Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-01-26
let SPIRIT Of
PRIMARY rule,
SAYS THOMPSON
Republican Worker Against
Further Capitalization
Of Power -
BELIEVES IN ELECTION
OF MEN TO DO THE WORK
Says Conyention- created Body
Has Run the Party Into
the Ground

TBelOw is the first 0f q series OF
suggestions On tie revision or Repub.
lican party rules 20 De presented from
time TO time In the Star-Ilulletin from
Well.knoWn RepuhIIcan workers. The
Suggestions below nfe made By VII.
liam Thompson, fekmer member of the
territ0riaI centred committee. He
strongly opposes the further ceutraIi.
zatiOn Of power Ii the hands Of q few
men on the territorial eomnlittee.I
Hands off and give the spirit of the
direct primary law full sway,
This should be the mandate of ey-
cry Republican voter and the party
leaders will do well to give heed TO il.
Provision Is made in the proposed
rules and regulations OF the Republic
an party for a primary to elect q
county COMMITTEES hut the territorial
central committee is left to be Gre
ated in convention under the old meth.
Cd and mark you the powers conferred
upon this COMMITTEES.
Section Of article says: I'm con
Quoting any campaign within the ter
ritory, the territorial committee shall
have the final right to determine In
what manner the campaign in any
county for the selection of delegate
to Congress and members of the leg
islature shall be conducted. and all
directions by the territorial central
committee or the executive committee
OF said central committee shall be OBJ
served by the county committee. :
Previous experience teaches us that
the faction getting control Of the CON
vention practically dictates who shall
compose the terr,foriaI central com
mitfee. It would. therefore, be an
easy matter for, two or three men to
run affairs. You see here a territorial
central committee brought into being
under these circumstances imposing
its will upon q county committee
which has been. elected directly by
the voters. Stop prating about want
ing to carry out the spirit Of the di-
rect primary law and do it by giving
the Individual voter a chance to elect
this governing committee. In this
same connection would like to point
out that the regular monthly meeting
of the territorial central committee
has been cut out and the following
section substituted article 4. section
IL: : III ...=-. =. - s,... ...
The territorial central committee
shall meet on the call of the chair
man thereof at the Republican terri
torial headquarters, Honolulu, and at
such other times as the committee
may by resolution direct. Upon writ.
ter request of FIVE members of the
committee, 1t shall be the duty of the
chairman and secretary to call q meet
ing of the committee at the time set
forth in such request; provided. how
ever, that no such meeting shall be
held earlier than two weeks subse.
quent to the date of the call"
This is the body that has general
supervision of the affairs of the party.
1t has been difficult in the past few
years to get a quorum together, due,
believe, to putting men on 1t whose
interest at the best was only luke
warm. If the members composing the
committee have to go out and work
at primary for the privilege of sery-
ing It is reasonable to suppose that
they will rise to their responsibility.
{ would favor the retention of the old