The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1897-09-07
The Mischief Of tho A. p. A.

The bigot is generally devoid OF
that saving sense Of humor which
greatly helps to make life worth
living. II it were not SO those Sc
cret societies, like the so.called
American Protective Association,
which are engaged in deadly war
fare against all that is most siguif-
cant and precious in American in
stitutions, would not insist on par
aiding themselves as "the patriotic
orders" Strange patriotism is this,
which begins by denying the first
tenet Of American liberty,-freedom
to worship God,-and proposes to
punish religious beliefs which it
does not share by depriving those
who hold them, not only OF their
political rights, but il possible, OF
the means OF livelihood. The very
enormity of the sworn purposes OF
these orders seems to be what gives
them their opportunity; for the
majority OF honorable men find
themselves incapable OF believing
that such purposes can be cherished
by civilized beings, and therefore
fail to make any effective resistance
to them. Thus they have the field
to themselves; and with scarcely a
protest, they creep in and intrench
themselves in one community after
another, gathering together large
mass of the ignorant and intolerant,
and by their secret methods and
their compact military organization
making themselves power in the
local elections. Many communities
have awakened when it was too lato
to find the grip OF these secret
orders firmly fastened upon their
municipal machinery. There should
be no need of warning intelligent
citizens against the dangers of such
organizations. They are the deadly
enemies Of democratic institutions.
There may be business which can be
legitimately carried on behind
closed doors, but the public business
is not Of this nature. The attempt
to control our politics in this way is
an amazing usurpation OF power;
yet the subversion OF republican
government which has thus been
accomplished in many localities has
excited but little comment. On this
question the great majority OF news
papers are dumb, while thousands
of Protestant ministers are helping
on the fatal work. Some resistance,
indeed, has been made to this domi-
nation in few instances: Massa-
chusetts, in the persons Of Senator
Hoar and the late Governor Green
halge, has furnished commendable
example, but very few conspicr Gus
politicians have ventured to chal-
lenge the secret power.
The political success OF this con-
spiracy is due, Of course, to the
machine politicians. A secret organ
ization whose vote can be controlled
almost absolutely, whose official
head can promise to throw it bodily
into either side of the scale, does
not need to have very large mem
bership in order that it may dictate
nearly all the nominations of one or
the other OF the two parties. If
twenty or even ten percent Of the
voters OF a community can DO
handled in this way, one of the
parties will be sure to give their
leaders nearly everything they ask
for. Ambitious minor politicians
will make haste to join the society,
there will be candidates enough in
its membership to fill all the Offices,
and for time the party which Sc
cures its alliance is sure to elect its
candidates. In this way, in many
communities, the control OF one or
the other OF the parties has passed
almost entirely into the hands OF the
patriotic" orders.-The Century.