Jere Krischel at 08:27, 5 February 2006

2006-02-05T08:27:31Z

Ken Conklin at 10:09, 4 February 2006

2006-02-04T10:09:09Z

Jere Krischel at 05:11, 12 December 2005

2005-12-12T05:11:29Z

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1038 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
tone of the people there that it had produced a good deal of violent
feeling upon the part of those English-speaking people there.
The CHAIRMAN. They were opposed to it?
Mr. REEDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. HOW did the native Kanaka population seem to be
disposed toward it?
Mr. REEDER. I could not understand very much about that, because
I could not speak their language. But they quietly acquiesced in it.
The CHAIRMAN. I suppose they are a quiet kind of people?
Mr. REEDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Disposed to acquiesce in matters that they can not
easily reverse or prevent?
Mr. REEDER. They would rather lie down and enjoy themselves
under a tree than engage in any industry—as a rule.
The CHAIRMAN. They have not the energy or the scope of the Anglo-
Saxon, the Frenchman, German, or Portuguese?
Mr. REEDER. No.
The CHAIRMAN. Who, did you understand, was promoting this lottery
scheme amongst the governing authorities there, the cabinet, the
Queen, and any other persons?
Mr. REEDER. The native names there are so strange that I did not
get the names, but I understood it was a good many of the house or
the legislative body—the native men of the legislative body. I understood
further that there was this about it: it was for the purpose of
relieving themselves—creating a revenue—relieving themselves from
debt and creating a source by which some money could be obtained.
I believe that was the reason assigned by the Queen—that she had to
have it to get more money.
The CHAIRMAN. On the part of the Queen you understood it to be a
revenue measure?
Mr. REEDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Do you remember what offers they made-in order
to induce the Government to grant the charter?
Mr. REEDER. NO, I do not remember. I will say another thing in
that connection: In the Legislature it was bandied back and forward
among the natives that they had been bribed. There are two houses
there, the house of commons or representatives and the house of
nobles, and they would get into heated debates, and one would cast
up to the other that they had received bribes.
The CHAIRMAN. Did they have an interpreter there?
Mr. REEDER. Yes. A native would make his speech in his native
language and then the interpreter would repeat it in English.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you attend the meetings of this Legislative Assembly?
Mr. REEDER. Oh, yes.
The CHAIRMAN. YOU spoke of two Houses. You do not mean they
were separate bodies?
Mr. REEDER. No: they all met together, but they were designated
as such—House of Nobles and House of Representatives.
The CHAIRMAN. They sat together?
Mr. REEDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Were these accusations of bribery and corruption
freely made in the House?
Mr. REEDER. Yes; especially when the debate would go along until
it became heated.
The CHAIRMAN. So that the men who were resisting the grant of
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 1039
this concession to the lottery people were charging the other side with
bribery and corruption, if I understand you?
Mr. REEDER. The natives would do it among themselves.
Senator FRYE. Charge each other?
Mr. REEDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. But I understand the accusations came from those
who were opposed to the granting of the lottery charter.
Mr. REEDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. They charged that those persons who were promoting
or advancing this lottery scheme were bribed?
Mr. REEDER, Yes; that was the charge,
The CHAIRMAN. Did those charges produce any collision amongst
those people?
Mr. REEDER. NO; not that I saw.
The CHAIRMAN. Was there much anger exhibited?
Mr. REEDER. Yes; a good deal.
The CHAIRMAN. How did you understand that the Queen and cabinet
were disposed toward this lottery business?
Mr. REEDER. I do not know that I could give you an intelligent
answer in regard to that.
The CHAIRMAN. I mean what you gathered from general reputation
in the community. Was it understood thatthe Queen and her cabinet—
I mean the first cabinet that was there while you were in the islands—
or the later one?
Mr. REEDER. This came up for action in the last days of the Legislature.
You see the council, the legislative body, sat from May for
about eight or nine months, I guess, and this was during the time I
was there, and I did not get there until November.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you find this subject rife when you got there?
Mr. REEDER. NO ; but it was soon developed.
The CHAIRMAN. And the movement was made in the Legislature?
Mr. REEDER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you understand that the cabinet which was
there when you got there—the Wilcox-Jones cabinet]—was favorable
to or opposing this lottery bill ?
Mr. REEDER. I did not know about that. The trouble that arose
about the Wilcox-Jones cabinet arose mainly from some other things.
The CHAIRMAN. What were they? Proceed and state those other
things to which you refer.
Mr. REEDER. AS I understand the history (and I learned it from
them) there had been constant friction there over this thing which they
had conceded in the constitution of 1887.
The CHAIRMAN. YOU do not mean that they had conceded the lottery ?
Mr. REEDER. No; that lottery business was developed after I got
there.
The CHAIRMAN. GO on and make your statement.
Mr. REEDER. Up to 1887 they had a constitution which granted to
the kings (who were the five Kamehamehas and Fjumlilo, who followed
them) this thing thatthey had conceded, which was the appointing power
of the house of nobles, which houseof noblesrepresented one-third of the
body. This body was, I think, about 52 members, and 17 of thembe-.
IOTI ged to the house of nobles. The King, Kalakua, had surrendered that
right. They made that elective—of the house of nobles 17 members were
made elective by the people. But they had made another property
qualification—I mean these two parties to the constitution—which was
that any man who could prove that he had $600 income, either from his

Template:1038-1039 - Revision history

Jere Krischel at 08:27, 5 February 2006

Ken Conklin at 10:09, 4 February 2006

Jere Krischel at 05:11, 12 December 2005