Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-09-19
DISCRETION
UNFAIR. He
CHARGES
Ashford Declares in Two In.
stances Governor Used Pow
er to Discriminate

Two charges, made by Attorney
Ashford for Prince Kalanianaole, In
which the administration is accused
Of exercising discretion" I'm with
holding homesteading tracts that
amounted to &, elimination, formed
the principal sensational feature
OF today's heA ag before Secretary
OF the Interior Fisher. in the Senate
chamber of the government building
Both are so serious in nature that
the Secretary instructed Attorney
Ashford to make further investiga
ton and produce definite evidence
showing either the truth or falsity OF
the accusations, and Ashford himself
expressed the hope that the rnmors
would prove untrue, because, he de
clared, he and his client are not
seeking to develop scandal of this
character
The first OF these charges was
made In the form of a statement in
which Ashford said the story had
come to him that residence lots, sur
veyed along the highway on the Ha-
kalau homestead tract, had been
withheld by the government through
the fear that stores would be built
on them TO enter into competition
with the plantation stores of the dis
.trict.
The other was the charge that lots
near Hilo had been withheld from the
Thompson Settlement Association by
the administration largely because OF
the belief that the persons desiring
to take them were store clerks or
members of that class of townspeo-
pie, who would not cultivate them
and would not make good farmers
Governor Frear gave an explanation
Of the aforementioned charge that
proved quite satisfactory. He said
the residence lots fad been surveyed
and held in reserve for the home
steaders. but they had failed to make
any application for them. The lots
had not been advertised, and he adj
mitted that Il was possible no appli-
cations had been made for the reason
that the people did not know they
were open for settlement.
These subjects cropped up in the
last few minutes of the mornings in
qpiry. all Of which was given over to
problems OF the land department, with
Land Commissioner Joshua Tucker
occupying the witness chair through
out.
at the close Secretary Fisher in
structed Attorney Ashford to bring
before him all the evidence he could
find in any way relating to these two
charges. This evidence, presenting
both sides of the question, will be
probably the first thing taken up at
the next public session in Honolulu,
which Secretary Fisher has set for
$3.50 o'clock Monday morning, Sep
tember 80. The party will leave Ho-
nolulu at noon tomorrow for a ten
day tour over the islands of Hawaii
and Maui. the itinerary Of which has
been published in the Star-Bulletin.
In plain. unquestionable terms Sec
retary Fisher this morning publicly
denied the story in the morning paper
stating that he had given his approx
al to a set Of homesteading and land
laws devised by Albert Horner and
handed by that person to the morn
ing sheet for publication. The ,Secre-
tary made his denial in his opening
remarks.
Advertiser Statement Repudiated.
Today's inquiry began at 10 o'clock,
instead of $50 as before.
The Secretary, addressing Attorney
Olson, asked for suggestions on the
land problem.
The Secretary said: 81 have ex-
pressed no approval of any plans pre-
sented by, anybody, and wish that
whoever is responsible for the article
in this mornings paper would take
prompt steps to correct the statement
made there that / have approved a
set of plans said to have been drawn
by Mr.. Albert Homer"
Land Commissioner Tucker was
then called by Attorney Olson, and
queried concerning the Aloha Alma
settlement General lease No 637,
the right of withdrawing
lands for homesteading, was produced
by Tucker, who stated that privilege