The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-06-10


ing a public letter 70 the newspapers
stating his opposition to any movement
to again reopen the question OF a site
for the federal building. / certainly
hope that in view Of this announcement
Of the Delegate and the general senti-
ment in Honolulu that the question
may forever remain settled hereafter.
would state that mp to the present
time no definite effort has been made
towards securing a change in the No.
nolulu site.
"We are now making efforts to get
vote on the eoastwise suspension law
on May 16 but are not yet certain as
to whether it can be done. We are
making a personal canvass of the house
in favor of the bill and shall put il
through if possible.
with personal regards am,
GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN"
However, it seems that after he had
this letter written the definite effort
to change the siteN was made for on
the 9th, he wrote as follows:
"Jas. F. Morgan President, Etc.
"Dear Sir:-Since sending you the
original of the enclosed copy, the su.
pervising architect has sent for the
Delegate and myself to discuss the sub
ject of a possible change of the fed
eral building site
The Delegate made very clear to
him the fact that he would oppose any
effort to secure the congressional legis.
lation necessary for such change, and
made equally emphatic the opposition
of the business community to any fur
Their agitation of the subject. The
result of it all was that the supervising
architect intimated that all further dis.
cussion of any change by the depart
ment would be abandoned and we are
! hopeful that the ghost is finally laid.
Very truly yours,
"GBoBGE B. MCCLELLAN,
The first letter, dated on the seventh,
proves that President Morgan had al
I ready received some intimariOn that
there would be a renewal of the efforts
to have the site changed, and had writ.
ten to that effect to Mcclellan, who,
acting evidently on the strength of that
letter, induced the Delegate to show
official hostility towards the change, to
discourage those back of the new move
ment.
With the explanatory letter received
by the chamber from the Delegate on
the Tenyo Maru was another from Nc
Olellan, as follows;
''By this mail the Delegate is writ
ing the chamber in regard to the pos
sibility of securing the remainder Of the
Mahuku block for the federal building
| site. Since our conference with the sec
rotary of the treasury we have taken
the matter up here and there and arc
| trying to work out some plan by which
we can secure the large additional sum
necessary to bring about this very de-
sirable result.
Gas soon as the Pearl Harbor items
were struck out by the senate COM
mittee, the Delegate and at once took
that matter up with the members of the
committee and with other friends in the
senate. We then went directly to the
President and were able to enlist lis
aid, so that in the end the items were
restored in the exact form we desired.
"The Organic Act bill has now
passed congress, and we are doing our
best to get a vote on the suspension
bill before the session ends"
These letters received little discussion
on the part of the trustees of the cham
her of commerce yesterday. They were
placed on file and action deferred. AS
President Waldron of the merchants
association and Vice-President J. P.
Cooke of the chamber have cabled to
Mcclellan asking his recommendations,
the board will wait until those recon-
mendations arrive before they take any
stand on the question.
Apropos of the Pearl Harbor incident
} mentioned in the last quoted letter Of
Mcclellan, letter was also received
from Senator George w. Perkins in re-
gard to the same matter. When news
; was received that the Pearl Harbor
!, T20-foot drydock item had been stricken
from the naval appropriation bill, the
: chamber cabled to Perkins and others
asking their earnest support in having
J the item reinstated.
Senator Perkins replied that the
striking out of the item was techni.
cality and that it had been reinstated
elsewhere, adding that personally he
was greatly in favor of the measure.
: ri am very sure that the Governor
= has not gone East ON any business re-
!. lating to the federal building site, nor
7 on anything in any way connected to
it, said Acting Governor Mott-Smith
: yesterday afternoon, when questioned
regarding the palpably faxed story in
an afternoon alleged newspaper which
:" insinuated, but carefully did not state
definitely, that the Governor is playing
s the gumshoe act in regard to the Ma
huku site.
J. Mr.. Mott Smith further stated that
he knew nothing of any cables received
s by the Governor or sent by him relat-
g ing to the building SITE The Gov
9 ernor has gone to the Coast and the
n East on strictly private business
:. though, of course, it is possible that il
s he has time to stop off at Washington
n he may devote part of his time to such
Q official business as may come up fol-
Q consideration. Indeed, it would be very
strange if he did not look after the in
terests of the Territory while at the
national capital.