The Hawaiian gazette., 1890-01-07
PRINCIPLES NOT MEN.

The oiSe2Se or Hawaiian ponacs
is personality. The measures for
which candidates stand are pushed
to the background or are forgotten
altogether. while the personal quail
ties OF these candidates themselves
are made the chief subject of discus
sion, aud of course receive thor
ough airing. The so-called political
arena is simply made into q public
stamping ground. where all the op-
posing personal likes and dishkes
have chance to fight it out While
this interesting process of mutual
@blackguarding" is going on, the
real public questions are left to take
care of themselves and get along as
they may.
Now, nothing Is more thoroughly
to be deplored than such a state OF
affairs as that Just described. 1t Is a
disease to which political discussion
everywhere in the world is exposed
as the mud slingingsof every Ameri-
can campaign abundantly demon
strates. 1t is something to which
we here are peculiarly owing to the
fact that the community is small, IS
olated and cut off from all in
innate contact with the great
world of larger interests aud wider
life across the sea. The only RENE
dy for the evil is in the substitution
of principles for men as topics of
discussion. Our issues should be
differences of opinion about matters
of public policy and the conduct OF
public affairs, and not as to the
merits of particular individuals.
Personal feeling. bitter hatred, or
equally blind admiration of particu-
lar men or classes of men have al
ways dominated public discussion
here from the earliest times. Our
public controversies have been vir-
tually an extension to politics of the
kind of talk that goes on in society.
Honolulu has always been disposed
to fall into cliques, perfectly nat
ural consequence of the fact that the
elements of our society have been
drawn from many different national
ities, from different classes. with very
varying interests, occupations and
ways of life and thought These
separate interests have furnished so
many distinct eenters of crystslliza-
ton, around which sO-cslled circles
sets or cliques have been formed
Some of these have been more active
in politics than others, and it is per
hsps this circumstance which has
given rise to the phrase, family
compact The community was
small, with nothing moving or stir
rng in it, with hardly anything to
make even g weekly paper out Of
Every one was acquainted with the
affairs Of everyone else, and this
gave the inevitable gossipy turn to
our social and q personal character
to our political life.
Il Is still this same personal ele-
ment which continues to WELD so
important an influence IN public
affairs to-day Ii is the secret not
merely of the opposition. but of a
great deal of the support OF the
present Ministry The Csbinet is
sustained by vast number purely
because they feel q confdenee in Its
personnel And If this Is true even
Of the friends of the GoEernment, il
Is truer in much higher degree of
It's enemies 1t il impossible 70 pin
down the foes Of the administration
to statement of their grievances
They cannot be induced to draw an
Indictment 4 few himsy allega-
lions come to the surface in c0nver-
sztion. but they do not bear inspec-
ti0n- and ara evidently not argu-
ments on which belief Is really
founded, but merely arguments IN
vented 70 Justify pre-conceiyed be-
Lief Ii Is not then really against
the acts or principles Of the admins
trsts0n that opposition Is really d.
rected The secret Of It Is to be
found elsewhere Il lies in > per
sousl feeling, s vague discomfort, an
echo Of an old grievance. = reuekition