The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-06-05
THE REJECTED CLAUSES.

The only success boosted Of by the
machine is In striking out the clauses
in the rules governing the Republican
party which were put there TO secure
honest primaries. Two OF them are the
vital clauses OF every measure provid-
ed by the Legislatures OF the States
to protect the purity Of the primary
election; and opposition to them there
as here is confined to the professional
politicians who want to gain by fraud
what they cannot get by votes or de-
serve by moral worth.
The two clauses referred to are as
follows;
Section 4. After said permanent organi-
cation all applicants for membership
must attend at regular meeting of the
precinct organization in which they re-
side. and sign an application for admis-
sion. In which said applicant shall state
that he is n resident of said precinct, Is
in sympathy with the principles Of the
Republican party, and he intends to vote
for its candidates. Said applicant shall
be referred to committee on member
ship. which shall investigate said appli-
cant's eligibility and report thereon. A
majority vote OF the members present at
such meeting shall elect.
Further by requiring that registration
for party primaries close fifteen days be-
fore holding the election.
Now what did these clauses mean?
The first one meant that a man must
. IL ho To too ~,
before he can be permitted to vote at
Republican primary. Is not that
reasonable and in strict accord with
party usage in every well-governed
community? In the States, men who
want to use party to elect them
selves and their fellow schemers To
Office so they can plumber the taxpay
ers, object to this clause and try to
substitute the open primary" but the
places are now few and far-betw een
where such primaries are permitted to
exist. Even California baked at the
open primary after a long experience
in seeing corrupt Republican bosses
win in 1t with the help OF Democratic
heelers loaned by corrupt Democratic
bosses, and the Stratton reform law
was the result. Such reforms are COM
mon everywhere on the Mainland but
the trafflcking politicians who want to
govern Hawaii for their private benefit
are fighting tooth and nail to prevent
their introduction here-and charac-
teristically they try to make a virtue
of their offences.
The second clause, over the fraudu-
lent elimination of which the machine
men chuckle, is one of the most neces-
sary safeguards of the honest primary.
The idea of closing primary registra-
ton fifteen days before election Is to
enable Republicans to inspect the rolls
for the names of Democrats, aliens
and others who have no right to share
in the internal government of the
party. By means Of demagogic APP
peal to the natives, Mr.. Humphreys,
who is becoming our most discredited
politician, induced them to reject the
clause. That Mr.. Humphreys evidently
wants is primary where any one may
vote without challenge, whether Dem
ocrat, alien or nondescript, providing
he votes the Humphreys ticket. In
other words he wants corrupt prim-
airy. knowing the machine can win in
no other.
1t is perhaps as well that the would
be bosses have shown their hands thus
early. ior it gives the Good Government
people OF both parties a chance to de-
mand an honest primary law from the
Legislature. By that means the stone
that the builders rejected snail become
the head of the corner. The clauses
will yet be enacted in statutory form
for the government of all parties; en-
acted by the help of native votes and
for the one purpose of excluding fraud
from the ballot-box, Mark the pre-
diction!