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concerning the Hawaiian Islands as they should deem necessary or proper. The Commissioners having fulfilled the mission confided to them, their report will be laid before you at an early day. It is believed that their recommendations will have the earnest consideration due to the magnitude of the responsibility resting upon you to give such shape to the relationship of those midPacific lands to our home Union as will benefit both in the highest degree, realizing the aspirations of the community that has cast its lot with us and elected to share our political heritage, while at the same time justifying the foresight of those who for three-quarters of a century have looked to the assimilation of Hawaii as a natural and inevitable consummation, in harmony with our needs and in fulfillment of our cherished traditions.

"The questions heretofore pending between Hawaii and Japan, growing out of the alleged mistreatment of Japanese treaty immigrants, were, I am pleased to say, adjusted before the act of transfer by the payment of a reasonable indemnity to the Government of Japan.

"Under the provisions of the joint resolution, the existing customs relations of the Hawaiian Islands with the United States and with other countries remain unchanged until legislation shall otherwise provide. The Consuls of Hawaii, here and in foreign countries, continue to fulfill their commercial agencies, while the United States Consulate at Honolulu is maintained for all appropriate services pertaining to trade and the revenue. It would be desirable that all foreign Consuls in the Hawaiian Islands should receive new exequaturs from this Government.

On the sixth day of DecemThe Territorial ber the President transmitGovernment. ted to Congress the voluminous report of the Hawaiian Commissioners. A large portion of this report was simply descriptive and historical of the islands and their inhabitants. The customs of the past and present were dwelt upon and the industrial conditions of the present time are reviewed.

Three bills were proposed for presentation to Congress all of which were for the purpose of carrying out the recommendations of the Commission as to the future government of the Territory of Hawaii. Of the principal bill the Commissioners say that it will be "such a measure for the government of the Hawaiian Islands as will best promote the interests of their people at the same time that it promotes the interests and maintains the sovereignty of the people of the United States."

It is evident that the Commissioners fear that the interests and sovereignty of the United States will not be promoted by the granting of the franchise to the common people-only those people who can count their wealth by the thousand are granted full citizenship. This was the law of the islands previous to the annexation, and the Commissioners seemed to have preferred such electoral restrictions to that

race, on either the paternal or maternal side, who were citizens of the Republic of Hawaii immediately prior to the transfer of the sovereignty thereof to the United States, are hereby declared to be citizens of the United States."

Provision is made for a Legislature, to consist of two houses, a Senate, to consist of fifteen members, as at present, and a House of Representatives, consisting of thirty members, double the membership of the House under the Hawaiian Republic. The members are to be elected at a general election to be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, 1899, and bi-ennially thereafter. The Supreme Court is to be sole judge of the legality of election to a seat in either House in case of contest. No member of the Legislature is to be eligible for appointment or election to any office of the territory, and no officer or employe, notary public or agent of the territory is to be eligible to election as a Legislator. There is also a provision that no person who, having been entitled to qualify and vote prior to October, 1897, and since July, 1894, failed to register as such voter, shall have a vote unless he shall take an oath to support the Constitution of the United States. The sessions of the Legislature are limited to sixty days in duration, and each member is allowed four hundred dollars as salary and ten cents a mile for traveling expenses.

A Senator is required to be a male citizen of the United States, thirty years of age, to have resided in the territory three years, be the owner in his own right of two thousand dollars' worth of property, or to have during the preceding year received an income of one thousand dollars.

Representatives must be twenty-five years old, male citizens, must have lived three years in Hawaii, and must either

own five hundred dollars' worth of property or have an income of two hundred and fifty dollars a year.

Voters for Representative are required to be male citizens, twenty-one years old and of one year's residence in the territory, to have registered, to have paid all taxes due the Government, and to be "able understandingly to speak, read and write the English or Hawaiian language." To be qualified to vote for Senators a person must possess all the qualifications and be subject to all the conditions required for voters for Representatives, and in addition own in his own right real property worth one thousand dollars, upon which valuation legal taxes shall have been paid for the year preceding that in which he offers to register, or shall actually have received a money income of not less than six hundred dollars during the previous year.

Five registration districts are provided, and the Governor of the territory is authorized to appoint registration boards, with the advice of the Senate.

tives in Congress by the voters qualified to vote for Representatives in the Legislature, this delegate to possess the same powers and privileges now accorded to other delegates in Congress.

