Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-23
POLITICS IN HAWAII
Home Rule Party Has Nomi-
mated a Delegate.
ITS VITAL PRINCIPLE
IS THE SUPREMACY OF THE Ma
TIVE VOTE.
Over Great Parker Estate
Excites Much Interest-Improve-
ment in Financial Conditions.
pecinl Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

no voice in the election Of a President-and
no noisy campaign before U.S. Our dele.
gates to the two conventions are nearly all
returned home. Gov Carter las still to ar
rive after most creditable performance
of that as we'll other important duties
Meantime. our local party conventions are
about to be held. that Of the home rule be-
ing already past. This doughty party. al
though in apparently hopeless decline, does
not yet give up the ghost. 1t had been look
ed for to merge itself mainly In the demo-
cra1'; party. which has. In consequence, of
late enjoyed some revival of activity. But
Its old leaders, Kalanokalani, a Mormon,
and Theresa. widow of the late Delegate
Wilcox. have been quite to the FORE es-
peclally the latter. The main and vital
principle of the home rulers is Hawaii for
the Htwaiians," or the supremacy of the
native vote.
Home Rulers Candidate.
l am unwilling TO say the most cnarac ter
istic. but certainly the least creditab,e act
of this home rule convention was their
nomination of a delegate to Congress. His
name is Charles Motley, himself a moder-
atcly capable and quite well-meaning fell
low, but having the very prevalent native
incapac!ty for financial correctness He
was a defaulter some years ago for quite
an amount in the Hilo custom house. This
however, constituted no objection to him
whatever in the minds of the home rulers,
On the most of whose aboriginal minds the
necessity for commercial integrity has as
yet Gawned only in most hazy way.
This moral deficiency of these home rul-
ers was still further shown in their selec-
ton of a delegate to make the nomination
of Motley. This function was performed by
one Jonas Kumalae, who Is at present out
on ball, having appealed from conviction
by jury for conspiring with Enocn john
lafr xL1 rlrn
a prominent member of the late legislature.
He and Johnson, in a very shameless man
ner. got away with some $3.50 for legtSa-
tive expenses. Probably no ona doubts of
their guilt. But there is every reason to
believe that no one In that home rule con-
vention regards such an act as having any
real moral obliquity. or disqualifying Its
perpetrator for honorable activity among
themselves. They consider the prosecution
of such offender as purely persecution
by the whites of a good fellow, who made
justifable use of his excellent opportunities.
Kumalae and Motley both are thus declared
thoroughly estimable. And yet any of these
natives would vigorously repropate cruel
or ill-natured action.
1t is quite improbable that the home rul-
ers can carry the election in November.
Yet it will require good management not
to turn the majority Of the native voters
over to their side. The republicans, as well
as democrats, will be compelled to coax the
native vote by conceding to the natives
many Unqualified candidates of their own
blood as has been the case In previous
elections. Kumalae was one OF this kind,
nominated by republicans TO please ma
tive electorate, but after disgracins him
self, going over by natural afhnity TO the
home rulers, who saw no fault in him.
The Great Parker Estate.
very prominent matter of private litiga-
tion which assumes almost a public inter-
est. is one concerning the great Parker cs-
tate on the island of Hawaii. Several law
firms are engaged in strenuous legal con-
tention on each side. The parties to the
suit are the very notable Col. Samnel ar
ker owner of half the estate on one slde'
and ON the other, his minor granddaughter,
Annie Thelma Parker. who owns the other
half of the estate. subject to her mothers
right of dover. The contest Is Tor lhe CON
troll of the management OF the immense
concern. ua Z,
sam Parker as he is usually called is
the only grandchild of the somewhat emil.
nent John T Parker, who was proMineii'
white lieutenant Of the Conqueror Maine
hameha one hundred years ago, and man
of honorable and worthy character nam
ehameha gave Parker to wife hlgh chieI-
ess, and endowed him with an lmin as ny
land estate, comprising perhaps nve nun
dred square miles. including most OF the
surface OF the great mountain Mauha kea'
covered with wild cattle and extensive To-!
ests. These cattle are the progeny or cat
tie Imported In 1893 by the explorer Van
couyer. and presented to Kamehameha.
They multiplied immensely and have ever
since constituted the largest ESD slhsie sou''e
After the elder Parker's death. the I'M
divided estate was held jointly by his SON
John T. Parker "a, very %oron I,s, I Par-
ker. who is one-fourth white. The uncie
and nephew were. l believe. always on
good terms. although the younger man;
Who was well educated, was profuse and
careless financially, so as in time TO De.
come seriously involved during a period OF
considerable depression. Before MS oea!n'
few years ago the elder r man t nein Iobn r
Parker, Sd. the only son of Col. Sam Par
ker Not long after this younger Parker
died. leaving one child, annie lhe th Id
vided half of the great estate, presumably
worth one or two million dollars ! tnink
that Thelma's mother is OF tnreS-1ourths
white blood. The daughter Is sui very
young child.
In Hands Of Trustees.
During the hard times ten or twelve
wears ago Sam Parker's affairs went into
the hands of trustees, and the whole Par
ker estate got under somewhat expert man.
agement This and improved times finally
nut Sam on his feet once more. Besides
this, he recently married the widow of the
millionaire Campbell. who has an income
of forty or fifty thousand. Meantime, the
later management has continued In the
same hands. under the chief direction OF
one Alfred Carter. For reasons which
am not in position to define. Col. Parker
has latterly come to believe that Carter Is
managing the estate in the interest of the
grandchild as adverse to the grandfather's.
He has taken very active measures to dis
place Carter from the management and
put in his own agents Both parties are
now in the thick of the fight. The mother
of the minor heir Is full of spirit. Meta
phorically there Is much scratching and
hair pulling beginning.
A point OF dispute which has been made
prominent relates to selling the right to
carry an irrigation ditch across the estate.
Parker wants to sell. and Carter opposes.
/ know nothing of the merits of the con-
troversy, but the enterprise of the Kohala
Ditch Company Is a great and interesting
one At the northeast end of the island is
a mountain tract of fifty or seventy-five
square miles. densely wooded. and broken
by huge ravines, which intercepts a great
rainfall. II the streams Of this wet district
are impounded and led along the planta-
lions to the southeast they will water many
thousand acres Of sugarcane, producing an
immense revenue. But to do this the ditch
must cross the Parker estate. Sam says
yes-Carter says no. So there seems to be
a public as well as private interest con-
cerned The collection of the water In the
rugged mountains Is itself an undertaking