The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-09-08
PUBLICITY.

A contemporary pays a high tribute
60 the energy, enterprise and news SER
vice of The Star. In an editorial on
what it speaks of as the so-called exc
cutive council which Governor Dole has
set up in the Territory of Hawaii" it
says;
at Cthe counciD takes votes upon
questions considered by 1t. 1t keeps a
record of it's proceedings, so it is claim
ed. though this record is never open to
the public. Despite the fact that these
meetings are pretended to be held in
the interests of the public, they are al
ways held in executive session and only
such portions of the proceedings as the
governor sees fit to give out are made
public. Time and again no paper eX-
cept The Star, whose editor is a MEM
her of this so-called executive council
is given any information about the pro-
ceedings of this great and august lille
gal body, yclept the executive council"
There is no doubt but that time and
again The Star" has published and does
publish news of the proceedings and
acts of the council, in advance of all
other papers. But our contemporary
is mistaken in it's inference as to how
The Star is able to do this. 1t is true
that the Superintendent of Public In
struction is a member of this council,
and that he retains the kindly interest
in the paper and in his former assoc
ciates naturally engendered during the
several years of his editorship of the
paper. But Mr. Atkinson is a gentle
man, and hence does not violate con-
fidences. His membership of the coun-
Gil does not advantage The Star in the
least in the matter of getting the news
of the proceedings of the council. The
Star has no means of getting the news
of those proceedings which are not open
to every one of its contemporaries.
1t does, however, in it's capacity of a
newspaper, whose ideal is to publish all
the news, energetically. zealously and
consistently strive to avail itself fully
of all the means open to the newspa-
pers. That it is successful in these
efforts beyond all others, our contem-
porary has borne witness.
But on the subject of publicity of
governmental acts and proceedings,
The Star yields to none in the firmness
and force of it's belief. That all such
acts and proceedings should be given
the utmost publicity. 1t has steadily
and consistently, for years, urged this
publicity in all such matters. 1t be-
lieves that governmental affairs are
public affairs and that the public
should be able to know all that is being
done or proposed. 1t believes that such
matters, for instance, as applications
for water rights should be made pub
lie at the time of the application, with
full and complete information as to
what is applied for. In all government
tai matters it believes there should be
nothing secret, nothing hidden.
Unable up to the present to impress
this view, frequently expressed in it's
editorial columns, on the public mind
so as to secure its adoption as a work.
ing principle, The Star has sought
through the redoubled efforts of it's
news staff, by every honest means of
effort and energy, to secure that pub
licity to governmental matters which
1t believes ought to be freely given.
That II has been in large measure
successful, successful beyond all it's
contemporaries, one of them, perhaps
unWillingly, but fully admits.