Hawaii's Federal Judge Delbert E. Metzger wanted a straight yes or no: Have the Islands' civil authorities any authority or not? Last week he got a fairly straight no: for the present, Hawaii is still very much under martial law.
On Dec. 7, 1941, when Hawaii seemed ripe for invasion, the Territorial Governor thankfully handed over the reins of government to the U.S. Army. But since the worst of Hawaii's fears of invasion were over, civil authorities have been trying to get the reins back. Last March, loud public grumbling finally resulted in a proclamation which "relaxed" martial law in the...