The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1922-03-10
REGULAR REPUBLICAN NOMINATION
FOR DELEGATE TO CONGRESS
K A.
AN ISSUE.

Some of the candidates for delegate to congress are seeking to
bring labor shortage relief legislation as sought at Washington into
the campaign as an issue. 1t is not and should not be made an
issue in the campaign for whoever shall be elected, if he obey the
mandates of the people as expressed through their representatives In
the legislature, has been inundated to work and use his best ener-
ges to secure such relief. a candidate, then, must take the stand
that in going to Washington as a delegate he would or would not
be bound by the commands imposed upon him by the legislators OF
the people.
The legislature of Hawaii passed resolutions in an effort to
secure necessary federal legislation to relieve an acute shortage of
agricultural labor, named a commission to go to washington and
instructed that commission and the delegate as to what was wanted
Such instructions were binding not upon Kuhio only but upon any
man who might be Hawatis delegate to congress. Such a man is
an instructed delegate and has no voice in the matter.
But the question does arise and is a proper one, is the candi
date in sympathy or out of sympathy with his Instructions The
man who undertakes a task with which he is not in sympathy can
not give the best that is in him to such task. 1t is not human nature
to do so well or 81 much for what one does not desire as for what
one earnestly wills to achieve.
Kumalae is outspokenly opposed to the proposed labor legsa-
ton and has said, practically, he would not be bound by the legis-
lative instructions. McCandless, before a platform was drafted,
said he would be bound by instructions but the platform on which
he stands stulthes his utterances for 1t lodges the issue by insert
ing words which would nullify the efforts thus far made.
Baldwin, on the other hand, stands upon the same platform
upon which Kuhio was elected and has announced his policy would
be to carry out what Kuhio as the delegate of the Territory and
the mouthpiece of the people through their Legislature, has initiated.
In other words, Baldwin would be the delegate of the people
to carry out wishes that have been expressed. McCandless might
and might not be since he has spoken one way and his party has
spoken another, and Kumalae would be a delegate in name only.
Mrs. Atcherly, like kumalae, opposes labor relief legislation.
Further attempting to befog the issue the Democrats, regular
and irregular, are asserting the proposed relief legislation would
bring in 10000 or more Chinese in a great wave of immigration.
Such is not the fact. The President and secretary of commerce
and labor must be satisfied that an emergency exists, would have
hearing to detrmine whether o no there were and if so how many
immigrants were needed to meet the emergency" Hearings on the
subject of number to be permitted to enter would be had as well as
upon the need. The President and secretary of labor would also
determine the length Of time for which such labor could be brought
herea minimum compensation for the laborers and generally their
terms of employment. They might be permitted to work as leasers
as well as day labor, those points would be up to the President and
the department at Washington.
Let this be the answer to the agftators and befoggers who
assert the planters are striving to bring in 10000 coolies on a
pauper wage scale that would mean starvation to the laborers al
ready here. Washington could not permit such a thing, would not
ii it could and the plantation interests of the Territory would not
be so reactlonary as to ask anything so unreasonable.