The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-10-23

general election of 1887 its mission was
not, as few thoughtless people seem to
imagine, and as a larger number of evil
| disposed people would like to believe sub
stantially ended.' This statement OF
an almost self-evident fact the Bulletin
chose to distort into an assertion that
everybody who did not endorse the Re-
form party and its acts, or who differed
from the ADVERTISER in politics, was
either "thOughtless or evil-dispOsed."
| The Bulletin knows better Therefore,
not for the instruction of that journal,
whose misrepresentation we take to be
wilful, but to clear the matter up in the
minds OF any who may happen to have
been befogged thereby, we will offer the
following illustration. The writer of this
article is an American by birth, and in
political sympathy with the Republican
party. He believes the Democratic
party to be the organized representative
of the worst elements in American poll
tics, and Grover Cleveland huge politi-
cal fraud. But he is not so stupid as to
imagine that any possible outcome of
the pending election is to end the career
of either the Republican or Democratic
parties Let Mr.. Cleveland be defeated
| ever so overwhelmingly, and the Demo-
cratic party goes on it's way the same as
before. And why? Because that party
represents opinions held by a large sec
ton of the American people, it has
record and a policy concerning live
! questions, it embOdIes ideas and tenden-
| cies which, whether we like them or not,
| are real and important factors in Ameri
can politics. For these reasons, and not
because it is right, or sound, or wise, or
| pure, the Democratic party exists and is
| likely to exist, at least as long as any OF
! the present generation survive to take
| any interest in political matters. The
Democratic party of the United States
represents something, and therefore it
lives. Defeat at six successive presden-
tial elections failed to break up its organ
ization or destroy its vitality. Our APP
prevail or disapproval of that party has
lIOGlllDS W NIO Will Jul ICCOSlllblOII dIlCI
| acknowledgment of the fact of it's con-
tinuance. In the same way the Reform
party in Hawaii represents something
and therefore lives and is likely to con-
tinue so to do. 1t represents ideas in
constitutional government, and a general
policy in public affairs, which we con-
sIder essential to the well-being of the
community. 1t came into existence to
meet crying want, and has pretty
we'll understood position on most vital
issues OF the day. Whether it be right
or wrong is a question we are prepared
to discuss at all proper and reasonable
times But right or wrong, the matters
with which the party concerns itself are
very important matters, its avOwed prin-
ciples take hold of the very foundations
of government, and it is pledged to the
carrying out into practice of ideas in
which large body of voters feel deep
and abiding interest. We return then
to our original proposition, that an ina
bility to recognize SO obvious a fact or an
unwillingness to acknowledge it, is strong
presumptive evidence of either defective
intelligence or defective integrity, or both.
With the statement which we actually
made, and not with the one which it
falsely attributed to us, we understand
the Bulletin to be in full accord. 1t is
because the mission of the Reform party
is not ended, and not likely soon to be,
that our neighbOr is SO tOuchy. 1t is be-
cause the predictions of dissension and
disaster, of a factious and recalcitrant
majority in the Legislature, of a Minis
try unable to obtain the support of their
own party, and breakup of things gen
orally, which have been put forward so
abundantlv and reiterated so bumptiOusly
for many months past, have been con-
tradicted by facts and proved to be with
out solid foundation, that the very men
ton OF the Reform party has become so
Z" grating and scraping and rasping" to
our neighbours nerves. We propose
from time to time to discuss the record
of the Reform party, the principles on
which we understand it to be based, and
what we believe to be its claims to public
confidence and support. Ii any one finds
this subject too utterly unbearable, if the
grating and scraping and rasping' SEN
sation produced is beyond his endur-
ance, he can either stuff his ears with
cotton, or crawl into an empty vacuum
pan. His presence there would hardly |
impair the vacuum to any appreciable |
extent.