Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-01-12

4 were laid against me (Which charges.
| you said, put me out Of the running,
/ in which charges you also said you
took no stock. You probably never
knew that in 1913 refused, for rea-
sons Of my own, to have anything TO
do with the office OF governor OF Ha.
waii. To verify this statement you
may refer to your friends, L.. A. Thurs
ton, w o. Smith. j. F. Colburn and
others living in Honolulu too numer-
Gus to mention (whose names can
furnish on request however,, and to
certain friends of yours in Washing
ton whose names / can also furnish.
II requested. So was never in the
running. .:...... ii. .....
Declines to Have Governor Criticize.
AS to the charges of oyer-indulgence
to which you referred. / wish to re-
mind you that my habits are my own.
and, II they are not as they should
| be, L. decline to have them criticized
by even the present governor of Ha-
wall. 1t has been said that some men
are better drunk than others sober.
However that may bel know this,
and that is, that there are worse
u
! one of them is political dishonesty,
that is, the sudden change of political
views in order to hold public Office
something which the real man de-
spises, and something also which 1
notified the White House and the de-
partment of the interior / believed you
were guilty OF.
have done nothing toward seeking
your removal In the month of De-
cember, 1915, at the request of the
White House and the department Of
the interior, / commented in writing
on the appointments you have made
and presume you can receive copies
Of these comments on application.
did not hesitate to criticize you Sc
verely from political point of view
and am perfectly willing to stand by
what / said and wrote.
Test of Democracy.
II, as reported to me, you notified
the department of the interior that
there were not enough Democrats in
Hawaii of sufficient ability to fill the
offices at your command, you made
a deliberate misstatement 1t may be
that your long absence from Hawaii,
while you were in the Philippine isl
ands recruiting labor for the Hawaiian
sugar barons, caused you to so get
out of touch with local affairs that
you may have believed your statement.
But since your assumption of the Of
flee of governor have you associated
with Democrats and attempted to as
certain who were Democrats and who
were not? Have not your closest as
scciates and intimates since that time
been Republicans? While your official
door has always been open to all, can
you say the same about your private
door?
limitations of Resignation?
On receiving an intimation from
Washington that you were going to
resign, announced that, if such was
going to happen, would seek the po-
sition. This intimation was strength
ened by the following facts, which l
challenge you to deny, to wit:
/. Mr., William Kent, congressman
from California, the man who stood
sponsor for you, is now seeking a
man to suggest to replace you. He
has now in mind Mr. Albert F. Judd
and Mr.. Charles r. Forbes.
2. The president of the United
States notified the secretary of the
interior that he did not want you in
Washington urging legislation OF any
kind in response to your request for a
leave Of absence in order to visit
Washington.
8. You are now grooming Mr..
Charles R. Forbes to succeed you as
governor. If you do not contemplate
resigning, why did Mr.. Forbes tell me
that he would withdraw in my favor?
Mr.. Forbes land l believe him to be
a truthful mani, in case you are not
contemplating resigning, is either dis
loyal to you or lying to me.
Now, do not care to be governor of
Hawaii. In the first place. / cannot
afford it. In the second place, loathe
the social end of 1t. In the third
place, judicial work and not executive
appeals to me. There is only one
office in Hawaii that does appeal to
me, and that is the office of chief JUS
tice of the supreme court. That office,
however, so far as am concerned,
must seek the man and not be sought
for. But, as long as man like A. g.
NJ. Robertson is willing to hold that
office, | would not even accept it, If
offered. s.%
Reasons for Present Action.
Why, then, am | now seeking to be
the next governor of Hawaii?
1t is simply and solely this, that
the natives of Hawaii, who are demo-
cratic by inclination, for reasons which
you may not understand, are entitled
to have one of their own sit in the
place of their deposed sovereign.
Again, the kamaainas in Hawaii, who
have with the assistance of mali
hinis, l will admit. made her what
she is today, are entitled to have one
of their kind as governor.
Lastly, but not least, the Democrats
in Hawaii, who have had to stand Is
years of Republican rule-misrule as
call it-are entitled to have a Demo
cratic governor when the president of
the United States is Democrat
With assurances of the highest per.
scnal consideration, remain,
Yours very truly,
(Signed) A. A. WILDER.
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