The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-04
POLITICS IN THE
KONA SECTIONS
Hawaii Herald Can See Nothing
but a WaIkover for the
Democrats.

The Home Rule party is said to b
| dead on the Island OF Hawaii as fal
as the two districts of North and
| South Kona are concerned. This was
settled last week, says the Hawaii
| Herald. which has strong Democratic
leaning, and hopes that this may be
SO. at any rate
While Republican leaders and party
politicians have not yet begun to work
nor even to think of the elections in
November, the Democrats have been
quite active all around the island, and
the first results of their missionary
work come from the two Konas. What
are getting, is the conversion of the
Home Rulers TO their side and the
doing away with all need for fusion.
This. apparently. has been achieved in
North and South Kona, where, it is
claimed. there will only be two parties,
the straight Republicans and the
straight Democrats.
On Friday of last week delegates
from all the Democratic and Home
Rule precinct clubs in the Konas met
in joint conference at Kona-waena.
The meeting was a long and earnest
one, but finally the Hawaiians came
to the conclusion that they could do
no good for themselves by opposing
each other, so the Home Rule repre-
sentatives decided, and with full
power to act. to fuse their party with
the Democrats, uniting forces against
the Republicans. There are almost
eight hundred voters IN the two Ko-
mas. and enthusiastic Democrats claim
that less than twenty now are Repub-
licans.
The principal feature of the meeting
was the hard fight made by Supervisor
Kalaiwaa against fusion. But his road
workers have not yet been paid what
is due them for work done in 1907, and
they have lost faith in their former
leader. Kalaiwaa tried to place the
blame on the shoulders of County At
torney Williams, bit the Kona people
failed to- catch on and could not see
how Williams could be responsible for
the extravaganza of their Supervisor.
On the Big Island the principal fight
of the 1908 campaign will be over the
shrievalty. Word has been passed
around the districts that the planta-
tons have decided to reflect Keola-
nui and give him another term on ac-
count of his clean administration. But !
there will certainly be opposition to i
the present Sheriff, even in his own
party ranks perhaps, but decidedly so
from the Democratic camp. The long !
heads of the opposition say that they
Are not so sure about the planters
electing their man, that they are well
,ome to all the Japanese labor votes
hey can get counted, but when it
comes to Hawaiians-'Well there
ire not so many Hawaiians working on
he plantations said enc of them,
and each election We realize more
Ind more that We must stand to-
,ether."
1t is conceded that Keolanui may
vim out in the North and South Hilo
districts, but there are seven other
districts to be heard from, and with
even hundred votes claimed by the
Democrats in the two Konas, there
nay be a new occupant of the little
uilding in Courthouse Square that
aces on King street
Former Senator Link McCandless, 1t
5 said, will head the Democratic Ter
itorial ticket as candidate for Dele
ate to Washington. Link is a hard
olitical fighter, probably the hardest
n the islands. What is more to the
oint, some say, is the fact that he
5 always a liberal contributor to cam
align funds, especially when he is en-
aged in a fight. But he has a good
nan to beat in Prince Kuhio, who is
opular ON Hawaii and whose record
4 Congress is improving every year. |
In two months from now election
ak will begin to warm up; in three
lonths it will be hotter. In six, it
ill practically be finished. Mean I
me. the Hawaiians are working and
rganizing as they never have done
efore on this island, and they are
DING 1t without spending money.
q