The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-02-09
TER RI I TORIAL
AFFAIRS At
CAPITAL
BY Ernest q. Walker.
Mail Special to The Advertiser.)

WASHINGTON, January "a. The
sase of Circuit Judge A. N. Kepoikai,
Us cable dispatches have already indi.
Gated, is now disposed of and probably,
by the time the next mail leaves, the
commission of Selden b. kingsbury as
his successor will be on the way. The
nomination, at this writing, has not
been actually forwarded to the Senate,
but it went from the Department Of
Justice to the White House yesterday
and undoubtedly, from assurances. al.
ready given, will be sent to the Capitol
within couple of days.
The department continues to observe
secrecy about the details of the case.
Opportunity was given Judge Kepoikai
to relinquish official duties quietly and,
as the end aimed at has been accom-
plished, it is claimed that ought to
satisfy all concerned. IT was long
time before it was possible to secure
admissions in official circles that
charges against the judge had been
filed. There are still some along the
route that charges from Hawaii must
travel who insist upon their complete
ignorance of any such charges. 1t is
understood that the charges reposed
| for a time in the President s files, hav.
ing been forwarded to Oyster Bay
while the President was spending his
summer there.
During the past week considerable
has been done toward advancing divers
Hawanan bills before Congress. At
the same time it is well to remember
that there is small prospect of much
general legislation for the Territory at
TINS session of Congress. Quite half
of the session has been used in agita'
ton and discussion of more or less ex'
traneous questions and the hour has
now come when Senate and House must
buckle down to the hardest kind of
work to complete appropriation bills
before March 4 next, when Congress
expires by Congressional limitation.
The irrigation committees of Senate
and House have given hearings during
the past week. on the extension of irri
, cation laws to Hawaii. Director T. Fl
, Newell, who has been proving himselt
such good friend of the Territory
was witness at both hearings. Ht
, urged the advisability of an extension
of the reclamation law as did Delegate
KalanaIaole ard Mr.. George B. Me
Clellan. The Senate and House com
mttee' appear to be tovorably i'm
, pressed by the arguments set forth bu
/ the big hitch is over the fact tha
there would be no proceeds from thu
! sale of public lands in Hawaii to ap
; ply toward the expenses of construct
ing irrigation works. OF course, afte
, actually sold there would be none.
. coming back 10 the government for it
expenditures, but in most of the West
ern states, to which the irrigation Law
applies, there are considerable sale
annually and considerable accession
. to the Federal Treasury from whiel
the expenses of building irrigation
works can be met Not long ago tn,
irrigation law ws extended to Texas
, where the state owns all of the publ,
lands. This was done in large par
. for the purpose of furthering the gov
: ernmeut S interests in litigation owe
the international boundary.
I The House committee on claims ha
= given another hearing 10 the Queen
e claim. The committee may be favor
}, ably disposed toward the pending bill
/. in her favor but the prospects for tn
:. completion of the legislation at thi
o session are not overnight, largely be
n cause of the difficulties that attend tn
|, enactment of general legislation dui
:. ing the remainder of the life of tn
present Congress. A favorable repoI
$ from a committee, especially from tn
n House committee, would help great
a toward getting the desired legislatiO
II at the next regular session of Coz
1t gress.
., The decision of the House Rivers al
at Harbors Committee TO have only a vei
f. small-- River and Harbor bill at til
ed session cuts off all prospects of add
e, tional appropriations this winter f
ne the Hilo breakwater project. But t
Ist bill is to provide for number of s.
rd veys and it is hoped to secure auth'
ii ity for a survey of the harbor of X
hului, ON the island Of Maui, and al
for the survey of ssome good haIt
III on the island of Kauai. Such auth
ity, if the surveys result in favoral
N, | ranortS from thp army pu0inaars woi