The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-02-19
The Governors Message
Comes and Public
Business Begins.
CFrOm Thursdays AdvertiscrA

(From Thursdays Advertiser)
The Fifth Legislature of the Terri
tory of Hawaii is in session, having
convened with full attendances in both
Senate and House yesterday at ten
O'Clock, organized for business without
delay and started in with rush. SEN
ator W. o. Smith was elected President
of the Senate, and Representative II. L.
Holstein as Speaker of the House, both
elections being uncontested. During
the opening period both branches of
the Legislature were attended by
crowds. of visitors, while the Hawaiian
band on the Capitol lawn played gaily.
In both Senate aud House, the open
ing addresses by the presiding officers
sounded warnings against extravaganza
and expressed confidence in the legisla-
tors. After the afternoon sessions, the
two branches met in friendly caucus to
become acquainted, and at this caucus
the hope was expressed by various
speakers that the two branches of the
Legislature would work in harmony
with each other and with the Governor
Senator Mccarthy advised the members
TO get acquainted with the Governor
personally and forget that there might
be differences between the Executive
and the Legislature to come. MANY
of you do not know the Governor" he
said. Get acquainted with him. If
we want to take it out of him later on
we can give him whatever he may have
coming"
The upper house of the Legislature
got down to business yesterday with
the speed that characterized the Repre-.
:sensatves and it was just two minutes
before 10 clock when Senator David
X. Baker of Hawaii, the temporary
presiding officer, brought the gavei
down on the speakers desk and for
the fifth time in the Territory's history
the legislative wheels of the machinery
of government were fairly turning.
After the routine of temporary or
ganization and the administering of the
oath of Office by Chief Justice Hart
well, Senator Eric Knudsen of Kauai
placed the name of Senator W. o. Smith
in nomination for presiding officer apd
Senator II. T. Moore offered the name
of Palmer Woods of Kohala Upon
vote being taken it showed that Sen.
:ator Smith had received ten and Woods
four. one blank being cast.
"Be economical was the warning
that President Smith made to the SEN
ators after he had been escorted to the
chair.
"There is great responsibility upon
us this session., - he declared, "and it
is not time for personal wishes or
desires to interfere with what is best
for the government. There are three
absolutely essential things that we must
secure as servants of the people of the
Territory of Hawaii The first is hon
esty: the second is efficiency, and the
third is economy
President Smith also urged upon the
Senators the necessity of attending
promptly to the committee work and
not sllow their duties to accumulate, to
be done at rush toward the conclu.
sion of the session.
Following the election of the presd.
ing officer Senator S. E. Kaama of
Maui was nominated as vice president
by Chillingworth and upon the motion
of Senator Mccarthy nominations were
closed and Secretary Savidge instructed
TO east the vote.
The election of Savidge rs clerk was
n foregone conclusion weeks ago and
Senator Coelho, in nominating Savidge,
took occasion to compliment his work
done at previous sessions.
The message of the Governor was
not read in its entirety in the Senate.
Senator Kalama moved that the docu-
ment be placed on file without reading,
but President Smith observed that such
action would be a violation of an es.
tablished and recognized custom. The
clerk proceeded with the reading for
about ten minutes when Senator Coelho
moved for the adoption of a resolution
allowing the clerk to skip to the last
paragraph and it was carried by unan'
linus vote.
Discussion of amendments to the
rules occupied the greater part of the
afternoon session of the upper house.
The rules of the 1907 session were
adopted temporarily, but the report
that was later submitted by the COM
mittee with suggested amendments
did not meet with the unanimous ap.
proval of the Senators.
One of the suggested changes was
in the method of appointing an assist
ant clerk. Under the 1907 rules the
office was filled by vote of the Senate
but Chairman Knudsen believed that
the clerk was entitled to the privilege of
appointing his own assistant because of
his responsibility and the necessity of