The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-06-16
ISSUES OF
THE DAY

Editor Advertiser: I would like to
appeal to the reason of the white vot-
ers on this Island. Listening to the
arguments made to natives by natives.
their logical force. their fitness to the
Is 'ue and in many Instances the higher
plane on which the argument is put inn
presses me; but the arguments which
are made by the supporters of Arthur
] Brown make me ashamed of the white
race. Those which l hear are that an
attack has been made on Arthur Brown
and that settles it, that the organ
ization of the party is in danger and
the contest should have been made in
the primary, and lastly, that Arthur
Brown should be personally proved to
be criminally guilty before the white
voter should be invited to vote for his
opponent.
The first objection answers itself.
How can you raise moral issue
against a candidate, and no one de-
nies this to be the issue raised, unless
you raise it? The need of the age is
plain speaking and honest thought. The
man who makes this objection becomes
| partner with wrong, when he adj
vocates condoning 1t.
| AS to the second objection, IL the
party organization turns out bad
product, it is time that 1t should be
destroyed and a stronger and better
one built in its place. We all advocate
| Independent voting theoretically. 1t is
| the practical test at which men finch.
| If we need anything in this Territory
| 1t is the courage of our convictions.
The enemy of the state is not the man
who has the courage of his convic-
tions, but the man who tamely sub
mits to bad government because it is
| ordained by the machine.
For the third objection I have less
| respect than either of the others. l
| see man after man of the class we call
respectable who says that he is salts
| fled that Chillingworth, McDuffie ct al
were guilty whether the juries convict
them or not; that II Is ridiculous to
| believe that a man could spend five or
! six hundred dollars per month on
salary of one-third the amount; that
| the police force was corrupt under
Brown and full of graft. but says you
have not convicted Arthur Brown yet"
The man who says this is trifiing with
| his conscience. He knows in his heart
that what is on trial is an honest, ef-
ficient, intelligent and faithful execu-
ton Of the law, and having admitted
that this was not had under the Brown
administration and admitting as every
one does that it has been had under
| the Henry administration, he seeks to
evade the moral question by turning
| 1t on to Arthur Browns actual partici-
patton in crime.
| But there is another argument
stronger and more potent than all
| these. We are struggling to vindicate
our right to self government. For my
self, although / believe that county
government Is a feeble variety of the
republican form and dying at that. /
| did not oppose the enactment of the
county law but urged members Of the
Legislature to keep their pledges to the
people, / shall certainly regret my
action IL in the first election 1t is used
to disorganize the administration of JUS
tice in this Territory. Situated as we
are in the middle of the Pacific a sink
1 for the overflow of the vice of the
Orient and with so varied constituents
struggling up into the duties of a free
citizenship, we shall be found wanting
| if we place in control of the execution
of the penal laws a man who has been
tried and pronounced wanting by both
! of the men who will be his official su-
1 periors. 1t Is a notorious fact that
Brown could not get along with At
torney General Andrews and insisted
ON having his Department taken out
from under the control of his official
head and that the present executive
who has the confidence of the President
and is sure to remain Governor. regards
II as menace to his power to epforce
the laws that Arthur Brown should be
| elected.
The objections which are urged
against the course of the Civic Fedora
| tion which has stood for intelligent ac-
tion and an intelligent method of en-
| forcing the laws are childish and
puerie, and 1t Is time that the haole
element in our community. II they are
to do their fair share in formulating
and administering its government and
| starting a new form of government,
I namely county government, I'm motion,
should unite with the Civic Federation
| i'm endeavoring to secure efficiency, CO
operation and honesty in its adminis-
tration.
| DAVID L. WILMINGTON.