Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-07-06
how 6AWAn LOST
IN REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
MISREPRESENTATION
BY EDWARD ". HAMILTON.

L
Chicago. June 22.--The convention
had Just One little Whit OF strife today.
1t didn't amount to anything, but II
came like a cooling breeze across the
dead and drear desert of the program.
An effort was made to get common jus
tice for Hawaii. OF course 1t failed.
The poor Hawaiians came 5000 miles
to see the show, and the show, as such,
is bunko The Republican National
Committee had told them they were to
have six delegates, and six made the
long journey. Then they found that
but Ave seats had been allotted to
them. One seat had been stolen DELHI
erately, because some unexpected and
unallotted delegates had come from
Porto Rico and the Philippines, and II
was necessary to make places for
them.
But the Committee on Rules met and
rubbed rebuff into the Hawaiians. II
allowed them only two votes instead of
six. All other Territories were given
six votes. Alaska, not Territory, but
u Federal district, had been allowed
four votes by the National Committee,
| but the Committee on Rules Increased
the allowanceto six.
| Could anything be more. unjust?
Every child knows that Hawaii has
more population than Alaska. II has
more than the State OF Nevada, by a
long way. But that Committee on
Rules, headed by a queer old party"
named General Henry II. Bingham Of
Pennsylvania. cut of the Hawaiians
and increased the Alaskans.
Senator j. b. Foraker Of Ohio led the
fight to give the Hawaiians their plain
rights He offered an amendment to
the report OF the committee, the
, amendment restoring the six votes to
the visitors who had come so far TO
see so little. He got a hearing for
lGovernor Carter of Hawaii. who made
an impassioned plea for the amend
nient Senator Hopkins OF Illinois led
the opposition, There wasn't shred
of reasoning why Hawaii shouldn I
have the votes. but the programers had
some sort of idea that they wanted to
cut down the island representation
Foraker was forced to take the plat
form when he made his reply to Hop
kins. He used to be called Fire Alarm
Foraker In his younger days. Though
he has lost much OF his Are. he Ia still
made his points with forceful concise
, ness.
, Congressman Babcock OF wisconsin
, one OF the programers from Wisconsin.
. seated by the programmes OF the coun-
try against the regularly elected La
Toilette delegates. attacked the char
acter OF the people Of Hawaii and
made the strange argument that be-
cause Alaska had poured so much gold
into the United States she was entitled
: to six votes instead OF four. He also
). insisted that Hawaii had not popula.
|. ton OF over $4,000, though he didn't
!. offer any figures regarding sparsely
settled Alaska.
Judge ]. w. Mckinley, chairman o
= California's delegation, got up on |
chair to support Hawaii's claims ant
was given quite a cheer as he appear
{ Fed. He argued logically that represen
:. tation In the convention had nothing
to do with the inhabitants or the popu
lation. but went by certain fixed rules
A Consequently Hawaii was entitled I,
A the same representation as all the 9th
. er Territories of the Union. He M
= pealed to the convention to give all Re
publicans who had come 5000 miles
n greeting Of welcome and message o
). Godspeed. and was roundly cheered 70
l. his talk. II was the first'time Califoi
/. MIA had been heard on the floor, an
!. the tall man from Los Angeles acquit
ted himself remarkably well.
a Offers a Compromise
%. General Bingham was forced to offe
compromise. He moved that Hawai-
D. maintain her six seats, but have bu
n two votes. Foraker and Carter refuse
It Ito accept the offer. and California, Joil,
ed by Colorado and Ohio, demanded
D. roll call. At first It seemed that Hs
It wall would win handily. the first State
v voting almost solidly for her. But tn
big program States were against, an
I, the Bingham compromise was. adopte
: by a vote OF 497 to 400.
y The West, with the exception Of M
u vada. voted with Hawaii
o The little Sagebrush State that, o
70 population, hasn't a third of Hawaii
1t right to six votes, cast her six solidl
Ie against the islands. These six los
Hawaii her rights and the Nevadan
-, had travelled across the country wit
. the Hawaiians. II was what we ca
In the West shrinking trick" and tn
IT only way can account for II is tn
O. fact that Colonel II. p. Maxson. an n
b. fable sort of windbag from NevadI