Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 307, 22 October 1891 — THE CROWN LANDS. [ARTICLE]

THE CROWN LANDS.

The <lo?trine that the Crown Lands are inalienal>le, is an argument aiwayB urged by the) favoritiesof royult\\ \vhenever a discus» sioo or a pmpositk)H ia advanced to do awav with whal is t4ruied the Crown Domain. Qf oowae. a?ts o£ U»e Legislaturo heen pasBed' twice or three Jo aliimaie a portion uf this v*tt whSc*i dlsprove3 of meat that haa be«n or may be

11*$^ fywmsskm &*%& 6&*ra t» i&ē Cro«r& Land 1», €kat t&e t£fcWBgtt' owned all af ihe KjBgdons originally, and the Govemment, tfee Board of Wacation r and the People receive(i their portion or divisioh of lands from the King r This right was derived throngh thej feudatory system, whioh, exigted j morē or less throughotti the until the conquest of the groun by Kamehameha, gave hiin and his hsjrs. the right now elaimed by their successors on the throne. The right of possession by foroe, never ean give substantial security to the possessor. The title is based upon a usurpation anei its elaim to an inalienahle right to it is \injust. In 1688 the i doctrkie that the Crown Land and permanent taxes of Great Britain belonged to the sovereign were done away with. William 111 sought to make grants of crown lands to some of his Dutch favorite6, but Ttas promptly eheeked by & Resumption Act, in whieh it was laid down that the title of the Nation to fchese lstids:. was inalienahie, and for*Sudfessive refgn«f remained tmi|uestioned nniil by a trick of Lord Bute upon the aecession of George 111., a renunciation tothe ajleged hereditary revenues of the| crown lands. was j made by the insertion in the preamble of the civil jist. The argument put forth in support of the vote for Quēen Victoria]s ciVil li-st, includes alsoarenunciation on per part to the crown land revenues. Thus it is obvious from £ginciple< that usurped rights are inalienahle, -ātud that ts \be position ~"of the 8 crown lands. They are alienable ? and it seems very proper that they+ should be made so, and redistributed for the purpose of encouragiug an Todustriar agncultural population in the country.