Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-07-18
REORGANlzIHG PARTY STRUCTURE

OF many Republican precinct clubs of Oahu, tie
fifth precinct club of the fourth district is at
least fertile in ideas The plans that the clab
will place before the county committee tonight
are constructive and based on the fundamentally
sound principle that the real strength of the par
ty is found in the precinetimembership, and that
any committee structure above must be respon-
sive.to the wishes of the precinct clubs.
A number of radical changes are proposed, for
which experience alone will be the test of merit.
Several suggestions will at once meet favor as
logical and practical, but the drastic change pro-
posed for the organization of the territorial COM
mittee needs to be tried thoroughly before any
one can talk of results.
The recommendations provide in brief, for an
interlocking system of party administration.
The precincts elect the county committed, and
the county committees elect the territorial com
mittee The precincts elect the county platform
committee, and the county platform committees
elect the territorial platform committee. 1t is a
highly-centralized system that is proposed and
whether it wins favor with the voters or not is
going to depend very largely on whether the first
unit, the precinct club is a popular organization
or the tool of few clever men who will work
together.
If these recommendations should be put into
effect, the county committee will have unusual
powers and can, as the creator of the territorial
committee exercise unusual control Conse-
quently, it becomes of the highest importance so
to elect county committeeman that they will be
unquestionably the representafif esscf their pre-
cincts The plan as presented calls for party
primary on the same day as the regular primary,
and this party primary should be emphasized by
the party in order to have representative votes
cast for the committeemen and for the county
platform committee.
A brief survey of the recommendations leads
to the conclusion that the party primary for the
election OF county committeeman should be made
BY rule and practice, as wide-open as possible
The party rules should provide that voter who
wishes to become candidate for the county com
mittee should be able to do SO with as little RED
tape as can be used. Nomination for the commit
tee should be easy; in fact, it might be wise t
allow any man enrolled and in good standing il
the precinct clubs-his party affiliation thus be
ing vouched ifor-to become a candidate fol
county committeeman by written declaration t
the club five or ten days prior to the primary
election. His name could thereupon be place.
on the special party ballot used in voting fer thu
county committeeman. Anyone of half dozeI
systems might be used, the point being that thu
county committee, il so much power is to b,
placed i'm its hands, should be chosen in a popu
lar manner.
One of the suggestions of the Fifth precinc
club that ought to be at once adopted is for TIN
filing Of vacancies on the county committee
The club proposes that vacancies shall be filet
by the precinct club direct instead of by tn
county committee The change is designed t
prevent the possibility of bureaucracy in tn
committee and to emphasize the precinct club a
the party unit, and is a good one.
The Recommendation for the county and ter
ritorial platform committee structures are il
line with the basic idea of the county and terri
torial committee and subject largely t6 the sam
comment There is one distinct advantag
81 the new plan, if carried out to its logica
conclusion, and that is, the full opportunity civ
en- for drafting platforms Under the presen
convention systems, platforms are written i
haste and often in carelessness and are lstene
70 nv the convention with Indifference The ne'
plan will provide for platform committee tia
con oct 10 work several months before the pr
maries and draft platform suggestions, receiv
.nooestions from precinct clubs all over the tel
ritory and endeavor TO make the final piatforl
pvnressiye of the best party ideals and asptr;
tions The territorial platform will be Write
with due regard for the, county platforms
rho chances that will be brought before tn