The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-03-09
A DEMOCRATIC
LICENSE
PLAN
ITrom sunlay'. AdverlI.erl


The concurrent resolution introduced
in the House Of Representatives. asking
that Congress suspend the Coastwise
shipping laws in the interests Of com.
mercc, received its death blow in the
Senate yesterday. 1t was tabled on
the motion Of senator Fairehiid after
a brief debate in which Il appeared to
he the general sentimeBt OF the upper
house members that il would be a waste
of effort 10 forward the document to
Washington. Senators Palmer Woods
and kalama voted against the tabling
of the resolution, both being members
of the Committee on Public Lands
which reported favorably on the reso.
luton with an inconsequential amend
ment.
The fishing bill introduced by Sem
ator Coelho Of Maui, passed second
reading on vote of ten to FIVE. This
bill, which the judiciary Committee
recommended to be postponed indef-
initely, completes for the honors that
were attained by some of the bills re-
Gently introduced at the California
Legislature and which were only halted
upon the representations of the FEEDER
al government Coelho g bill, should
ii become law, will absolutely prevent
any Japanese subject from fishing in
the waters within the jurisdiction of
Hawaii The provisions of the meas
ure state that any person not citizen
of the United States "or eligible to
become such'' fishing in the waters of
the Territory shall be guilty of a mis-
demeanor. AS il stood this masterpiece
of mountebank legislation only stipu-
lated actual citizens and contained no
eligibility clause. Even Coelho was
ashamed of it as it stood originally and
fastened to amend it yesterday.
President of the Senate w. o. Smith
felt called upon to take the floor in
protest when Coelho submitted an
amendment of the same bearing in the
measure asking that the Federal gov
eminent assume the responsibility in
the condemnation of private fishing
rights. This bill stipulates ''the people
at large' as the beneficiaries, but
Coelho interpreted this to mean a direct
attack on the sovereignty of somebody
So he moved to amend it so that
it would read with his favorite clause
"citizens or eligible to become such.''
81 feel that it is my duty to protest
against this sort of legislation" said
President of the Senate Smith after
Vice President Kalama had taken the
chair of the presiding officer. 'This
is matter affecting treaty rights and
should be considered carefully. Serious
questions of public policy are involved
in this measure.'
President Smith urged that consider
alton be postponed and finally succeed
ed in having it deferred for a week.
The limit in retrogressive legislation
is reached in new Whisky Bill intro
duced into the House yesterday morn
ing by Furtado, the introduction of
measures intended to reopen the whole
liquor agitation being apparently
Democratic prerogative. Furtado s bill
includes all the bad points of the pres
ent law, throws out all the good points
and substitutes others a thousand times
worse than any the Territory has ever
had
Furtado s idea is to turn the powers
of the Board of License Commissioners
over to the Boards of Supervisors,
which would throw the whisky ques-
ton squarely into county politics and
not only succeed in making the liquor
question worse one but would also
succeed in still further botching up the
rest of the county business. The sug-
gestion is a vicious one and ii carried
through, which it will not be, would
present possibilities of corruption in
county affairs and county elections OF
an alarming nature. The Republican
! majority in the House can be depended
upon to live up to their platform pledge,
: however, and kill this bill.
Sheldon IS statehood resolution whoOp-
, ed through second reading as joint
t resolution and was then amended SO as
!. to become n concurrent resolution,
] which made any third reading unnec.
essary. Just what there is behind this
/. sudden desire of the member from Wal
8 mea to elevate Hawaii into a higher
political sphere has not developed. 1t
is probably laundering for notoriety,
= as Sheldon must know, the same as
$ everyone else who thinks, that Congress
}, would regard a proposal to bridge the
Pacific as quite as sensible proposal
just now as to give statehood to this
/ Territory.
Notice Of the signing of seven bills
\ by the Governor was given.