The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-11-20
Other QUESTIONS
ARE OvERSHADOWED
by LAND PROBLEM
Everything Else Subordinated To
II During Congressional
Party's Tour Of Hawaii
HOMESTEAD STRANGERS
CAREFULLY SET STAGE
Scheme To- Place Control In
Hands Of One Man viii Fail
Completely, II Is Indicated

Members Of the Congressional part,
returning from the Big Island yester
day, tired but happy and satisfied
have brought back 70 Honolulu viii
them almost as many suggested solu
tons Of what has suddenly becomS
"the land problem y rs there we're mer
interviewed ON the tour of Hawaii. The
solatious range from Withdrawing al
sane land from homestead aud re.leas
ing II to the corporations on the hes
obtRinnble terms. to cutting up all tb'
plantation lands and giving every land
hungry man in Hawaii whack nj u
Some of the soIveIr would make th
acquiring Of homestead titles as simple
and easv rs possible. while others woulf
apply the gO-year lease system 10 al
rublic lands and give no titles what
aver 20 anyone. f
On the week y tour Of Hawaii every
hing was subordinated 10 the Ian
problem. Accompanying the Offieis
delegation were the Governor, whOs
policy is alleged TO be written into tn
proposed amendment to the land la
abolishing the TWENTY-FIVE citizen peti
ion clause; Frank E. Thompson. wb
1rafted the Joint resolution which tb
legislature defeated and who is credit
cd with drofting the bill on the sam,
ines introduced in congress; Senate
Thillingworth, who sponsored the Join
esolution in the local senate: Lane
Commissioner RivenburRh, Territoris
Treasurer Mccarthy, Territorial Survey
,r Wall, g. M. Ranakanui of the Ian
,ffiee. Wallace r. Harrington, fidu
Violates of the Governor, and few
,ther boosters for the plan. The few
theirs Of the Islands Tour Committee
had no direct intimation that the tOu'
yasl to be made as exclusively for TIL
and question as Il could be made anf
took at least. twentyfour hours TO
hem TO put two and two together an
understand the complete scenario TO
"hirh theS were supposed to supply th
background -. ... g.-t.
Fond HOPES Blasted ~. ,.."s
It,may be stated, however, that what
,vSr homes those back of the schem
nav have entertained when thev sale
,wav for Hawaii were thoroughly dis
mated before the congressional Is'
re diEemharked from the Manna Ke'
f4sterday morning. There appears I
,e n general aprnprpnt that the var
ms "attemnts" heretofore made I
nan the land. hn"e not been generall
luecessful, but that there should NO
We placed Ia the hands of any on
man the power 10 decide who shOul
md who should not obtain public land
IN the Territory of Hawaii appear
equally 10 be agreed upon. aud th
agreement is that such a thing Is NJ
imerican. onrosed to the future we
ere of Hawaii and impossible of 81
ious consideration by congress.
One .of the specious arguments FIRE
'uently poured into congressional ca
ran something like this: Within tn
next seven years, by which time man
4 the Plantation leases will have eS
,ired, there will he thousands of youn
ifizens Of Japanese parentage read,
nd eligible to npnly for homestead.
18th the result that the public land
4 Hawaii fit for cane cultivation VII
o-ithiu that seven wears pass Target
'ntO japanese hands.
Progress Backwards H.
At first this argument impresse'
many Of the visitors, until it was point
a out that under no condition wOul'
t be possible to enunciate or enforc'
l policy whereby the American citizen
# these Islands could be divided ms
areutage. with one class being eligibl
II homestcaders and the other elias
,eing haired. Any such policy woul
vet ms n boomerang. If the thousand
of coming japanese voters are not t.
e trusted a. land owners, neither ar
they TO be trusted as voters, as tn
Dnes who will ultimately hold the bal
Snce of power politically in Hawaii an
dominate the legislature and the eoun
ty governments. Barring Americans o
japanese parentage from the lam
would be tantamount to acknowledge
that they are dangerous citizens, tn
Ultimate result of which would be tn
degrading of the political status of Ha
wall and the replacing Of the territor
al form of government with one j.
which the residents Of the Islands woult
have no right of franchise. This wOul'
he progress backwards, effectuall,
squelching the hopes the majority en-
terrain of eventual statehood for tn
Territory. w,s g.. ,......... y. e.. ...,. .@
What wiz probably RESULT from th
stress laid upon the local land situation
by the administration will be the aI
pointment of a special committee o
congress TO make a complete and i'm
partial investigation, for report +
congress upon which that body may aci
1t may result in the administrator o
the public lands being taken out of th
hands Of the territorial authorities an
placed in the hands of the fedora
bureau of the interior, whose direc
representative will be empowered I
determine matters of homesteading an
whose authority will be broad enoug
to allow him 70 take up each particr
lar question arising, ON its indiyidua
merits. II seems 10 be, a consensus o
opinion among the visitors that no ger
eral legislation can be made to wOr
when each particular section Of tn
Territory has its own particular twist
md quirks. . H.
Trip Wen Handled M IA p.
| -. kLa nj