Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-09-24
Theodore +. Bonnet Discusses
Politics, Commerce and
Society of Hawaii

SUCiely OF HdWdll
Hawaiian sossip-political. CONNER
cial and social-are woven into an
article by Theodore r. Bonnet, editor
Of the Town Talk Of San Francisco
in q recent number of his publication
Mr.. Bonnet recently visited the islands
and his impressions are given here
with:
Life is romantic at all times and in
all seasons; probably mere so in the
tropics than elsewhere. In the tropics
there is much Of the freshness of an
untold fairy story in every fantastic
cloud. much of the ench -ntment .ot
mystery in every exotic shape that ma
ture has taken. On flying trip into
the tropics, from which ! returned the
other day, ! met romance at every
turn; even at Waikiki beach, famous
in ragtime and lyric for sentimental
adventure, the kind that poets regard
as the very substance Of romance,
Even there, / say, because as a mat
ter of fact, it is not romance but mat,
ter-of-fact that holds one at Waikiki
Imagination does the rest. You stare
there at the Pacific with a wild sur.
mise, like one silent upon peak in
Darien; for many sad and melan-
choly song to the irritating accompani-
ment of the tinklelaylee. which you
have groaned at somewhere lin the
states" as they say in the islands.
has invested the beach with vague
sympathy and misunderstanding that
give the scene of a well-worn theme
a certain indescribable freshness. You
stare at Japs here, there and every
where, most unromantic Japs, and
mayhap you feel the sting Of mos.
quito, and then you wake up and stare
sor-s more-but not with wild sur.
mise. Having seen beaches on many
q Pacific and not few Atlantic coasts
was not greatly thrilled at the TO-
rance of Waikiki. Yet it Is not to be
gainsaid that romance aboInds in the
tr opics. You sense it first on the
ocean approaches thereto, folks on
shipboard seeming to have it in their
system. They give manifestations OF
1t ION deck in the moonlight of the
coldrums. They yield to 1t going and
coming. To what extent the spirit OF
romance dominates the tropics, one
may infer from the circumstance that
romance is discussed even in the Com.
mercial Club of Honolulu-the ro-
nance Of politics. Yes, there is ro-
nance even of politics IN the tropics.
There is for example the romance OF
Lucius e. Pinkhafn, the governor OF
the territory who, as private citizen
became a Republic overnight on trip
from Honolulu to the states and land.
ed the gubernatorial job by virtue Of
his timely change OF complexion.
"The romance of Governor Pinkham
me because OF the part play
ed therein by personalities with whom
! am, acquainted. Our own fellow citi.
zen, the Hon Bill Kent of Kentfield.
the gentleman who sponsored the be-
wfldering shipping board commission.
er from California, Is one Of Governor
Pinkham's hackers. How Interesting
TO 60 far from home and learn of the
activities of the neighbors we have
left behind. Denman's friend, Kent,
il not the only man, from California
who has put In good word at head.
quarters for Governor Pinkham. Frank
lin K. Lane has busted himself In Pink
hams behalf. and will doubtless as.
sist again now that the. governors
tern. is drawing to Q close and his
enemies are very busy. .-t. So.
GOVERNOR PINkHAM.. =.
There is q movement on In Honolu.
lu to separate Pinkham from his Job.
The head and front of this movement,
It is said, is 8. C. Huber, the federal
district attorney of the islands, who
has the backing Of w. A. Bryan,
professor in the College of Hawaii and
chairman Of the Democratic Central
Now political intrigue in
the Paradise of the Pacific is spiced
with the very same ingredients that
are employed elsewhere. When the
Japanese commission was
about to be given reception In Ho..
nolulu some months ago the tip was
given out that II wine were served at
the banquet a complaint would be
sent to Washington because OF the
officers invited. Thus was
Pinkham to be caught mapping, and
be called off the wine. When he made
4 speech to a company of Boy Scouts
somebody perceived that his sentt.
ments were pro.German and he was
taken to task by Lorrin A. Thurston
proprietor of the Commercial Adver
User, the same Thurston who served
Is Minister to the Provisional Govern.
ment in the days of Grover Cleveland.
From one group of partisans one
learns that Pinkham stands in with
the Big Five, the most powerful Of the
sugar planters who are prospecting as
never before. The Big Five are Alex.
ander & Baldwin, Castle & Cooke,
Brewer & Co., H. Hackfeld and T. II.
Davies. From Pinkham's friends one
learns that the big sugar plantations
are in the main controlled BY the de-
scendants of the old missionary ele.