Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-20
POLITICS IN HAWAII
OF FORMERLY HOS
TILE FORCES.
Wilcox Supported by Democrats, and
Cupid, Home Rule Bolter,
by Republicans.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.


HONOLULU, T. H, September s, 1902
The inside history of the events which
have led up to the present anomalous stu
alton in Hawaiian politics, in which Home
Rule Republican Wilcox is fusing his party
with the democrats and Home Rule Better
Prince Cupid has won the nomination Of
the republicans for delegate to Congress.
illustrates well the impossibility of fore
casting, Hawaiian politics by any ordinary
American calculations or reckoning with
any certainty on election results.
When the republican convention met in
Honolulu on September 1 Prince Cupid was
the leader of new party of boilers from
the arbitrary methods of Wilcox in the
home rule party. Wilcox was busy with
his own campaign, and the democrats were
holding May caucuses, considering
whether they should put up a candidate or
not. At these caucuses Prince Cupid at
tended, as well as at some republican eau
cuses In the republican convention this
home ruler had lot of natives pledged to
him, though he had refused to become a
republican. The democrats invited him to
become a democrat, but he said he pro-
posed to remain independent. On the same
morning that the republican convention
met Cupid was in conference with the dem
ocratic committee, and declared that he
would not become republican. II am a
republican from top to bottom" he said the
next morning from the platform of the re-
publican convention, accepting the party
nomination for delegate to Congress.
Cupid won by virtue Of the native
strength in the convention, and feeling
among some Of the influential whites that
no white man could win. 1t was insisted.
however. that he become republican. To
this condition he gave assent shortly after
the convention began it's sessions, and then
a caucus named him by a vote of AZ to 20
for Representative A. G. M. Robertson.
The missionary" element gave its strength
to Cupid.
Convention Stampeded.
The sudden stampeding Of the republic
can convention by an outsider was not the
only startling news of the day, however.
The democratic committee held session on
the same evening that the republicans eau
cused and decided that Cupid should be
the republican candidate. All unconscious
of the lightning moves that had settled
Cupid's position, the democrats discussed
fusion-with the home rule republicans.
The fusion proposition carried. When
Honolulu woke and rubbed her eyes on the
morning Of September she found the
democracy of the day before shaking hands
in a compact of mutual support with Dele
gate Wilcox, and the republican party
cepting the leadership of Wilcox's strongest
political leader of a few weeks ago. This
was enough for one days politics in Ha-
wall.
The democratic leaders found themselves
in a peculiar position, out of which their
opponents got no little amusement. 1t is
not more than few days since these lead
ers were denouncing Wilcox in the strong
est terms they could command. They de-
clared that it was the duty of business
men of all parties to combine against him.
They abused him personally and Mrs. The
resa Wilcox in her organ replied with some
of the choice abuse she has at her command
at all times. But epithets had to be taken
back and roasts retracted. It's for the
good of the party in the future said the
home rule party will disband, and the mem
bers will all join one of the American par
ties. If We fuse now we shall get them
There was one prominent democrat who
objected, but as he was a democrat who
had just before turned republican, and who
was even more disguised with the action of
the republicans than he was with the fusion
by the democrats. he will vote for Wilcox.
This Is F; j. Tesla, editor of local paper
that is still royalist A democrat who want
ed to support republican nominee in order
to combine against Wilcox, he was driven
from the republicans by their nomination OF
the prince and as he put it, forced to sup
port a man 1 despise."
Republicans Dissatisfied.
Among republicans, especially the whites.
there was great dissatisfaction with the
action of the convention. 1t was declared
that the delegates had allowed Prince Gu
pid, practically home ruler, to swallow the
party, and many were the "soreheads."
How this will affect the voting remains to be
seen, but It is admitted all hands that
very hard work will be needed to prevent
the reelection of Wilcox. If the fusion
with the democrats were a complete fusion,
there would be no doubt about a second
term for the home rule delegate to Con-
gress. On both sides, however there will
be more or less failure to carry out the
agreement. Neither the home rule nor the
democratic committee can deliver the
goods"
The whole situation betrays the thorough
conviction of whites of both parties that
the native vote controls, and that the ma
tives cannot be induced to vote on an
American basis. A royalist leader whose
only bid for votes is that he led the forlorn
revolutions by which Hawaiians tried to re-
store their queen and a prince of the royal
blood who has been a follower of that roy
alist leader are the only candidates in the
field this year. This does not speak well for
the "Americanizaton'' of Hawaii, and
shows that there is room for a good deal
more AmericaniZaton.