DES MOINES, Iowa, January 7, 1902. The board met, pursuant to adjournment, at 9.30 o'clock a. m. Present, all the members, and, proceeding under the guidance of Mr. C. L. Watrous, the chairman of the citizens' committee, examined a site for a target range, lying about 23 miles southeast of the proposed site of Fort Des Moines. The land, which was thoroughly examined and met with the approval of the board, consists of about 480 acres of beautifully level ground, bounded by a good country road along its western side and with a range of bluffs about 100 feet in height for its southern boundary. The short and mid range and skirmish ground will have a background of nearly a mile of level meadow, terminating in the above-mentioned bluff as a natural butt. The site is amply sufficient for a regiment of cavalry to practice upon, and it can be utilized for cavalry maneuvers. There is plenty of wood, water, and grass for camping purposes, should that be necessary, and the site combines more good features than any site examined, and, in the opinion of the board, is suitable for the purpose. A map of the site is hereto attached, marked "A." There being no further business before it, the board then adjourned sine die. C. K. WINNE, Lieutenant-Colonel, Deputy Surgeon-General, United States Army, President. FRANK A. EDWARD, Major, Fourth Cavalry, Member. Captain, Tenth Infantry, Recorder. Major, Fourteenth Cavalry, Member. R. B. TURNER, Captain of Infantry, Quartermaster, United States Army, Member. APPORTIONMENT OF MEMBERS OF LEGISLATURE OF HAWAII. LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR, TRANSMITTING A COMMUNICATION FROM THE ACTING GOVERNOR OF HAWAII RELATING TO APPORTIONMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE. FEBRUARY 17, 1902.-Referred to the Committee on the Territories and ordered to be printed. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, SIR: I transmit herewith, for the information and consideration of the House of Representatives, a letter from the acting governor of the Territory of Hawaii, dated December 17, 1901, and a letter from the governor of that Territory, dated January 3, 1902, both relating to the manner of determining who of the fifteen members of the senate of said Territory elected at the first election shall hold office for the term of two years and who for the term. of four years. Section 30 of the act of April 30, 1900 (30 Stat. L., 141, 146), providing a government for the Territory of Hawaii, declares: That the Senate shall be composed of fifteen members, who shall hold office for four years: Provided, however, That of the senators elected at the first general election, two from the first district, one from the second, three from the third, and one from the fourth district shall hold office for two years only, the details of such apportionment to be provided for by the legislature. It seems to me that it was intended by this section that the apportionment of the fifteen senators into two classes of two and four year terms, respectively, was intended to be made in pursuance of a law enacted by the Territorial legislature; that is, a bill or resolution passed through each house separately and receiving the approval of the governor or being passed over his veto. Instead of this, it will appear by an examination of the senate journal, pages 228-230, 259-266, 275-277, 581-586, 591-592, and of the house journal, pages 198-199, 232-235, 237-238, 374–376, 493–499, 503, that the two branches of the Territorial legislature, against the objection of a considerable portion of their membership, made a futile attempt to apportion the senators at a joint convention or session. A resolution was passed by each house providing for the joint session and prescribing the manner of making the apportionment, but it was not submitted to the governor and therefore did not become a law, if that was necessary. The plan of apportionment proposed in the resolution was that of selecting the four-year-term senators by a viva voce vote of all the members of the joint session. This plan, even if coming within the authorization of section 30 of the act of April 30, 1900, was not, however, carried into effect. The joint session, after considerable contention, proceeded to the extent of declaring J. T. Brown and J. B. Kaohi selected as four-year-term senators from the first district, and S. E. Kaiue and William White selected as four-year-term senators from the second district, and then adjourned sine die without designating the remaining four of the four-year-term senators. Indeed, there is a question whether Mr. White was selected. The presiding officer declared that, a majority of all the members elected to the two houses not being present, there was no election, but upon appeal the decision of the chair was not sustained. It is very important, especially in a new Territory like Hawaii, that a matter such as this should not remain in a state of uncertainty or confusion. Unless it is adjusted before that time it is likely to cause much confusion at the election in the approaching November, and may lead to serious difficulty in the organization of the next succeeding Territorial legislature. I respectfully recommend that the matter receive the early attention of Congress and suggest either of the following methods for solving the present difficulty. First. That the two senators from the first district, the two senators from the second district, the three senators from the third district, and the one senator from the fourth district who received the highest number of votes at the time of the election of the first legislature be designated as the four-year-term senators and the remaining seven be designated as the two-year-term senators. Second. That the governor, the chief justice of the supreme court, and the judge of the district Federal court be directed, as a committee, to make the proper apportionment under said section 30 of the senators into classes of two-year and four-year terms. Very respectfully, E. A. HITCHCOCK, Secretary. The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. TERRITORY OF HAWAII, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Honolulu, H. I., December 17, 1901. SIR: The next election for members of the legislature will be held on November 4, 1902. Section 30 of "An act to provide a government for the Territory of Hawaii" provides— That the Senate shall be composed of fifteen members, who shall hold office for four years: Provided, however, That of the Senators elected at the first general election, two from the first district, one from the second, three from the third, and one from the fourth district shall hold office for two years only, the details of such apportionment to be provided for by the legislature. |