The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-11-27

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of this whatever.
How the Exchange Was Made.
"Soon after arrived in Washing
ton / called upon Secretary Winthrop
and asked him whether anything could
be done in the way of exchanging the
| two sites, the Irwin lot for> the Ma
huka ,site,'' said Mr.. Cooper. "He
said he was much in favor of the
building being located on Palace
Square and did not favor the Mahuka
site. He said the only reason why the
deal was contaminated for the Mahuka
site was because the department con-
sidered itself bound by the Taylor con-
tract under which the Mahuka site
was purchased.
ellis department was in favor of
the civic center, which is being adopt
ed in a large number of cities.
"Afterward l saw Secretary Gar
field and found he was of the same
opinion as Secretary Winthrop and he
had also visited Honolulu, and he then,
as now, favored the building being To-
Gated on Palace Square.
"Then arose the question of how the
exchange of sites could be made. The
money had already been paid for the
Mahuka site and no other money was
available Mr.. Irwin was at that time
in New York and was sent for, and he
came over to Washington, and on No
vember 9 the deal was consummated,
as far as the department is concerned.
| The matter of the exchange will be
submitted to Congress"
"Was there any other consideration
| in tho oyahonUaq'' xyos oil cd
of Mr.. Cooper.
"That is a matter of detail which I
do not feel that I can discuss now,''
was Mr.. Cooper's answer.
"Does it not seem, Mr.. Cooper, that
this was a matter to which some pub
LEFTY might have been given and that
the people of Honolulu should have
known what was going ont" was
further question.
''No, don't think so. The Cham
Der of Commerce and Others had al
ready made known their preference
for the Mahuka site, but the depart
ment heads were not in favor of it,
and it was up to them to make the
exchange"
Business Men Opposed.
Along the business length of Fort
street, and on King street, among the
business men, in a score of interviews
had, not one of those seen favored any.
change in the Federal building site.
Such d proposal, to upset the condi-
ton which had been regarded as set
tied, was denounced, even by those
who had nothing to urge against the
Irwin site. The concensus of opinion
was that the matter had been thresh-
ed out and settled and should have
been allowed to stay settled. There is
a general fear now that another site
fight has been forced on the commu-
nifty and that between the interests
and the showings pro and con that are
certain to be made 10 Washington, the
Federal building will be two years at
least longer in coming.
Meetings of the Merchants Associa-
ton and the Chamber of Commerce
have been called for tomorrow af.
ternoon and the intention is to pass
some pretty strong resolutions in the
matter.
| "Our~ association expressed itself
very clearly in regard to the matter
before,'' said George w. Smith, presi-
dent of the Merchants Association,
yesterday. HWe certainly can not
favor any change now. / have con-
suited many of the business men on
this question and all are strongly in
favor of condemnipg any change in
the proposed site. l fear, and SO do
others, that bringing up this matter
again in the way it has been done will
seriously affect Honolulu prospects of
getting building as soon as we other
wise would. Any action taken to make
change and any representation made
concerning change at Washington
are decidedly unfair to this commu-
nifty n
At the time Mr. Smith spoke it was
not known definitely that the proposed
change had actually been made So far
as all the preliminaries were con-
cerned.
William R. Castle said: cit is an
outrage. People of this community
subscribed $4,000 to open Bishop
street so as to meet the government Is
requirements about the Mahuka site.
Full and fair agreements were made,
and Honolulu did. it part. Now we are
coolly informed that the government
proposes to break its pledge and put
the Federal building on a site which
the people of this city, after a full
| and free discussion, refused to accept.
| ] don't like the looks of this thing at
all. We must make an appeal to Con-
gress."
FrW. Wichman is another who
deprecates very strongly the change,