Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-06-21

should of what the other fellow says
1T is doing, or failing to do.
$50 we fight it out on the basis Of
knocking instead of building. The peo-
pie on their part have not taken the
time, no one has helped them to take
the time to think it ever. During the
eighteen months previous to the poll.
| tical campaign they have allowed 9TH
|sers to do the thinking for them.
Il will draw an example from the
condition of the sugar fight in Wash
ington which may more clearly pre-
sent my point. For two years and
n3@fe the advocates of free raw SUI
far. the sugar refining trust, have
been placarding every barrel of sugar
with posters which have been intend
ed to impress the corner grocery visit
ors of the large and the small towns
of the country through statements and
Illustrations well framed to educate
the people to the idea that free SUI
gar is the panacea for all political ills
and protected sugar is the cause of
the high cost of living The people
formed the habit of thinking along
these lines. When the political cam
paign came on the sugar refiners had
thousands of voters believing in free
sugar and in state of readiness TO
cheer free sugar orators. The people
knew only one side because only one
side had been presented to them.
Meanwhile the producers had remain
ed Indifferent or depending on their
ability to convince the people by pre-
caffrrS fho fonfc Oh the Last TnnrnQnt
When the campaign opened and lat
er during the extra session of Con-
gress, the producers, found them
selves butting against a stone wall.
When the producers advertising cam
paign was opened in Washington
and 1t is a splendid campaign but
started too late in the day -the pro-
ducers found, it appears to me, that
the members of Congress with their
ear TO the ground learned that their
people at home were convinced of the
truth Of the corner-grocery-b barrel
statements and very suspicious Of
what the producers were doing to in
fluence representatives in Congress at
the last moment The trouble is, that
the people don't know. And the fault
is, that the educational work of the
producers was begun too late. and
thus started, under the necessity Of
circumstances, at the wrong end.
Now, to bring it home to our pres
ent conditions.
I'VE have new primary law. The
people should know what this law is
long before the day of election and
long before the election campaign is
started They wont take the time to
look it up for themselves and in nine
~ cases out of a hundred will accept,
the say-so of the corner store author
ity 1t seems to me that it is we'll
worth while for some organization in
terested in disseminating facts to
honestly and thoroughly explain the
law and put the explanation in the
hands of the people.
Then, there are matters pertaining
to the administration of the govern
ment that should be handled in the
same way: not with partiZan twist,
not spiced with paTtizan acri1nony, but
just plain statement of facts so that
the people may know If the facts
are put so as to be clearly under
stood the judgment Of the voters will
be fair and intelligent expression of
what they want
How would | go about it? This is
a point where | may be charged with
having selfish interest, but if the
project itself and those considering it
are not big enough TO stand on real
merit, the whole thing would fail any
way
IF | were handling work of this
character would engage display adj
yertising space up TO two thousand
inches in each of the daily papers, TO
be used within the year. ] would call
for volunteer workers from the news
paper offices and from various organi-
cations, regardless of politics, who are
willing to give their time delving for
the facts. / would employ one man
to assemble and handle the facts from