The Government is to appoint a Chief Justice and two Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, the Judges of the Circuit Court, the members of the Board of Health, Commissioners of Public Instruction, prison inspectors, Boards of Registration, inspectors of election and other public boards that may be created by law, and all officers whose salaries exceed two thousand dollars per annum.

Other provisions of the bill are as follows: The Governor is to possess the

veto power, but his veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of the Legislature.

The Legislature is authorized to create town, city or county municipalities. W

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Foreign goods and articles Taxation imported into the island Than Repre- after July 7, 1898, are, if sentation. afterwards brought into the United States, to pay the same duties charged upon like articles when imported from any foreign country. The existing laws of Hawaii, not inconsistent with the Constitution and Laws of the United States, or this act, continue in force, subject to repeal or amendments by the Legislature of Hawaii or by Congress.

The laws of Hawaii relating to public or Government lands continue in force until changed by Congress, but no leases of agricultural lands are to be granted, sold or renewed for a longer term than five years, unless Congress shall direct.

The laws of Hawaii relating to agriculture and forestry are continued in force, except as they may be modified by Congress or the Legislature, and the Secretary of Agriculture is charged with the duties of examining the laws of Hawaii relating to agriculture, forestry, public lands and public roads, and reporting thereon to the President. bill also provides that the Constitution and Laws of the United States locally applicable shall have the same force and effect in the territory of Hawaii as elsewhere in the United States.

The

This is the usual provision found in the acts of Congress providing for the establishment of Territorial governments in the United States, but the Commissioners regard the provision as exceptionally important in this bill for many reasons, among which they mention the continued importation of Coolie

labor into Hawaii. Remarking upon this point they say: "It has been the policy of the Government of Hawaii, before and since the establishment of the Republic, to import men under labor contracts for a term of years, at the expiration of which they are to return to the countries from which they came. Those brought in are mainly from China and Japan. Since the act of Congress annexing Hawaii was passed prohibiting Chinese immigration, the Hawaiian sugar planters have seemed to be making an unusual effort in securing the importation of Japanese laborers, fearing trouble and embarrassment on account of insufficient labor for the care and carrying on of their sugar plantations. Of course, it becomes necessary to extend our labor laws over the islands, so as to prohibit all kinds of foreign contract labor from coming to the territory.

The question whether white labor can be profitably utilized in the sugar plantations is yet a problem; but the planters are preparing to give such labor a trial, and some of them believe it will prove superior to the labor of either China or Japan. บ

The Commissioners Other Colonies take pains to express

Not to Fare

So Well. their united opinion that the plan outlined for the government of Hawaii cannot be regarded as a precedent for Porto Rico and the Philippines, saying on this point:

many good people in the United States, the Commission deem it proper to say that the people of Hawaii are capable of self-government, and have proven this by the establishment of the Republic of Hawaii and the adoption of a Constitution and code of laws which will compare favorably with those of any other Government, and under such Constitution and laws have maintained a stable Government for several years, worthy of a free people. The people of these islands are more or less familiar with the institutions and laws of the United States, while the laws of the little Republic are largely taken from the laws of this country. It cannot be said that either the Porto Ricans or the Filipinos are at all familiar with our system of Government or with any other based on the principles of liberty. The underlying theory of government is the right of self-government, and a people must be fitted for self-government before they can be trusted with the responsibilities and duties attaching to free government. The remarks are made to negative the idea that because the people of the Hawaiian Islands can, in the judgment of the Commission be consistently given self-government to an extent almost equal to that given the people in the States, it can be safely inferred that other insular possessions which the United States have, or may acquire by treaty with Spain, can be granted equal freedom in government."

The report is unanimous except upon one point, on which President Dole makes a minority recommendation. This recommendation is for a Board of Advisers to the Governor of the Territory, and he recommends that the Treasurer, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Works and the Commissioner of Public Lands shall be

constituted special counselors of the Governor, to be consulted by him concerning all matters of public policy.

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Mr. Dole gives as his reason for this recommendation the fear that, without some such provision, the Governor may arrogate to himself greater power than is contemplated. Outlining his reasons for this position, he says: 'While, with some misgivings, I have assented to the provisions of the majority report, which place the executive power of the Territory in the hands of one individual and do away with the Executive Council, I am unable to accept those which confer upon the Governor the appointment of all subordinate officers, and, which, while giving him the appointment of heads of departments, with the approval of the Senate, permit him to remove them without approval, a power not enjoyed by the President of the United States. Nor can I agree to the absence of any provisions whatever limiting or checking the Governor's executive power under the laws excepting as to the approval of the Senate required in certain appointments."