Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-07-19
RESERVATIONS OUT OF ORDER I'm

should not resign until it has organized an,
launched the one piece of constructive work tina
is most urgently demanded by the voters
large, and that is campaign Of education OF
the direct primary law.
Then, if the committee is still half-heartet
about its duties its responsibilities and its owl
position with respect to the party, resignation
will be in order. But they are distinctly not il
order now T
There is too much talk among the party lead
ers along this line: ooh, there's plenty of time
The campaign is over year away and we might
as well not do anything until next January"
That kind of talk is suicidal for party sue
cess. The Republican party in Hawaii and par
ticularly on this island must rehabilitate itself
it must regain the confidence of the voters; il
must redeem the record of the past campaign
Never mind now how that last campaign on
Oahu was lOst-excuses do not build up shat
tered forces; apologies do not restore the apollo
eist to confidence. Granted that combination
of circumstances led to Republican defeat last
tall on Oahu, granted that it was a Democratic
year., granted anything you please repetition
ofthe explanations of the past will not get any
thing in the future.
The time has come when the Republican lead
ers ON this island must quit reading over the
minutes of past meetings and get on to new bus
mess or else must make way for men who recog
nize the new spirit in politics, the spirit of OF
openness, of cooperation, of popular voice in the
management of party affairs The first exem
plification of that spirit is shown in the unani
nous demand for enlightennlent on the new pri-
mary law which is. revoluti0nizing territorial
politics The voters will not .beacontent to take
the word Of party sshigher-upsv as to what they
should do, as to how they should cast their. bal
lots The new spirit in politics means that every
man must stand on his two feet and handle him
self inteligently and vigorously in the political
arena. And every man with the righfsof the bal
lot now asks to be enlightened on its use under
the new primary law.
The party that will win the next campaign is
the party that will soonest realize this new spirit
and take its work right to the rank and file of
the voters.
The Republican county committee has now
s heard from practically every precinct that held
q meeting in response to its call Every precinct
asks for this campaign of education on the new
political machinery that has been set up Every
Drecinct asks the committee to formulate some
definite plan for carrying this campaign to the
people.
The responsibility cannot be shirked by the
county committee. The present rules provide no
way in which the committee can resign as a body
and still allow the county organization to be per-
petuated. A plan has been suggested for revi-
sion of the party rules by the territorial central
committee With the idea back of this plan the
Star Bulletin is in entire sympathy. The rules
should be revised and revised as speedily as pos
siblc
But this takes time, and the new rules will
probably not be decided upon and formally
adopted for five or six months In the mean
time, is the party to ignore this plainspoken de-
mand from the voters for systematic education
In the primary law?
This campaign of education is not a matter
Of few weeks or a few months. A year is none
too long The new primaries will be held year
from this fall The time intervening must be
used and used wisely if the Republican party is
to live up to its responsibilities. The Republic
an party for years stood for the direct primary
and Republican Legislature passed the neces-
sary bill. The party is morally bound to carry
forward the work just begun, and as a measure
of practical politics, such work is the first step
in the rehabilitation of Republicanism in Ha-
wall
This is no time for the county committee to
talk of quitting 1t cannot quit and leave the
organization to chaos The chairman may re-
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