The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-01-19
MCCLELLAN
SENDS A
letter
SECRETARY TO DELEGATE KUHIO
WRITES A PRIVATE MISSIVE
WHICH Is MADE PUBLIC.

WHICH Is MADE PUBLIC.
The Advertiser this morning heads a !
story regarding a letter from G. b.
Mcclellan, "Kuhio's Valet Calls Hatch !
a Paid Lobbyist" G. b. Mcclellan, as
everyone knows, is private secretary to /
Delegate EThio and the paper alleges !
that he has written a letter in which !
he makes fierce attack" on his
employers" for ignoring the delegate.
The advertiser makes the extraordin-
airy statement concerning the letter
that though the missive is marked as
personal, its direction is official and it's
contents more so'-whatever that may
mean.
In addition to being private secretary
to the Delegate to Congress, Mcclellan
is che representative of the Merchants
Association in washington so that any
official com munication may reasonably
have been expected to go to that body,
but rome has been received.
Il have not received the letter from
Mcclellan" said President George w
Smith of the Merchants Association,
nor have l heard of any such COM
runicatlOn. 1 read the article over
but fail to see that there is anything in
| Ia TO cause any excitement 1t seems
to me in line with the general policy
CT the Advertiser to try and belittle
Kuhio and Mcclellan by any means
that come handy that's about all there
! is in it,"
Secretary Paris and former Secretary
| Lansing were equally in the dark as to
the communication
! President LOwrey of the Chamber Of
! Commerce had never heard of the let
| ter nor had Secretary Spencer
While there is every reason to be-
! Eeve that the letter from which the
Advertiser quotes excerpts was really
written by Mcclellan, the opinion gem
orally expressed by business men was
that it was a private communication
written by him to some person and not
an official communication either in it's
source or destination. However there
/ is in it little that the Delegate himself
has not said in substance over his own
signature through The Star.
THE paragraphs from McLellan's let
ter which the Advertiser quotes are as
follows:
The Honolulu Lapers of December
14th and 18th arrived today, and the
Delegate has spent a considerable part
of the evening here at my house discuss
| ing the accounts of the joint meeting
of the two commercial bodies.
THE calm assumption of the meet
ing, that the entire destiny of this
measure depended on the work and
! judgment of Mr.. Hatch, was both abb
surd in itself and exasperating to the
| Delegate. 1t is just the sort of treat
Q ha DO
self-respecting member of Congress re-
sent any interference by a paid lobby
( list, and even to decline the aid of a
delegation whose avowed object is to
aid, not the Delegate to Congress, but
a special representative of particular
interests.
The Delegate has started out with
a very friendly attitude toward MI
Hatch, which l have shared and sought
carefully to promote; but any thought
full person can see at once that acts of
this sort must inevitably destroy that
cordial working relationship, and in
the end injure Mr. Hatch's usefulness
far more than it will harm the Terri
, torial Delegate.
LAS a matter of fact Mr.. Hatch is at
present very much of a stranger i'm
Washington; there is hardly a promin-
ent official i'm the entire executive de-
partment of the government who was
here when Mr.. Hatch was here. Many
of the prominent heads of committees
in Congress are also strangers to him,
and he does not even know them ny
sight.
Mr.. Hatch was at first opposed 10
having a delegation come, and it was
only because of my urging it that he
| consented to the plan.
But 1 am frank to say that if a dele
cation is to come on with the idea that
they are to work wholly or even chiefly
through and with Mr.. Hatch, they
would much better remain at home;
for they would simply create dissen-
sion that would be very likely to defeat
the main end that we all desire to
achieve.
You will believe me when l say that
this is not written out of any envy Of
Mr.. Hatch, with whom my relations are
very friendly; neither is it because Of
any personal desire for public credit
for the work so far done and to be
done for this measure. 1t is because
the opportunity is an unusual one and
the entire matter one requiring such
carefulness of handling, that can not
see it's prospects threatened without
speaking out frankly. 1 accordingly
send this personal line to you in order
! that you may fully understand the sit
uation.
THE Delegate has increased prestige
in his second term in the House. and
the time has gone by when he can
safely be ignored and fouted by those
who desire legislation"