The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-10-02
MACHINE OR peopLe-wnICH 7

now had a little more than four years
OF machine government In all depart
ments save the Executive and In the
cases of the two Boyds and Wright It
encroached even upon that
1t is fair question whether the re-
suits have been such as to commend
the machine system to the taxpayers
and justify another vote OF confidence
In 1t?
When the machine began business II
undertook to prevent the choice for
Governor of Sanford Il. Dole and make
good the selection of any available
politician or carpet-bagger in his place.
Happily 1t failed. Ii also undertook to
capture the courts and it aided in get
ting commissions for Humphreys, Gear,
Galbraith. Little and Edings. For Con-
gress 1t named Sam Parker and for
member of the National Committee,
Harold NJ. Sewall. All the selections
were blunders and some of them were
worse than blunders-they We're crimes.
Then came the first legislative cam
paign in which the Republicans met
the Home Rulers with the Democeits
as q third party. The Home Rulers
practically swept the board Why did
they do so? We say unhesitatingly
that 1t was because the Republican Ter
ritorial Committee put the large sums
of money contributed by the Republican
business houses for the legitimate ex
penses of the canvass into the hands
of n man who openly and shamelessly
used them to pay the bills of the Home
Rule campaign. Afterwards that COM.
mittee rewarded this perfidy by endors-
ing the same man for high place un-
der the Republican Territorial admins
tration-a post which he left with the
clutch of the sheriff on his collar. OF
two other well-endorsed worthless one
is now a refugee and the other is under
ten years penal sentence. Machine rule
or influence in these cases cost the tax
payers at least sl50,000 of stolen money.
In the first three years of it's eX-
istence the machine was responsible,
though its endorsements, for nine en-
beZzlements.
The second political campaign result
ed in the choice of Kuhio for Con-
gress and of a Republican Legislature
with strong working majority. An
incident of the same period was a con-
certed effort to remove Governor Dole
and put Sam Parker-without his trus-
tees-in that important place.
The lower house of that, Legislature
contained as arrant lot of rascals
and incompetents as could have been
soraped together in the political pur-
lieus of San Francisco-a piebald aggre-
cation of knaves and freaks with here
and there a respectable man who had
got in without machine help. The Sen
ate was mainly safe; the House was
run by a Solid Thirteen. so shameless
a compact that the honest men were
forced to summon the aid of Home
Rulers and Democrats, venturous as
that departure was, to prevent the cleo
tion of the Thrteen's nominee for
Speaker-the now indicted Kumalae.
AS Governor Dole's term neared its
end some of the machines most power
full Influences We're ranged against the
choice of George Carter for Governor.
>Only by the hard work of reputable citi-
zents was McCants Stewards resolution
of protest against Carter kept from
legislative passage. Plotting also be-
gan to secure the control of the SUI
preme Court. Who for God knows.
Today the machine is in the field |
again with a three-ply ticket, one part !
competent, one part incompetent and
one part rascally and it insists, as it
did in the cases of Kumalae, the Boyds,
Wright and the rest of the branded
crew, upon the support of honest men
because, and solely because the ticket
stands for party regularity.
What is regularity to the taxpayer If
it means bad government?
What is a party worth which accepts
and recommends nominees whom IL
knows to be unworthy?
Finally If government by the machine
after four years trial is shown TO be
weak in the selection of public SER
wants; IL II is shown to be careless in
its adoption of policies and regardless
of the vital principles of good legisla-
zion and deficient in public spirit, then
Is 1t not right that the taxpayers who
PAY THE BILLS. should begin to
choose for themselves? So far, good
citizens have delegated their right OF
selection in "A way to do themselves a
wrong; now they propose TO take back
their misused powers of attorney and
put Hawaiian legislation In the hands
OF the best men. Shall they permit
themselves 10 be called down by party
managers whose conscienoes have been
30 obsculed by ambition that they hold
up the Mahelonas and Ayletts as men
~ 10 be elected?