Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-12-17
Practising Carpet.Baeeins Upon
Hawaii

Reward of deserving Democrats and use OF Ha
waii to paw the administration political debts and
build up the national Democratic machine never
had more graphic illustration than in the appoint
ment Of Col. Howard Hathaway Of Everett. Wash
fngton. as internal revenue collector for the terri
tory.
The story OF patronage distribution is told IN the
Everett Tribune, entirely without intention OF re
fecting on Hathaway-u fact the article is lauda
tory-but just as a matter Of news. The signlncan'
paragraph is this:
Four five weeks ago a request came to John 3;
Fosarty chairman Of the Democratic state central
committee, from Washington, d. G." to recommend
man for position Of internal revenue collector Tor
the district OF Hawaii. Mr.. Fogarty summoned sew
ersl men to a conference in Everett and asked for
their combined judgment a. to whom they should rec
mend. To Col Hathaway fell the unanimous choice
There it is. in a nutshelI-the payment of po-
litieal debt 1t appears that the state of Washing
ton. which delivered" for Mr.. Wilson in the last
national election. had a fat political plum coming,
and the administration luckily had fat polltical
plum to give-the Hawaiian collectorshlp. demand
and supply. Opportunity and use OF it. politlcal
opening and political move to take advantage OF
IL All very nice
The course taken BY the administration in regard
is the coectorship is exactly that which the editor
Of the Star Bulletin learned in Washington last
October. and told to Hawaii in correspondence
printed here on October 20. In that letter it was
stated:
II IN no secret that this is to be political plum.
The revenue appointment ought to be forthcoming
shortly That the appontee vii be from stsse
10 an obvious conclusion
AS to the relationship between this appointment
and the national Democratic party's plans for the
next presidential campaign, that will be discussed
by the Star Bulletin later. Suffice it now to say
that the handling of the revenue service patronage
Il part OF national political scheme. In this big
scheme Hawaii is considered only in 90 far as Ha.
waii offers opportunity for political exploitation.
federal lob in Hawaii is not considered from the
standpoint of the responsibility honor and oppor-
unity for efficient work which it offers, but from
the standpoint of how it may be used as a catspaw
for Democratic chestnutpulling.
From this misuse Of public Office here, Hawaii
has no recourse. The factional rows in the local
Democratic party and the unworthiness OF many
of the candidates it has put forward, minimize the
force of any protest which might be made to Wash
lngton on the part of disguised community.
The ar.BulIetin knows nothing personally Of
Col. Hathaway. He may be fine fellow, good
citizen capable lawyer, and he may make an
ecient collector Of revenue. The point s that the
job went primarily not to candidate Of recognized
merit but to state of recognized political pull
and that Hawaii 10 used again and again to pay
mainland political debts. MT. :
The payment Of some Of these debts has brought to-
Hawaii mainlanders so hkable personally and So
we'll able to look after their Office that We hesitate
20 refer to them as carpetbaggers" We don't like
to put them in that class But others have been in
that class and the administration, while preaching
states rights and home-rue, practses carpet-bag'
ene upon territory to extent that is indefensi
bly, outrageous.