Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-04-20
oUTRUNNING THE PEOPLE.

Il A touch of Impotence, even of irritation, is
occasionally noticed in the speeches and writ
ings of men in Honolulu who honestly and
earnestly hope and work for political progress.
They appear to believe that the electorate at
large should follow Immediately in every
'ology and ism to which their own study has
led them. And when the electorate goes halt
ingly, with an occasional period of marking
time, they express despair of the future.
Deliberate motion is not popularity of lla-
wall electorate That state of the Union
often called the model of progressive democracy
Wisconsin, 2llas inst been iudged and found
much as is the American electorate everywhere
much as is Hawaii S misunderstanding to
be hauled up by the bootstraps.
Frederick NJ. Davenport, noted economist,
student practical politician, candidate for gov
ernor of New York, has been making a swing
through the west ON the trail of progress and
reaction" His first article in the current num-
Der of The Outlook deals with Wisconsin. He
finds there Republican governor elected with
rather reactionary tendencies. He finds that
the brilliant group of young men politically
created by the energy and ability of La Toilette
had outrun their state in social progress. Laws
regulating nearly everything in old Wisconsin
filed the statute books. The administrative
organization had not been developed in eff
cheney with corresponding speed. And at the
first hint Of over-expense of public funds, the
conservative corporation interests fought and
defeated the'brilliant progressives e s
From his survey Davenport draws concus-
ions in part as follows: t,.....ss .,
The bright young men under the dome of the l
capitol forgot in considerable measure what La
Toilette remembered that you must talk 1t out with
the wisconsin electorate at every step of the ad-
vance. The leaders were Juggling away too faT
ahead of the procession of boots on the upward
march. This is the most recent lesson from the
wisconsin experiment in democracy: . -
Progress in Wisconsin has neglected the FONDA
politically Go aneiy developed At the top TO guard
tom upward Clearly we must not move forward
against reaction appears to be necessary to work
with the policies Of democracy faster than we can
develop sound administrative talent to carry out
those policies And in Wisconsin, in other states,
make every step Of the way plain to the people.
The stomach Of the American electorate is not fitted
81 the American electorate is touched acutely
by revealed inenicency and waste than by any
other cause And why not? Progress must be paid
Davenport also finds that while the Wiscon-
sin state government and state institutions are
remarkably strong, capable and generally well
administered, the. local governments the
towns and yillages-are often Inefficient,
wasteful, backward. H., = &a -"
"A good deal of his article sounds as if it had
been written for Hawaii. He comments:
The reaction in Wisconsin indicates that
sensible reformers and all wise political leaders
mnst bear in mind that perfected machinery is,
not enough to insure freedom and progress.
Our politics will never be theoretically or prac-
tically on sound basis until we pay more at
tention than reformers do now to the actual
human nature of the electorate as whole, its
habits, its predispositions, its prejudices as,
well as its high mental and moral qualities.
The boss is far better political psychologist
than most reformers He understands people. u
That is true of the electorate in Hawaii as
in Wisconsin. The Star Bulletin has long con-
tended that Hawaii's. electorate is responsive,
IL the issues are discussed clearly and without
deceit IN the campaigns. The electorate here
may be. more easily led bytappeal to prejudice
than in Wisconsin, but the remedy for that is
education and public discussion of the real
issues-and more education and more public
discussion.
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