The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-03-08
LOCAL PARTY LINES. EEW

|
From time to time letters reach this
office. and verbal communications as
| well. arguing against party lines in
local affairs, and proposing a union of
all good men for good government. The
| plans. as outlined, contain an ideal
theoretical program of civic effort. but
that they could bring about the erasure
of party organization and party effort,
seems 10 us an idle dream.
1t is quite true that parties have a
| limited public utility in a Territory.
! Here in Hawaii no one can vote for
! Presidential electors. nor for Governor.
and so far as a delegate in Congress
I or a member of the Legislature is
concerned it is of more consequence
that the incumbent should be honest.
public spirited and serviceable, than
| that he should be either a Republican
or Democrat. Furthermore, as things
are in Hawaii. the Republican and
Democratic parties in an election mere
iy defeat each other and elect Home
Rulers. Had the two parties been
united in the Congressional fight VIII
only a plurality success: he did not
command a majority of votes That
union of effort would have shelved this
man was clearly foreseen; but both
Republicans and Democrats preferred
their party organization to the election
of a good citizen to represent Hawaii
IN the House.
Why was this so? The answer ex-
plains why Democrats hold their party
stations so tenaciously in Vermont and
Republicans in Mississippi. The party.
be it understood. has two functions in
the line of office-seeking. 1t elects If it
can: if not. it looks for compensation
in Federal appointments. Thus. the
Democrat Of Vermont or the Republi
can of Mississippi. when a President of
his politics takes control at Washing
ton, expects, as reward for holding
the party together under untoward cir
some Federal bounty-a
postofice. a collectorship. a consular
or diplomatic station. The organiza
ton or. machine is needed to certify TO
his standing and capacity and his right !
To ask for office.
Thus every hopeful ofIice-seeker de- I
mands party lines and would rather /
have them kept intact than TO insure a /
wise conduct of public affairs. The !
ma chine is needed to get those who /
run it into office when the time comes. /
The hurry over forming the Republic
can party here was mainly due to the
desire of Mr.. Sewall to be National
and of others to be
judges etc, and the Democrats want
I'd To be ready to deal with Bryan in
case of his election. But for the possi-
bility of a change in party power at
the Hawaiian Democracy
would probably have gone to pieces af-
ter it's first count of votes. There was
hardly enough of ii in the returns To
make a fair exhibit in the scattering
column. Yet today we find the local
Democracy up and doing. II wants to
run Il man for the Legislature-for, in
fact. the ghost of a Legislative seat.
full we'll that its candidate
will come out a bad third. Is this
foolish waste of time from the stand
point of the office-seeker? Not at all;
nope now will be entitled to a good
Federal job in case Roosevelt shall be
succeeded by a Democrat. and the men
who help him most will be his chief
employees.
So our theoretical friends may see
hat the parties are here to stay. How
.yer desirable it may be to get wire
ess government, the parties will insist
upon putting up their own men. We
shall have partisanship in local affairs
is long as party government lasts in
he United States. and the only means
We know Of to get more than tempo
AIRY relief from its malpractice is for
good men to get in and run the ma
,hine.