Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-01-18
{. 0. P. MAY NOT
give Hawaii SIX
Votes NEXT JUNE
Opposition Arises to Restoring
Strength at Chicago
Meeting -.
BY c. S. ALBERT
special star-Bulletin Correspondence

Special Star-Bullettn CorrespondenceI
| WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan. T.
Delegate Kalanianaole will likely run
| as delegate to the next Republican ma
| tional convention He Is now taking
up the matter with his fellow-Repub-
licans in the islands.
Hawaii is to have two delegates and
under the call for the convention just
issued they will be merely ornamental.
without the power to vote. Hawaii
in this respect is in the same boat
with the Philippines and Porto Rico,
while the territories of Alaska and
the District of Columbia each have
two delegates who have the right to
vote r..
1t is the general consensus of opin-
ion that when the convention meets
In Chicago one of the first things it
will do will be to give to the Hawaii
an representatives the voting privi-
lege. ~. n.
National Committeeman Charles
Rice, when here attending the meet
ing of the national committee, early
| in December, canvassed thoroughly
the situation in so far as the Hawaiian
delegates are concerned. He found
that the members of the national COM
mittee are unanimous for restoring
the voting privilege to the Hawaiian
delegates. Senator Smoot of Utah,
Senator Cummins of Iowa and others
have taken up the matter at the re-
quest of Committeeman Rice They
are all of the opinion that an injus-
tice has been done to the Republi-
cans of the island territory in depriv-
ing them Of voice in the delibera-
tons of the Republican party.
Six-deIegate Plan Opposed. ~.
Some of the friends of Hawaii are
so confident that the convention itself
will speedily right the wrong that they
believe it will be possible for Hawaii
to regain her old standing, that of six
voting delegates. The general view,
however, is that the convention will
vote only to give the right to vote
for presidential candidates and plat
form to the two delegates, putting Ha-
wall on an equal footing with Alaska
and the District of Columbia.
When the new apportionment was
made and ratified by the Republicans
Of the several states 1t was thought
that the elimination of Hawaii's vot-
ing rights in the Republican national
conventions was an error. This view,
generally accepted, is not correct ac-
cording to Boss Barnes of New
York Discussing the question OF Ha.
waits elimination the other day he de-
clared that an injustice had been done
Hawaii Republicans, but at the time
1t was necessary to appease the de-
mands Of the progressives.
The question Of reducing Southern
representation, that became acute as
a result of the Chicago convention of
1912, came up year ago. The "regu-
lars tried to reach some middle
ground for a reduction in their con.
test with the progressive element.
When ii came to the question OF ter.
ritorial representation, said Commit
teeman Barnes, the Roosevelt, or pro-
gressive, element, representa- by for
mer Governor Hadley of Missouri, de-
manded that the Hawaiian delegates
be reduced from six to two and that
these two delegates be placed on the
same basis as the delegates from the
Philippines and Porto Rico, that is.
that they be deprived Of the right to
vote. ~. @".+. -.
Some Inside History. ~. ~: ..::.
Committeeman Barnes said that the
former Missouri governor insisted on
the Hawaiian matter and as it was
one Of the last points in issue the reg
ulars on the national committee
agreed. Now the reason why the Pro-
gressive element was so bitter against
the further right of the Hawaiian dele
gates to vote was given as follows:
When the roll was being called for
votes on Taft and Roosevelt in the
Chicago convention for the presiden-
tial nomination, it was Hawaii's six
votes that put Taft over. The Pro-
gressive element. those that remained
in the party and did not follow Roose-
welt into Bull Moosery, remembered
! this and wanted to hit Hawaii. They
got their chance and made good their
desire 1t was not the fact that Taft
could have lost the six Hawaiian votes
and still have won that made them
sore but that it was the casting Of the
six votes that made Taft an actual
winner In the totaling UP Of the votes,