The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-11-17
DIRECT PRIMARY
AND ORIGIN
ChleI Justice Believes Hawaii 10
Falling Behind IN Primary
Respects.

Mr.. Uhsirmans in response 10 the
request Of your committee have pre-.
pared a paper on tho subject Of The
Direct Primary Law. The subject 10
not a new one on tho mainland Il IL
an old one. and IN this community has
been discussed at different times during !
Tho past several years. At best the
rubject makes rather dry topic, and |
j have concluded to deal with II on
somewhat broad lines and more from a
historical standpoint than in an init.
mate and unseemly discussion OF local
partiEan conditions. A birds-eye view
of the subject win, ] think, eonduce to
clearer idea Of it. That you have
asked to have this subject introduced
leads me to think that the members OF
your organization take at least some
Interest h the important subject OF
politics. IL is n matter for extreme re-
greet that so many of our good people
think they have no time for politics.
/ am free to say, at the outset, that
in my opinion every citizen, and especi.
ally every citizen of the character of
those now before me, should be active
in partiZan politics. i would except
from this rule only clergymen and
Judges. Before closing ! shall have
something more to say on this point.
That the Trainer Of the Federal
Constitution did not forsee the growth
of political parties in the United
States is shown by the fact that the
electoral college which they designed
and provided as means for the selec.
tiDn of President has long since de-
generated into mere automat0n, hav-
ing been overshadowed, as it were, by
the political organizations through
whose operations the chief executives,
since the first few years of the Repub-
lie, have been selected, practically
speaking, by the popular vote of tho
people 1t was understood, of course,
that great number, and increasing
numbers. of state Legislators and Of
ficials would continue to be elected by
popular vote. but the vastness of poll.
teal organization which was newt
ably to follow seems not to have been
anticipated in the early days of the
Union.
Party Necessity.
Mr.. James Bryce, in his mastery
work, "The American Commonwealth, I"
says, "The spirit and force of party has
in America been as essential to
the action of the machinery Of
government as steam is to loco
motive engine; or, TO vary the simile,
party association and organization are
to the organs of government almost
what the motor nerves are to the
muscles, sinews, and bones of the human
body" President Roosevelt said 'Our
country is governed, and under exist.
ing circumstances can only be govern
ed, under the party system.
One of the great problems to which
attention has been given in later years
is the establishment Of a form Of party
government in which the holders OF
party power shall be responsible to
and more readily amenable to, the
voters of the party. In the early days
of the Republic the nominating system
as subsequently SO well known, did moi
exist. Candidates for office were pre-
scented upon their own initiative and
announcement, or upon the endorsement
Of mass meetings, or informal, and
sometimes secret eaucuses. Soon, it be
came apparent that organization wal
Indispensable to a successful political
campaign, and, by 1910, through tbs
adoption of the delegate system ant
the nominating convention, a scheme
Of representative party government
vas developed.
Honolulu in 1886.
A somewhat similar transition ha
been passed through in these Islands
During the time of the Monarchy tn,
nominating convention was almost al
unknown thing. Public opinion was I
negligible quantity, Administrative,
officers were all appointive and tn,
only elections were those which wer,
held biennially for representatives t
the legislature. The electorate was al
most entirely Hawaiian. AS late Al
1856 there was only one polling plac,
for the entire district of Honolulu
The changes wrought during the briei
time of the Provisional Government ant
the Republic of Hawaii, not being i'm
portant TO this discussion need not bt
noticed here. 1t was not until upor
the annexation of the Islands to thu
Bnited States that the formation o.
parties, and the establishment of party
organizations upon the American plan
naturally introduced the primary an,
convention.
Violefice and Fraud.
IN the States the development Of tn
extrA-legal and unTegulated, but nation
wide and powerful political orRaniEs
tioRS, brought about conditions so intol
cradle as 10 arouse much indignation
Violence and fraud IN party pTimRrie
and conventions became common. Nj
C. Edward Merriam, in his handbook oil
Primary Eleetions,' TO which ] an
indebted for much OF the data her
presented, says, A" Primaries were inyHd
Cd and controlled by men OF different
o. 81 no political persuasion, and iron
other Districts Of the city. Sometime
this was done peaeeably and with
show Of deeeney and ORDER or again !
Vas accompanied by violence and dis
order Of the most outrageous character
both Hneahs and tluggeTa we're en-
ployfd ~ tho 0eeasion dictated. IN
ballot boa might he stuffed. the eoun
% The ballots might be- faisifed, an
say one " . HUNDRED ingenious doyies
ailhi he employed % infuff the rrsul