Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-11
MATTERS IN HAWAII
Cause of Delegate Wilcox's
Sudden Death.
CAMPAIGN SPEECHES
UTTERANCES OF SOME OF THE
HOME RULE ORATORS.
The Active Eruption Of Mauna Loa-
Results of Trip to the Crater
by Two Parties.
SPEECHES


HONOLULU, October q. 1908.
| An event to be chronicled is the sudden
| death of Robert W. Wilcox, the home rule
| leader, and delegate from Hawaii territory
| in the last Congress. Mr.. Wilcox had been
! in poor health for some time. He has of
late exerted himself much in political ha-
rangues in the present campaign. being the
| home rule candidate for the Office of sher-
| if of Oahu county. Such an effort on the
| evening of the 22d instant resulted in
| series of violent hemorrhages the next
day. ending in death.
1t remains to be seen how far this re-
| moval of their most prominent leader may
| tend to weaken the home rule party in
| these islands. Immediately upon his death
| there arose violent accusations that Wilcox
| had been anaanaed (hoodooe0 by republic
| can sorcerers, although his widow loudly
| charged his death to the urgency of his
| partisans, who insisted upon his speaking
| in spite of all her efforts to prevent him.
1t is very probable that this accusation of
! sorcerery is honestly made. The home
| rulers largely belong to the less elevated
| class of natives who in every case of death
| are wont to think of sorcery as probable
cause. No doubt many of them have been
| trying to hoodoo republican leaders, al
| though such attempts are VIGOROUSLY fu-
| tile against white men. But native, how
| ever illelllSeHt, Is quite UdDIe TO SuccumD
| to the Vaccinations Of a Kahuna sor-
| cerer If he becomes aware of them The
| superstitious atmosphere of his childhood
never entirely loses its power over the mind
| of a Hawaiian.
Out of courtesy to a man who had been
| so prominent and influential the republic
| cans postponed all their political meetings
| for the evening after his death. But, very
| strangely, his own partiSanS held their
| meetings as appointed. and went off to
| them whooping and bowling on their vari-
| Gus and trains. A state funeral is be-
| ing arranged for the fallen leader on ac-
| count of his former office delegate.
Some Campaign Speeches.
Upon this island or county of Oahue there
appears a very strong probability that the
republican ticket for county offices will pre-
vail over their home rule adversaries at
the election next week. The ticket of the
latter party is largely made up of notably
unfit men of more or less spotted reputa-
ton. The tactics of their speakers have
been characterized by expressions violent
to a degree of irrationality. A leading
speaker openly and repeatedly proclaimed
that after the successful election of the
home rulers there would be general sus-
pension of law, and they would be permit
ted to drag the whites around with ropes
on their necks. 1t was also proclaimed that
there would be no more arrests of lepers
which are very unpopular with the natives
Also that general freedom would be given
to drunkenness, vice and gambling. For
the conduct of the campaign considerable
sums of money have been obtained from
| an association of Chinese gamblers, who
have been much harassed by the present
police forces, but are now promised i'm
munity in case of home rule success.
Such promises as these proclaimed from
the political stump are likely to have much
effect with the baser class of native voters
but will repel the more intelligent minority.
The whites a body, are totally opposed
to home rulsm, which means the ascend
ency of the worse class of natives, and the
expulsion of character and intelligence
from county government. The success of
that party would tend to financial disaster
and general disorganiZation of public af-
fairs. From lack of bus; ness experience
and intelligence. most of their men in TAX
ing office, would be simply incapable of ad-
ministering the public business. nor could
they command the financial credit which is
often Indispensable. Indeed. the private
credit of every man of them IS so poor that
none of them are likely to find the official
bondsmen required by the county act.
Data are less available for estimates of
the probable results of the election in the
four rural counties upon the other islands,
where the whites are fewer and the native
voters in larger majority. 1t is likely that
in one or more of them the home rule vote
will preponderate, and we shall have de-
plorable results of attempts to run the
counties. such as at least to serve as
dreadful examples" Under such condi-
tons county affairs must speedily fall into
hopeless tangle, even if work can begin at
all for lack of officials who can secure the
necessary bondsmen. 1t is safe to say that
no white mans name of high repute can
be found on any home rule ,-cket and the
natives nominated, some of them well-in-
tentioned men, are not such as any man of
means would become bondsman for. A few
days more will decide the result.
An Active Volcanic Eruption.
A leading incident of the month has been
the outbreak Of a very active volcanic
! eruption upon Mauna Loa. 1t began Octo-
| Der @, and still continues with unabated
| force. AS most of your readers may know
our two volcanoes besides being 200 miles
| away from our city are of a very tame and
well behaved sort, never creating any de-
structive disturbance, although highly
| spectacular in their activities. Thus far
| the present eruption has been entirely con-
| crater of Mauna Loa, which bears the pom
| derous name of Moku-a-weoweo.
| This vast crater or caldera-pit is a huge
| depression or subsistence in the fiat summit
| of the great mountain dome, which is fifty
| miles broad and 1868 f. t high, mantled
| with nearly perpetual snow. The caldera
| is four miles long by two in width, with
perpendicular sides. The central part is
| nearly circular, two miles in diameter.
| Until recently it was 1000 feet deep.
| Smaller wing pits of abou, 600 feet deep
| are appended northeast and southwest. AS
| a result of the present eruption and one
rev years ago the lava has filled up the
! central pit SO as to begin overlooking the
| northward one.
The more frequent course of action in
| that volcano is to begin with some outpour