VIII any Congress oppose the
extension of the principle of the Amer
lean land laws to Hawaii? No, sir.
The opposition to any effort TO get the
lands into the possession of American
citizens who want them for homes and
small farms and for hcmesteads does
not come from Presidents nor Cen
crosses. 1t comes from influences right
at home here; influences which Gov
ernor Frear has felt and viii feel, and
which he will be strong indeed if he
can withstand; influences that the
Democratic party is fighting and viii
continue to fight
Governor Frear had a good deal to
say about the Garfield Memorial on the
lard question. That memorial was in
to Secretary Garfield g re-
quest for constructive criticism on
the land question; and the central
thought and the principal proposal of
that memorial was that in order to
make the public lands of the Terri
tory serve their purpose in building up
here an independent American citizen
ship with an interest in the soil, and to
prevent speculation. and land grabbing,
and the monopolization of the land,
The public lands of the Territory shall
be sold or leased only on condition
hat none but American labor be en-
1loyed in tilling them, and that home
steads shall always remain homesteads
and not be merged into great estates
Tiled by cheap alien labor
"Governor Frear expresses great
concern for the native applying from
Eau or Kona for a bit of land, being
obliged to write to Washington about
l. Even If we proposed that he
should have to do SO, he would prob
a1ly get a satisfactory answer, which
: more than he does as a rule now
when he writes to the land office here
n Honolulu.
'tThese things do not rest on my
word alone. The evidence Of them IS
apparent. Mr.. Single IN
he Governor presence at the Or
1heum corroborated some Of the things
have been telling the people. And
Single is not the only business man
vho can corrob0rate what I say.
"The truth IS that Republican by
7ocrisv. Republican double-dealing and
he control OF the Republican party |