The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-12-06
IN THE NATTER OF PROXIES.

The question Of proxies at the meet
! ings Of the Republican Territorial Com
| nittee is a simple one which needs no
pettifOgging lawyer TO explain. Mem
: bers living on other islands, unable to
/ come to this city TO vote, have sent
! their proxies 10 friends in whom they
have confidence. These friends have
| voted the proxies in a way 10 cause no
| complaint among those who gave them,
and in several cases there were instruc-
tons to follow which were scrupulously
Obeyed. If any proxies were misplaced
and abused at the recent meeting they
are the ones which friends of Mr.. Dole
gave to T. VI. Stewart in forge;fulness
IF the change that had come over the
spirit of his political dreams when an
lnti-Doie Judge gave him the $500 Maui
nalei receivership at a $1,000 fee. Hap
oily there were few political powers OF
attorney issued to Stewart and as q
result he was showed under at the COM
mittee meeting. Hence his anxiety and
hat OF the newspapers which are con-
-emptible enough to fall in behind him,
20 deprive the Republicans of the other
Islands OF the right to entrust their
proxies to any member of the COM
nittee to whom they may feel like Civ
ing them. This is a right which no one
las had the presumption to challenge
before and which ought to be inalien-
able. It is exercised in business in re-
gard TO the meetings of directories
controlling tens Of millions of capital;
and 1t IS exercised freely In politics
when there is any good reason why
members Of a given political committee
cannot attend meetings. True. it
is not uncommon on the mainland to
require that proxies shall be held by
residents of the represented districts
only; but this is a rule applied, when at
all, in the small States and Counties OF
the East. In the extreme West and !
Southwest, owing to distances between |
given points, there is no definite rule |
We have seen, in Southern California. !
the whole vote of a county committee |
cast by the chairman and secretary. |
Even in New York. during bad weather I
IN the early spring the representatives
IF outlying towns depend entirely upon /
residents at the county seats to receive
md act upon their proxies. 1t used to be
standing joke at a certain central New
York committee meeting to recognize as
he gentleman from half a dozen outly-
ng towns some well-known city mem
,er who had perhaps never visited half
II them.
These things are entirely matters Of
Here in Hawaii 1t is often
more convenient to vote the committee
nen of outlying islands by proxy than
" personal ballot; and by the same
oxen II cannot be expected that resi-
ents Of the outlying districts will come
D cast such proxies. What then? Shall I
ne distant members have no voice? !
'r, having voice, are they to let 1t be
tered for them by political enemy?
he whole theory of proxies rests on the
lea OF exact representation. The giver ]
lust have the absolute choice of f
gents. II he IS restricted in that 4,
hoice his power to vote his sentiments C
also limited; and he ceases to enjoy Y
lie rights of an American citizen. We T
y not doubt that certain members of s
IL Territorial committee whose titles a
, sit in II are vitiated by the fraud of f
)lonlzed primaries. would be willing to a
eprive anybody of anything for the @
ike of more power; but they will a
gnally fail, now and hereafter, In try
g to deprive the committeeman who
We in other parts of the group than
lis OF their representative privileges.