The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-07
PRINCIPLES, NOT MEN.

PRINCIPLES, NOT MEN.
The foundation principle of a mon
archy is iealty to an individual. Prin-
ciples are a secondary consideration.
ne king can 40 no wrong" The foun-
dalton principle of a republic is fealty
to principles. The personality of those
who execute the principles is a subordi-
nate consideration.
The distinction between the two is
clear cut and VII. In the one case 1.-The
man" must be followed and supported,
regardless of his character, his record,
his principles, or of how he got there
The king is king, and that is all there
is to be said about it. In the other case,
are at issue, and the man who executes
them is side issue.
The founda,.on principle OF machine
politics is borrowed wholly, body and
boots" from the monarchists. Once a
man secures the nomination of his par
ty he must be supported at all hazards;
his record may be black, and his morals
bad; he may nave secured the nomina-
ton by Juggling or packed convention
all these count for nothing, provided
he Is ticketed with the party label.
Thenceforward every member of the
party must work and vote for him, I'M
der penalty of being branded as trait
or to the party.
He'll hath no fury like L woman
scorned, and the machine politician has
no words to express his contempt for
the voter who thinks for himself, or
places principle above the party nom
inee 81,
The constant effort of the machine is
to efface individuality and conscience,
and to make party decree the supreme
law. One of the recognized methods of
securing this object is to require every
member OF the party to pledge himself
beforehand to vote for the party nom
inees, whoever or whatever they may
be. Very few self-respecting citizens
will dothis, resulting in their exclusion
from the primaries, and consequent
control by the machine men of the
nominating machinery.
The would-be Republican machine
men Of Honolulu once more showed
their hand at the committee meeting
on Friday evening, when they again
and again attempted to Aorce through
a resolution excluding from participa-
ton in the selection of delegates to the
party convention every one who would
not first sign an agreement to vote for
the candidates who might be named by
a convention not yet selected.
# the machine program had gone
through last Wednesday, and an organ
izing committee been appointed" in
steaG of elected in open meeting, this
gag resolution would have been adopt
ed. Thanks to the independence shown
at Wednesdays meeting, the machine
resolution of Friday also went into the
scrap basket, and up to date the organ
ization OF the Republican party in Ha-
wall Is progressing on lines which ac-
cord with its lest traditions.
1t is well that in these opening and
formative Gays Of the party in Hawai-
the machine men are operating so open-
ly, for they are in hopeless minority
and all that is needed to defeat their
attempts to pocket the Republican par
ty and make it subserve their persona
ends is vigilance and publicity.
The Republican party stands for Ger.
tain definite known principles and poll
cies of government. It's nominees, i
honest and honorable, with records no
inconsistent with those principles, viii
poll the full party strength in Hawaii
without any pledges or gag resolutions
II the nominees are not of this cbarac
ter, then in the party as well as the
public interest, they ought to be de-
feated.
A candidate who can not be sure O
the votes of his fellow members of the
party unless they promise to vote To-
him before they know that he is to b.
a candidate, is a good man to stay a
home.
The Republicans of Honolulu do no
want to buy any pigs in poke, no
pledge themselves to vote for MAJ
until they know who he Is