The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-11-03

fore I am not in position at this time
to express any final opinion on the sub
ject beyond the expressions contained
in our PLATFORM.
What remarkable situation! If we
want liquor legislation it is of no use to
approach the peoples elected represent
tatives. We must go to the Territorial
Central Committee. The people were
mistaken when they thought they elect
ed men to represent them in enacting
legislation. They only elected mouth
pieces or amanuenses for the Territorial
Central Committee. If this is true then
why bother about who is elected? Bet
ter give attention to the personnel of
the Territorial Central Committee. If
there is where questions are settled that
is the place around which the battle
should be waged.
One should remember, too, that this
attitude reaches beyond the liquor ques-
ton The platform of political party
is supposed to treat of all the leading
questions on which legislation is ex-
pected. Therefore, scarcely anything of
Importance can come up about which
the Territorial Central Committee may
, not claim the right to dictate the leg
islation. They constitute the real leg
islature. The men elected are only
nominally such.
Who is the party that expects con-
certed action? Is it the people who
elect the men? No. Did the people
draw up those party rules? No. The
party here means the Territorial Cen
trail Committee, the Republican ma
chine.
| The people at the polls elect men
whom they trust to exercise their own
best judgments and consciences in de-
vising such legislation as shall meet
the needs of the Territory. They elect
a goodly number of them, too, and from
ali over the Territory. believing that
in this way they obtain wisdom. But.
10 and behold! Here are very few
people constituting the Territorial Cen
trail Committee, who claim to be the
real wisdom and conscience of the Ter
ritory. They regard the men elected as
simply their tools. Strange to say, too,
some of these self-respecting candidates
who hope to become more than candi-
| dates are willing to play the parrot
part. Let us trust that there will be
too many men of independence elected
to permit the machines Interpretation
of it's Importance and prerogatves to
prevail in the next Legislature. But
d, does turn out to be supreme it makes
it's parrots say: Il may say that some
of the points contained in the Anti
Saloon League platform seems to be
reasonable and practicable
It is perfectly legitimate that the
Territorial Central Committee should
use its influence. individually and COL
lectively, with the Legislature just as
re-
League to do the same. However, eth
er of them have rights only as far as
they can bring truth to bear on the
judgments and conscences of the legis-
lators so as to win their support to any
given measures. When either of them
arrogates the right to dictate iegisla-
tion, and to be both thought and con-
science for the law-making body, il is
time to call halt. And, when the
law-making body will yield to that de-
mand situation is presented where
traffic in legislation, and all sorts of
rascality are not only possible but
probable.
2. Finally, the Civic Federation, the
Hawaiian Evangelical Association and
the .Anti-Saloon League were all before
the public long before the nominating
conventions We're held. They asked the
political parties not only to recognize
the liquor evil in their Platforms but
to endorse Senator Dickey's Local OPP
ton bill, and the first seven sections
of the Anti-Sa1oon League platform.
cat later time the A. S. l. added three
more sections.)
But read the paragraph quoted from
the Republican platform in the letter
above. You Will see that the conven-
ton ignored the plea of these three
bodies. In the closing clause of the
paragraph the language. and such 9TH
er provisions as will properly safeguard |
the traffic." seems to deny any inclina- /
ton to favor such restrictions as might |
be obtained by local option. The desire |
is for nothing like prohibition in any
quarter. but simply a wish that the
traffic may be properly safeguarded."