Hawaii Organic Act: Congressional debates on Hawaii Organic Act
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April 6, 1900
House
v. 33 (4)
p. 3851-3864
GOVERNMENT FOR HAWAII.
Mr. KNOX. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House now resolve
itself into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union
for the further consideration of Senate bill 222, to provide a gov-
ernment for the Territory of Hawaii.
The motion was agreed to; and accordingly the House resolved
itself into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union,
with Mr. MOODY of Massachusetts in the chair, for the further
consideration of the bill S. 222.
The CHAIRMAN. The House is now in Committee of the
Whole on the state of the Union for the further consideration of
Senate bill 222.
Mr. McRAE. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike out of section 80,
lines 13, 14, and 15. beginning with the word "except," in line 13,
and ending with the word "only," in line 15.
Mr. SHAFROTH. That section has been stricken out.
The CHAIRMAN. The effect of the proposed amendment by tie
gentleman from Arkansas could not be heard at the desk.
Mr. McRAE. It is to strike out, in lines 13, 14, and 15, on page
85, of section 80, beginning with the word "except;" in line 13,
and ending with the word "only," in line 15.
Mr. ROBINSON of Indiana. That section has been defeated.
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair is informed that that section has
been stricken out of the bill by an amendment heretofore
adopted.
Mr. McRAE. The whole section?
Mr. SHAFROTH. All except the last paragraph, and in lieu
thereof the Senate section has been adopted.
Mr. KNOX. That was done last night.
Mr. McRAE. Did the amendment of the gentleman from Col-
orado cover all of the section?
Mr. SHAFROTH. It took in all of section 80 down to the
eighth line of page 86, and in lien thereof it inserted the Senate
section.
Mr. McRAE. Then, Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my amend-
ment.
Mr. MONDELL. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment to offer.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will report.
The Clerk read as follows:
Insert, before the word "all" in the eighth line of page 86, the following:
"All officers appointed under the provisions of this section shall be citizens
of the Territory of Hawaii"
Mr. MONDELL. Mr. Chairman, the proposed amendment follows
the amendment made last evening on motion of the gentleman
from Colorado for the appointment of certain officers, and
provides in effect that the judges of the supreme court, the circuit
courts, the attorney-general, the treasurer, the commissioner of
public lands, the superintendent of agriculture, the superintendent
of public works, the superintendent of public construction,
auditor, deputy auditor, surveyor, high sheriff, members of the
board of health, commissioner of public instruction, board of
prison inspectors, board of registration, inspectors of election, and
other boards shall be citizens of the Territory of Hawaii. Mr.
ROBINSON of Indiana. Does it provide that the circuit-court
judges shall be citizens of Hawaii?
Mr. MONDELL. It does. It provides that all the officers mentioned
in the amendment adopted yesterday afternoon shall be citizens of
the Territory of Hawaii.
Mr. KNOX. Mr. Chairman, I will state that the committee has no
objection to that amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on agreeing to the amendment
offered by the gentleman from Wyoming [Mr. MONDELL].
The amendment was agreed to.
The Clerk, proceeding with the reading of the bill, read as follows:
All persons holding office in the Hawaiian Islands at the time this act takes
effect shall, except as herein otherwise provided, continue to hold their re-
spective offices until such offices become vacant, but not beyond the end of
the first session of the senate of the Territory of Hawaii unless reappointed
as herein provided.
Mr. ROBINSON of Indiana. Mr. Chairman, I have an amend-
ment which I wish to offer.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will report the amendment.
The Clerk read as follows:
Amend by striking out lines 8, 9, 10, 11,12, and 13, on page 86, and insert: "All
persons holding office in the Hawaiian Islands at the time that this act takes
effect shall continue to hold their respective offices until their successors are
appointed and qualified, but not beyond the end of the first session of the
senate of the Territory of Hawaii unless reappointed as hereinafter
provided."
Mr. ROBINSON of Indiana. The only purpose of the amend-
ment is to provide that the officers shall hold until the expiration
of the first term of the senate, and, as I think, is in better lan-
guage and less open to misinterpretation than the language of the
bill.
Mr. KNOX. I think that is already covered by the language of the
bill.
Mr. ROBINSON of Indiana. But the chairman of the committee
will see that the language used in the section might be open to
some misinterpretation, and it is only to prevent that that this
amendment is proposed. It has been submitted to the members of
the committee on the other side and is satisfactory to them.
The amendment was agreed to.
Mr. NEWLANDS. I offer the amendment which I send to the
desk.
The Clerk read as follows:
Amend section 80 by adding:
"It shall be the duty of the surveyor to report annually to the Department of
Labor and to the governor of Hawaii and legislature, the area In acres of all
holdings not less than 100 acres in extent, whether by grant, lease, or
otherwise, of agricultural land in Hawaii; by whom owned or held, the character
of the cultivation, the number of laborers employed on each holding, the
nationality of the laborers, the daily, weekly or monthly wages paid, and
such other information as the Department of Labor may prescribe. And it
shall be his duty to call on all such holders of agricultural lands for, such
written statements as may be prescribed by the Department of Labor. Any
failure to make such a statement by any person or corporation shall subject
such person or corporation to a penalty of $100 for each and every refusal; to
be collected and enforced by the government of the Territory of Hawaii in
the courts of Hawaii."
Mr. NEWLANDS. Mr. Chairman, the purpose of this amend-
ment is to obtain statistical information relating to the agricul-
tural lands in Hawaii and the labor employed upon those lands.
The population of those islands consists of 60,000 Asiatics, 40,000
Kanakas, 15,000 Portuguese, and about 8,000 other whites. We
can readily understand that if the entire legislation of those is-
lands drifts into the hands of the landed class, we shall have there a
republic in name only.
I take it, the purpose and aim of our legislation is to increase
the immigration of free white persons to those islands; and our
duty is to obtain such statistical information upon this subject as
will enable us to legislate upon it intelligently hereafter. At pres
ent the labor there is mainly the labor of Asiatics. There is no
reason why white labor should not be employed in those islands.
The Portuguese and the Italians are excellent laborers in a climate
of that kind.
We have had a large experience with both these classes of laborers
upon the Pacific coast, and we have found them exceedingly efficient.
Most of these people who come to this country are poorly educated,
but their children under our free-school system acquire an education
and become intelligent citizens, exercising the duties of citizenship
consistently with the spirit of oar institutions. Now, it seems to
me that if we can encourage that kind of immigration and
discourage Asiatic immigration, we shall march a long ways in
the line of making the Hawaiian government a republic in spirit
and essence as well as in form.
Of course we do not want to interfere with vested rights there.
Nor do we wish to interfere ignorantly with the conduct of business
there. But the purpose of this amendment is to secure this sta-
tistical information which will enable the legislature of Hawaii to
act, and if it does not act wisely, will enable Congress itself to act
on this subject.
Mr. WHEELER of Kentucky. Allow me to say to my friend
from Nevada that if I correctly caught the reading of this amend-
ment, I do not think that under it the government of Hawaii
would be enabled to collect the penalty prescribed. Unless we
shall more definitely define the violation of law and prescribe the
mode of collecting the penalty, I think the surveyor might ignore
this provision and there could be no recourse to the courts.
Mr. NEWLANDS. The amendment provides that the Depart-
ment of Labor shall prescribe the form of statement required
from those holding agricultural lands; and it is made the duty of
the surveyor to exact such a statement; and any failure or refusal
on the part of a holder of agricultural lands to make such a
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