The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-08-02
OUR CANDIDATE?

The Bulletin asks: Does. the Ad-
: vertiser want President Dole for Gov
ernor?"
We have assumed, since the annex
alton took place, that President Nc
Kinley designated with little delay, the
person whom he deemed fitted for the
place, and therefore the appointment
was not an open question. Perhaps we
are In error.
II he has not made the appointment,
our position is that President McKin-
ley has not shown himself incompe-
tent to administer the affairs of the
country, and can be trusted to desig-
nate some excellent person to fill the
Office. II We are not grossly misin-
formed, he knows something about our
men here, and he can readily obtain
definite information about our politi-
clans and statesmen from many men
about him.
In making his selection, he may look
rather to the interests OF Greater Am.
erica, than to the local interests of this
'littie bullet just rising out of the
ocean"
Besides the President owes nothing
10 any political party here. If the
Republican party on the Mainland has
a candidate, we presume he may re-
gard its wishes.
Mr.. Sewall may be the Presidents
choice. II so, no one doubts, we pre-
sumo, Mr.. Sewall's capacity and fitness
for the Office. If the President prefers
Mr.. Sewall to Mr.. Dole, he has excel
lent reasons for it, as he is not work
ing in the dark.
We like to tell our younger readers
that when the great Republic was
the wisdom of the Fathers was that
General Washington, as President, and
his successors, should choose, and be
responsible for, the persons appointed
to Office. And II was not the custom
10 run the machine" under Washing
tons political nose, seize II, and pull
IL about The President was deemed
competent by the, Constitution (how
stupid the Founders Of 1t wereD to
select the persons who should hold
Office.
But in the course Of time. 1t be-
came the custom, the outgrowth of de-
mocracy, for the party which elected
the President to dictate to him the
men who should receive Office, and so
the Constitution was in its spirit nulli-
fed, excepting as the Civil service laws
affect the appointing power.
Practically debating to the Presi-
dent was in the practice of both poll
teal parties, for many years.
Out of this practice came the APP
pointment of United States Commits
sioner Borden to these Islands in about
1860, who once entered the Office OF
II. NJ. Whitney, editor of the Adver-
tiser, and attacked him with bowie
knife, but was prevented from doing
him harm by the vigorous interfer-
ence of lawyer Jas. w. Austin.
II the doctrine. ito the victors be-
long the spoils" is now the rule here,
we do not see why Mr.. Dole, or Mr..
Damon, or Mr.. Cooper, or Mr.. Smith
are not just as much "victors" as the
Central Committee
But before We get down into the
mud Of common politics, and We shall
get there fast enough, the Advertiser,
and some of its readers, would like,
after the manner OF the Cinnamon, to
worship their ancestors" and humbly
acknowledge the virtues Of the great
Founders. who made no provision for
the machine" in the Constitution.
After that, and in due time, We may
respect, as practical politicians" the
directions of the many other gods,
which are as numerous in public life,
as they are in a Chinese Joss-house.