The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-28
A CAMPAIGN OF EDUCATION.

There is great need in Hawaii for the
service which ex-senator Thurston car
so well perform. of giving the new vot-
ers of this Territory a fair understand
ing OF what the Republican party is
and what it stands for in the politics
of the United States. He would be
surprised to know how ignorant of par
ty principles are many of those VINO
are glib with the party shibboieths-
The same thing is true of the Demo
cratic party. Two years and more ago
when the Hawaiian delegation came
back from the Democratic National
Convention the islander whose vote had
brought about the adoption of the sill
yer plank. was asked the meaning of
16 to 1. ST cannot answer that he
said, NOR do I believe that Mr. Bryan
could tell you" Another Democratic
orator only astonished a few in his
audience. when he solicited votes for
"our peerless leader. William Cullen
BRYANT" A chieftain among tie new
voters. a man who has Gubernatorial
hopes, was asked If he knew the differ
ence between fke Republican and DEM
ocratic parties. and he could not make
A satisfactory reply We say without
hesitation shat. If three-fifths major
ity of the voters of Hawaii were asked
the same question. and made an honest
effort to answer il, they would describe
the Republican party as the one that
unseated the Queen and the Democratic
party as the one that promised to re-
store her and didn't. And there they
would have to stop!
People on the mainland talk about
campaigns of education, but there ev-
gree of party knowledge to begin with
on the part of the learner. He is mere
Iy educated in the higher branches.
having mastered the lower ones before
hand. But matters are different In
Hawaii The majority of our voters
are new to things American. Their
past politics has been racial and mon
archical; their ideas of American par
ties are fnazy and to large extent hos
tile; and so little do they understand
parties that they change from one to
another as easily as a child goes from
one plaything TO another. Only fort
night ago a man turned up as secretary
of q Republican club who was also
mem Der of the Home Rule Executive
Committee and he could see nothing
inconsistent In his holding both places.
On. the platform at the Thurston meet
ing may be men who were on the Dem
ocratic ticket last year and are doing
Republican politics now; and other
men who may easily shift over to the
Democratic or Home Rule camp before
that they are spies or turncoats; it is
to borrow a slang phrase-that all
American parties look alike to them.
The task of setting these people right
is not an easy one for any local parti-
san, owing to the suspicion and bitter
nesses growing out of our long political
fight Counsel and instruction to be
needed must come from without 1t is
most fortunate, therefore. that men
like John NJ Thurston and Senator
Burton are here and that other men of
national standing are coming. If they
will go at the instruction of our ma
jority voters fundamentally, showing
how and for what the great national
parties were formed and what they
have achieved and what they want to
win. for the people, our visiting states
men will do some very practical politics
indeed.