The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-09-23
INDEPENDENCE IN POLITICS.

The independent voter Is the strong
est force for good politics In the United
states. It is to him that all party
appeals are directed. To urge "a hide
bound Republican or Democrat 10 vote
the party ticket is unnecessary for
such men are In politics TO obey or
ders. The effort Is, therefore, to gain
the independent vote and as that holds
the balance of power the party which
secures ii gets the election. In 1850
the Independent vote repudiated Han
cock and supported Garfield. Four
years later it rejected Blaine and
elected Cleveland. 1t was responsible
for Cleveland's one defeat and his re-
election; and today 1t is behind Roose-
welt who, in his earlier years, was the
representative independent voter of
New York state.
Independence in politics expresses
Americanism better than any other
quality 1t is not natural for an
American to have his tickets made up
for him and then feel compelled to
vote them no matter how bad or in
competent the nominees may be such
a condition would mean the enslave-
ment of voters and the tyranny of a
machine. II is a political organization
for an empire, not for a republic. one
of the arguments for "A democracy is
that it may choose its own agents of
administration; but when "a machine
usurps that privilege and makes pack
ed primaries its instrument democracy
goes to the wall. Parties are neces-
sary and right; but when they fall
into control of their worst elements
they become unnecessary and wrong.
Then is the time for the Independent
voter to assert himself.
Wherever good government is men
aced, the independent voter finds his
duty cut out for him. No one who
saw Theodore Roosevelt in his first
year in the New York assembly, can
ever forget the impression he made
when. singly and alone and with the
manifest i'll will of his party leaders,
he assailed the corrupt Republican
Judge Westbrook and demanded his
impeachment That was not only the
beginning of a great career but it was
a new baptism of decency for the Re-
publican party, which had begun to
need it. The rehabilitation of Mis-
souri, Democrats is due to the indie
pendence of Folk, who would not use
his prosecuting office to save the
scalawags who did the dirty work OF
his party machine. The old Tammany
Ring was smashed by Democratic in
dependents as well as by Republican
hammerers. Indeed wherever there
has been movement for better gov
eminent in the United States 1t has
been led and manned by independent
voters and it has found the party ma
chine in the way.
Such good government as Hawaii
has had since annexation resided and
still resides in the Executive Depart
ment. Today we have in Governor
Carter and his official family a far
better administrative government than
the Republican machine could possibly
have provided. This paper has not
always agreed with Governor Carter
in matters of detail but 1t recognizes
the intelligence and purity of his mo-
tives and the excellence of his APP
pointees. How to get the Legislature
upon the same plane is task which
seems to have proved too much for the
party managers. At least sixty pei
cent of the Republican nominees for
the House in the Territory as whole
are, as compared with lawmakers OF
average competence, beneath notice
Is it wise for the Territory or the
party to have such men in office? Is
it the duty of Republicans who are
also good citizens and taxpayers &c
vote for them? Is Republican machine
success or good government the main
object of our politics?