The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-10-22
|. |. NJ CANDLES
ON LAND LAWS
Back From Kauai. He Talks
Vigorously at Two
Meetings.

Kauai yesterday and began his cam
( yaigu Of this Island b. making TIVE
speeches. one a. the Democratic meet
ing at KaEaako. and another Al Liliaa
ard WyIlfe streets. Both meeting.
were large ones and both were enthus
iastic. At Atkinson Park, Kakaako
seats had been provided for four hun
bred. and these were all filed and halt
as many more people stood At Lila
and W-yI!ie streets, the meeting wa:
even larger than the one q week or Sd
+ ago At LfHha and School streets.
| 8LcCanTIe=s was greeted with eheers
when he appeared at the Kakaako meet
ing. His speech was frequently ap-
pIauded, and there was quite q demon
stration when he concluded.
''The Democratic party in It's plat.
form" he began, .'decIares for the
application Of the principles Of the
American land law TO this Territory.
We have succeeded in securing such a
declaration in the National Democratic
platform. William Jennings Bryan.
our candidate for President, is pledged
to this. The Republicans are seeking
to misrepresent this by saying that we
declare for the American land law as
a whole. We do nothing Of the kind.
We declare for the application Of the
principle of the American land law.
The Philippine Islands have the prin-
cipIe Of the American land law have
copy of the Filipino land laws right
here. 1t provides that any Filipino or
any American either can, on very rea-
sonable and simple terms, acquire 10
hectares, 1919 acres, of the public lands
of the Philippine Islands It strikes
me that since the principles Of Amer
lean land law have worked well there
IL ought to work well here. And if
the Filipinos, without any representa-
tion in Congress, as they did not have
any when the law was passed. could
secure the extension of the principle
Of the American land laws 10 their
public lands. why can not we. with
representative in Congress. anxious to
work for something for the benefit Of
the people. instead of something for
the benefit of the plantations, DO the
same!
"The Republicans tell You not 70
vote for me because / own consider
able land. What about the Republi-
can caDdidatel As the owner of a
half interest in the Kapiolani Estate
he owns several times as much land ~
/ do. Ny lands, however, are not
mOrtgaged. What about dozen or
score Of prominent Republicans who
are working hardest against me who
own immensely more land than I do ?
But suppose / do own considerable
land; suppose ! do own land that !
secured from the government. is that
any reason why the land laws should
remain as they are, wholly within the
control of one official and admins !
tered so that the public, the men who
haven't land can t obtain anv for
homes or to exert their industry on? |
Because ! have land and vet am in I
favor of land laws that shall make
1t possible for the people Of the Ter !
ritory to get public lands on reason |
able conditions. I am declared to be /
a public enemy, while the men who /
have immensely more land than I /
have and are opposed to making it |
possible for the people to get any /
of the public domain for homes. they |
are the safe and sane guides. They |
are the solid and respectable citi- /
zens whose views ought to prevail.
What are the influences that are
opposing reform in our public land
laws2 The Alexander & Baldwin in
terests are among them. In addition
to the many thousands of acres that
the Alexander Baldwin interests
own on Maui through their various cor
porations, they control by lease 4O.6O7
acres of government lands together
with water rights which produce from r
seventy to a hundred million gallons |
4 day, and all this-land and wafer
At an annual rental Of Sl1,175. Tt costs
Oahu Sugar Company to pump seven
tv million gallons of water a dav per
year S21s,000. And vet Oahu Sugar
company makes n profit out of il. On
hat basis the water rights which the
Alexander & Baldwin interests lease
from the government ought to be worth
1T least 100000 a year. with the land
thrown in. No wonder they were
anxious to have the Organic Act amend.
I'd so that leases Of public agricultural
and can be made for fifteen instead
IF only five wears.
son the Island of Kauai there are
81, 900 acres of government land. and
yet according to the published lists of
he land department there are onlv
eleven people leasing public lands on
hat island. Ism t it about time that
'ome effort was made to make il posi-
bic for the people who haven t land |
o get somel One of the features of
he Filipino public land law is that
persons owning sixteen hectares of
and, thlrty-nine and half acres. or
Vho have once secured an allotment !
II public lands are not entitled TO Sc
ure any more. That would cut me
'ut from securing any government land
lere # similar provision were placed
n our land laws. if people are afraid
hat | am agitating a change in order
o get more government land.
Perhaps the reason the Republicans
re fighting so hard against the appliea-
ION of the principle of the American
and laws to our public lands, is that
{ would destroy the possibility of a
ew of them controlling the great bulk
f the desirable lands of the Terri