The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-01-07
FIGHT FOR FEATHERS ON
OLD GUANO GROUND

the talk of Max Schlemmer getting
new lease OF Laysan, as If he ever
had a lease, and the meat of the CON
versation is that if there is any trans
action looking to a monopoly of Lay
san, then the United States will want
to investigate the full diary of Max
Schelemmers recent trip to aJpan.
There's no more guano on Lay
SAN" says a waterfronter that's
worth speaking of, and its not guano
that Max is after. It's birds, feathers
and bird-skins. Max has been to ia
pan and probably arranged for a
bunch of Japs to go to Laysan to kill
birds for their skins for the supply
of the millinery industry; big bust
ness, that, If Uncle Sam does not OBJ
ject. But it happens that the United
States wants to preserve the Laysan
Island feathered citizens"
The Hawaiian Government used to
exact one dollar per ton on guano
brought here from Laysan, for rev.
enue; that's the nearest thing to
lease. as far as the waterfront Is
aware. Privileges have been granted.
but no legal lease was ever eventual
ed
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
can create legal liability to pay One
Dollar in that way Independent of the
Mayor l do not see why they cannot
create the liability to pay One Hun
dred thousand dollars in the same
way. 1t is true that an Appropriation
Bill for quarter of a million dollars
has been introduced into the Board
of Supervisors, and from the fact that
notice of this Appropriation Bill has
been published in the newspapers,
should infer that finally this Appro-
priation Bill will be submitted to me
for my approval or veto, but that ap-
prevail or Veto cannot, if the position
of the Board of Supervisors is cor
rect, reach the question whether I'M
der the law I have a right to pass up
on the creating of obligations and LA
bilities in the first instance, and whe-
Their I have the veto check upon such
action by the Board of Supervisors or
not. That is the main point in CUES
ton.
when this Appropriation Bill comes
before me, if it does, it will be large
ly a question simply whether 1 shall
agree to the paying of bills heretofore
incurred by the committees of the
Board Of Supervisors where | have had
neither voice nor say as to whether
these liabilities in the first instance
should be incurred or not. Anyone
who read the rules voted through by
the Board of Supervisors at their frs,
meeting could see at once what those
rules meant. They went far wide OF
the question of who should be officers
or who should not, or who should ap-
point them or who should remove them
and, believing as l do that l have,
under the law, the right to pass upon
and approve or veto any proposed ex-
penditure of public money before the
obligation has been incurred, upon the
direct issue of whether the same shall
be incurred or not, and believing also
that this right is a vital one to the
public interests, have been compelled
to enter a consistent protest against
all action involving expenditures in
this way, from the beginning. Now
how is that issue to be settled? II
compromised, compromised in what
way? | do not consider that | have
) any authority to waive such a right
anyhow. If the court holds practically
that my veto does not reach the ques-
ton of mourning Obligations, but only
comes in after the obligations have
been incurred on the question of pay
ing existing obligations well and gooG
but 1t is clearly matter that cannot
be compromised on the side by any.
one; the courts have got to decide that
issue.
Il stated in my inaugural address
and have repeated since, that wish
the matter settled before the courts
and that is still my desire and + am
; more than willing, and have always
been so, to have the matter settled
promptly in court. Not a single per,
= son has approached me from the Other
: side suggesting a suit OF any com
promise, other than the one to divide
up offices, as already stated. The
Board of Supervisors is absolutely ir
the hands of the Republicans, the
courts have been open to them from
the very first, and | cannot under
stand Mr.. Smiths almost threatening
= letter addressed to. me this morning, 4
| he desires the matter settled before
= the courts, and | now suggest to hin
that he take a hand and have tn,
r matter settled promptly before the
, court assuring him that | will NEE
Il