The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-02-20
FRANKNEss,


Dolc did not see at to allow the de-
partmontOl reports to he made public
from time to time "a they were prcpar-
Cd ana presented, Tor the Information
OF the legislators and the public, Had
he done NO the mombors of the lcglsla-
turc would now at the beginning OF
their formal work, be In possession OF
the Information those reports contain,
would have had that Information moro
or less diRcstod ana Nsslmllatcd, ana
likcwiso have had the bcnont of public
opinion ON the subjects discussed, They
would thus have boon In u position 10
begin tholr legislative duties promptly
ana To- have bcttcr hushondod ana utl-
llEcd the short time allowed for the
session during which ~ many measures
OF great Importance must be consider
cd,
Tho Home Rule mombcrs OF the Lee.
glpluturo who have boon In daily oOu-
Gus for several weeks, have clearly felt
che need of just such Information as
those reports would have given, For
they have at the expense Of time ana
trouble to themselves ana to the heads
at departments gone about getting II
themselves Hut how much better II
they had been given the reports
Governor Dole, In spite Of his many
cxccllcncca, In this, ~ In many other
things shown his unfnmllnrlty with the
Workings OF really representative gov
nrnmcnt And II In u great misfortune
90 himself that he has failed 10 grasp
what N IN elementary principle IN ok
ccutlyc ONCE IN the United states, He
has suffered very much In popularity
nnd doubtless much In usefulness, bee
cause he has always failed to take the
public into any degree Of his confidence
an matters which are strictly public
matters lie never gives any lnkllng Of
what he IN going to do In n given case
until he has done II ana II IN lrrcyocablc
or nt least can only be undono nt the
cost Of embarrassment Ths may be-
the wise course In military matters,
but this ~ not n military government.
II may DO the appropriate method for
n monarch, but this ~ not a monnrch-
cal government II IN not the method
Of executive officers IN representative
government The successful executives
Of representative governments from the
late william ~, Gladstone ana the pres
ont LOrd Salisbury, ana President Me-
Kinloy down through governors Of
states ana territories 10 mayors Of
cities ana towns, give the public In
some way an lnkllng Of what h propOB-
ed IN important matters, 80 that before
action N lrreyocnblc, public sentiment
on the subject may be- tested, Thus
when action does come II has public
sentiment IN support Of H. Embnrrass-
Ing situations are avoided, Friction N
done away with, ana the executive ana
the people are on bcttor terms with one
another,
In the nero mattor or the governors
message ~ the legislature, Governor
Dole declined 10 let any copies go out Of
pOssosslOn until II had been delivered 10
The legislature, Thus the newspapers.
which are the vehicle through which
the governor must get his idea before
tho public, are handicapped IN their
handling Of II aud IN their presentation
d Of II 70 their readers,
Tho messages Of the President Of the
United states and Of The governors Of
tbe several st1to8 nro always IN the
hands " the Associated Press and Of
the Newspaper hours ahead Of their pre-
sontation 10 Congress or the several
state legislatures. And II may at least
be- admitted that the Presidents mes
sagcs nro ~ important no Governor
DOlcB Tho result N that every paper
that publishes these messages at All
n able ~ publish them practically
simultaneously win their presentation
10 the bodies 10 whom they are address,
"a. Ana the pubic gets them at q time
when II II interested IN them, ana the
executive ana the government gets the
advantage Of this fact or course these
are given 10 the Associated Press ana
10 The the newspapers IN the confidence
that they viii not be prematurely pub
llshed. But that II n confidence which
n rs never even foared viii DO violated.
n ls u matter " surprise 10 almost
every intelligent visitor 10 these ISL
Ands, That Governor Dole, WhOse ster-
ling worth ana ability In recognized
both here ana on the mainland In not
personally more popular, than he H..
These visitors Gnd q recognition here
Of bis oxcellonccs 1s q man ana - an
executive, calm, judicial, conservative
honest, progressive IN his IDEAS, but not
personally poDular There n no entbu-
si1sm for him. Ana they chnnOt IN.
defst0Hd A. BOT the reason II evident
10 tbOse vino viii scek H. Governor
Dole lacks the be6rlness Of sympathy
with me public. Iie does not give
himself the benefit III q free ana whole
some public sentiment in his official
capacity He does not take the public
INTO his confidence IN any degree. lie
HACKS that quality N official ffankDess,
ana no man can b. popular VINO II not
frank
~ II perhaps the gr0at secret Of Pre-