The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-04-18
Honolulu, April IS


| Editor Advertiser:
As the Territorial convention IS about
to convene for the purpose OF electing
delegates to represent the Territory OF
Hawaii at the coming Presidential nom
mating convention of the National Re
publican party, to be held in Chicago
during June, 1904; and in order to give
the members of the Territorial conven-
ton some idea of the wishes and prefer
ences of the American people on the
mainland, and of what they viii eN-
pect and hope TO see in the personnel OF
the delegates sent TO the convention,
feel that it will not be amiss nor IN
appropriate at this moment to give some
important facts relative to what was QUIZ
experience and observations durang the
| trip and while attending the Republican
convention in the city of Philadelphia,
in June, 1000, TO which convention l
had the honor and good fortune to be
an alternate and member of the Republi-
can delegation from this Territory, with
] Colonel Samuel Parker as our standard
/ bearer. leaving here early III the montn
/ of June, 1900.
After run over of about twelve days
we arrived in Philadelphia, and made
our Headquarters at the "Whaltori, IN
! suite of rooms ON the second story
at which horel we found later, that the
Executive committee OF The Republican
| National party also had its heaquarters
| on the tenth story.
On the evening of our arrival the
news received by us was the rumor that
! the Executive committee had decided
not to allow the delegates from t1aWah
TO seats as members OF the convention.
This piece of news was not very encour-
aging. after travelling, with little or
no rest, about 5000 miles IN order to De
there on time On the receipt OF this I'M
| welcome news, the Hon. H. M. Sewall,
who accompanied us on the trip from Ho-
nolulri. went out with Col Parker to
ascertain the truth of the rumor, only
to return later without finding out any
thing as to our situation for the NOR
row. as the convention was liable to
meet the next day. However, we were
relieved of our embarrassment some
what when a gentleman came IN and IN
troduced himself, by handing me card
as Colonel Dick, now General Dick,
, who is now at the head of the party
| but was then secretary of the Executive
I.committee of the National Republican
party. He called on the delegation, as
he stated, to make enquiries as TO Our
stat1s and more particularly to sknow
how MANY members of the delegation
from Hawaii were native Hawauans,
and also to inform the delegation that
the Executive committee had received
telegram from President Mckinley, to
the effect that it was the desire OF the
President that the Hawaiian members
of the delegation should be received by
the National committee and be allowed
to take seats as members of the Nation.
al Republican convention. being the
only member of the delegation at head
quarters at the time. furnished the re-
auired information The other MEM
bers of our delegation had gone out
with II. NJ. SewaA in search of the Hon.
Joseph Manley of Maine, who was
member of the Executive committee, for
definite information as to the rurnor and
to our status under the circumstances.
When General Dick called again,
majority of the members being present,
he informed us that the request of the
President had been. acceded to by the
committee. and that COL S. Parker and
A. N. Kepoikai as delegates, and R.
Rvcroft and the writer of this as alter
mates. were to represent the Territory
of Hawaii at the convention. Passes
and other details would be arranged later
by the committee, which was done. fl
Although other members elected to the
delegation were on the mainland at the
time, W. R. Castle being with us at our
quarters, was the only other member
who attended the convention, we all felt
atsthe time that Mr.. Castle should have
been admitted as a member of the con-
vention. he being native son OF fia-
wall. AS we had no voice in the matter,
we had to be satisfied in faring as well
as we did. The delegation fully recog-
nized that to our late and most lament
ed President, VIM. Mckinley, we owe
our deepest gratitude for our admission
as members of that bodyAas l would
rather say, the greatest, the grandest and
the most popular of American political
gatherings.
This action of the President in our
treatment was also unanimously backed
I'D by the American people as was
shown in the manner the glad hand OF
good fellowship which was extended
us by peoples of every city and town
ship visited during our trip. We found
from personal intercourse with the
American people of all classes, and it
was the universal opinion expressed, the
desire that the newly-acquired Territory
of Hawaii should be represented at all
national functions on the mainland by
native Hawaiians, or people of the Terri
tory born ofAmerican or foreign parent
age, and discouraging the idea of send
ing people there TO represent the Terri
tory not born of the soil, especially to
a presidential nominating convention.
The reasons given were that it would
give the American people an opportun-
hy to have intercourse with the Island
ers, to meet them and see for them
selves, as 1t was in our case, the kind
and class OF people that the adninistra-
ton had taken into their fold and made
them member of the one great family
I'D aIs, .a-., Id, I'll The cinlts