The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-02-13

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1894.
LEAGUE NOMINATION.


can League has put its request for
representation there into concrete
form; and it remains for the An
nexation party to say whether the
request shall be granted or whether,
at the great risk to political unity,
it shall be resisted or denied. We
take it that nothing can be said
against Mr.. Smith personally.
He is in trade he is one of the
armed defenders of the Govern
ment, he is capable, honest and
loyal and his obligations, as a
member of the League, are to fight
in season and out Of season for an
nexation to the United States.
Such a man deserves the place to
which the candidacy now points.
The general recognition i'll the
party of this fact leaves it to be
inferred that, if he is seriously op-
posed tonight, it will be on the
ground that the American League
has no right to ask for voice in
the Councils of the Government to
which the services, of all its mem
bers are devoted in either a civil or
military relation.
Upon this point let there be fair
treatment, AS a usual thing 1900
men comprise, in Honolulu, the
number ofreform patriots VINO have,
since 1887, gathered in mass meet
ing to work changes i'll, or give en-
enlargement to, the existing Gov
ernment. The American League
has on its rolls nearly half Of those
1900, and all of them are depended
upon to protect and sustain the
powers that be. AS the League is
devoted to annexation and to good
government it surely is proper
body to be drawn upon for some
Legislative material. 1t has the
right Of numbers and of principles
to a seat and a voice in the common
Government-in fact, to many seats
and voices.
The objection is made that the
League is a secret body. This
story the STAR unhesitatingly de-
MES. The constitution and bylaws
of the League are public property,
and these contain all the secrets"
which the League has ever made,
except, perhaps, the passwords
which are used to keep Royalist
spies out of the League meetings.
To be sure, the League holds its
sessions behind closed doors; but
so, a great part of the time, does
the Advisory Council So at all
times does the Executive Council.
So do the stockholders of
our secret-fearing contemporary,
the Ad0erhSer. So does nearly
every civil or political body which
is in danger Of being invaded by
those who have no business with it
or are unfriendly to its code of
principles. But withal, the Ameri-
can League has no secrets which
any patriotic American is not EN-
titled to share; none that many of
the best and safest citizens of Hon
olulu have not been willing to ac-
cept; none at all, of the nature of
political principles which have not
been given to the public time and
again. 1t is absurd and offensive
to raise something like the old
anti Masonic secret league cry,
against a body which has pub
lished its constitution, by
laws and platform and has
shown the faces of its peo-
pie in an open meeting to which all
members of the Government have
been invited.
If it be conceded then that the
League has right to be represented,
it follows that it would be an affrout
to party unity to oppose its candi-
late. So would it in any event
What seems desirable, therefore,
rom every point of view, except,
perhaps, that of a small conserva-
i've group which believes that it
vas born to rule, is that Mr.. Smith |
hould be endorsed tonight by the |
Annexation party and given Gre
lentials that will entitle him to take |
lis seat. Rival candidates., in view |
# the real and valid claims of the /
league, would be productive of dis
ord, confusion and bad blood. Can
he party at large afford that risk
'hen the cheerful aid Of every pat
lot is needed to secure the common
yelfare?
Run but one candidate, fellow
.nnexationists. Run ID. b. Smith. I