The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-08-13

questions submitted am justified in
believing that, as business men, you
are of the opinion that best results can
be obtained through the administra
tion of affairs by the Republican party,
and that when you state that your
committee of seven was appointed to
undertake the canvass of available
men for office in the coming fall cam
paigu, with view to securing candi
dates who, il acceptable, could look for
the political support of the business
community as whole, you intended
TO refer to candidates on the Repuhli.
can ticket. IL / am wrong in this you
may at once eliminate the rest of my
letter, MS l am candidate for the
nomination for delegate on the Repub-
lean ticket.
90 Your first question is ms follows.
'Will you agree to the entire elimina.
tion of the Frear.Kuhio controversy at
the coming Republican conventioni'
Question Evaded.
"I have never asked the Republican
party as party to take up the Frear
Kuhio controversy; on the contrary,
have consistently urged that the party
take no part in it. Many months ago
urged the chairman of the territorial
executive committee to have the com
mittee do nothing whatever about it,
To my request that this course be pur.
sued, the committee replied by active
~ entering the contest in favor of Gov.
emor Frear, thus insisting that the con
troversy should not be eliminated as a
party question.
"And when, in March last. left ITo
nolulu to return to my place in congress-
/ did so in pursuance of an agreement
with n representative of the business
men, that in the then approaching con
vention, the Frear- Kuhio controversy
should be eliminated. But you are
aware how well that agreement was
kept when upon the assembling of that
convention the business interests at
once insisted upon placing Governor
Frear at the head of the delegation to
Chicago.
Leaves a ,Loophole.
''Your next question is: 'Will you
support the ticket as nominated at the
coming Republican convention regard
LEGS of whether you are nominated or
not7'
81 have said above that I am Re.
publican, which means that will abide
by the action of the Republican conven-
ton. The only qualification should
make TO this would be that, if it should
transpire that the convention was con
trolled and dominated by coercion and
bribery, and that its action by reason
of this should not fairly represent the
wishes of the Republican voters, i
would not feel bound by it. I am sure
that you gentlemen, representing rs you
do the business community, will most
heartily join with me in this qualifica-
ton, since, as rule, the business com
munity of Hawaii is in favor of honesty
and fair play.
"Your next question is, will you run
as an Independent, if you fail to secure
the nomination of the coming Republi-
can conventional My answer to the
question Immediately preceding is a
sufficient answer.
On the Land Question.
"Tn your next question you ask me
to define what / mean by n more lib
eral administration of the Land Law
"Again do / have no hesitation in
answering. 1t has appeared to me that
our present land laws have been admin
istered on the theory that applicants
for homesteads are, as a rule, dishonest;
that applications are not made in good
faith; that persons apparently seek
ing homes are actuated by hidden, sin
lister motives. So palpable has been
this course that 'homesteader' has be-
come Synonymous with 'fakir' insofar
as the present administration of the
land laws is concerned. Quite contrary
to the rules followed by the executive
departments, by the courts, and by CON
gress in dealing with homesteaders of
the public lands of the United States,
of liberal construction in favor of the
homesteader, the officers charged with
the administration of the laws of Ha-
wall have adopted the policy of a strict
construction in favor of the government
and against the homesteader.
''Tc enter into detail as to this mat
ter, and to cite the many instances
which establish beyond peradventure of
doubt the existence of such policy,
would be to reopen in this letter the
controversy concerning the reappoint-
ment of Governor Frear. This i know
You do not desire. Suffice it to say that,
whether / continue as Delegate or not,
/ shall do all in my power to completely
change the policy which I believe has
been consistently pursued during the
last decade.
Wants Middle Glass.
"I believe that the time has come
when IT will be necessary to build up in
Hawaii a middle class, which is the on
ly guarantee of permanent prosperity in
any community. Just as long as the
land laws are administered in such n
way that citizens of the United States.
or persons qualified to become citizens
experience difficulty, and meet with Of
fhcial Encouragement in their efforts
to secure homes, the establishment of
a middle class will be exceedingly diff
ficult.
In this connection may indeed 90
one step further than the above. Not
only shall ] continue to urge this lib.
eral construction and administration of
the land laws. but wherever they may
be found deficient, and in themselves to
fus oh