Ke Alakai o Hawaii, Volume IX, Number 23, 17 September 1936 — REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES, DESPERATE OVER LOOMING DEFEAT, MAKE FRANTIC APPEAL TO ALMIGHTY FOR ASSISTANCE [ARTICLE]

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES, DESPERATE OVER LOOMING DEFEAT, MAKE FRANTIC APPEAL TO ALMIGHTY FOR ASSISTANCE

Particīpate in Sacreligious Performance Over Radio, Fmd lt Neeessary To Swear to Remember They are All Ameriean titizens and "Gentlemen"—Conveniently Forget G. O. P. "Ghosts"

Oahu Republlcans, floundering around 'fn"tV;mire of despair at,th.e fatie whieh waits them at the coming eleetions, have adopted the most desperate and despicable meag«res ifnagināble in a faint but vain hope that they may receive assistance from a'hitherto inviolate source, to aid them in averting the disaster they ean see pn October 3 and Novermber 3. According to the so-ca!led "oath" taken by the GOP eandidates last Thursday in what was described as "an impressive c.eremony" by the Republican-controlled press, the despairing candidates ōf that party had the effrontery ,to go through a hocus-pocus in whieh they beseeched the Almighty for aid. *So help me God," conctudes the theatrical, highsotfnding but absolutely meaTiingless phrases of this 'so- ' called "oath" that clim.axed about as sacreligious a.perforniance as 3a-as been wjt»essed in Hawaii—or elsew_here —in many, iaany loi>g t long years. If e*er the name of the Deity were laken in vain, lt was taken by those self-same Republican candidAtes who lined up in front of a conveniently-placed mscrophone of the KGMB radio service 50 that they broadcast their sacreligious words and &ctions through> out the Territory. In the centuries of partisan politic« in the Unhed States it is qu€stiopreable whether any £roup of can3idates for puhlie office ever stooped so low—in the faee of their certain defeat—as to eall upon the Deity for aid, as the Republican.s did when they chanted—in deflance of the Ten Commandments and all the teachings of the Bibīe—"So help me God"— 4< Thelp me God"—to attain political office! The Republican party, through the press, has ]beeh careful to emphasize for months t!ie contention—untrue as it is—that they have a perfectly well-oiled, stro?ti|;lyorganized and brilliantly-led or,ganiz.ation throughout the Terrife)ry. ' < ,i Who Leads Republican Party ? If this is an example of that well-oiled ; strong!y organized and brilliantly-led organization, if this is a taste of the campaign that they are going to wage in the face of almost certain defeat, they ar.e not being brilliantly-led— the Republican #arty on Oahu'must be led by a gang of sacreligious maniacs who wouM stoop to any depths— even to callUig~ upon the Deity for aid—in their greed for puhlie office. ' M So'he!pWe'Go<r ! ! ! If that is an example of tKe craven spirit with whīeh the Republican party—and candidates—is imbued in Hawaii, we say—not, God help the Republican candiAite«, although they certain!y need p!enty of he!p from Mtherto uttexp!ored sourcei—but God help the Territory and Ihe counties—-if fhe sacreligious Repub!icans «hould happen to obtain control of the government of Hawūil 'in < *il-history there comes to mind only one parallel the "aet" that was put on by the Republican eandidates— before radio Tnicrophotte, at **m ceremony." That was the sacreligious aelion ot the Ute Kai ser Wilheim of Germany when he tried to conviuee the worW t.hat he had formed the : partr>ership of "Gott mitt uns"-~to the utter ama?:emer>t and adhon-etiee of the rest of thq wor!dt Aad* of eoum» ihe fftte that befell KaUer smd the Central Powers on Nove|Cnber 11, 1918, js the fate that wil! befall the Republican party and candidates at the coming elections~ij;Tvominious defeat aad oblivion! Whatever crack-pot menUl process of a saereligious maniae that idea of makiM a meek of a hitherto sacred rite—for the low purpose of sotieiting votesto satisfy their greed for puMk' offiee—should receive some sort of a reward from the Democratk pavty. For that "imprestsive c«Ktm*>n>V' coneludinjg with th.at \ hu\ plen, "80 help me God," did nothins but dbeU\<e to the eleetorate of Hawaii the absolutely x*acuity $ud weakne§s of Uie Kepuhlkau campaign—both issues and candidat£s. Aro Chr*stian Republkan« Extinct? The most surpris-ing elemeni of this entire amazīng epiis that one in authority īn the "īvepublican Part\ r | —we stil! maint|ain that theve must be a fe\v Chmtiaas t left in Uiat org^uization—did not $cotch this aeheme to enlist the aid of the Almightv on the sid.e of the Republican party! !t wou!d appear that the orii*nAīot IhU «-acr«tir gious scheme *omc,dou3bU to thc tiue and «W 1 iute Amei ieanUm of of the <acuKv3«tea oxl lW lvei «Mibltcaa t»cket—other>* ise >$hy hrin* up thii matter o! I **w»membering alwa>* that f am an eUiieu,**

Do the Republicans thus aduiit that they are in the habit of frequently forgettinyf that they are supposed to be Amertcan citiz«ns? If »o, they have no plaee on the . bal!ot of any.poltical party-in thss or any other part of the United States! "Fellow citiz;ejis and Republicaijs," intoned Raymond C. Erown, executive secretary of the Republican organization iii openiiig the £auseating performance. "We are pr.oud of the two banners under whieh we serve—the flag of our country and the standard of the Republican partF." Also hidden behind that banner of the Republican party are the ghpsts of the Falls, T)aughertys f Charles Forbefe t Jesse Dohenys and their greedy ilk I But the Rej)ublican cancndates of Oahu boast of their pride in«.ancjj disg.raGeful charactersl They alsO:—Fall, Daugherty, Forbes, Jesse Smith and others of the infamous "Ohio ganjj" onee took an oath-~to serve the people of the UnitedStates! How tliey kept that oath and served the people is..a m,atter of history £bat is a black spot on the otherwise honorable chronicles f thc United Stat.es of Ameriea! "We are soldiers in the front īine trenehes of gooa, citizenship and good government' j "We.JLove Our*elves Greatly!" ! W«U, are we all proud of our»elves! And to make , aure that all of the candidates on t«cket , are good the lead<ers of that party make them swear, in the oath that followed, m this fash»on: "That always will I do my duty to the full extent of ay office, REMEMBERING ALWAYS THAT ĪAMAN AMERICAN CITI2EN AND THAT HAWAII JSEI 1S MY HOME AND EVER BE. ~ . " ' Conunent already has be«n made c»f ihe nece- s aty ] of mtpre»sing upon the Repuhh'can candidate? the thought that "I am an American ci««zen/' in casc, as has been »«id befor«v »ome of them might forget tl.at ohli- , gation occasionally—or often, ] "That Hawaii nei is my honie and ever shr.il be. . . " \Vasn't Charley Forbes, of shameful Teterans" Bureau notoriety, onee a citizen of Ilawau iioi? Perhaps it would have been ljotter if t}iiii so-callod "i'alli" had been the fashion when he w;is supormtondent of public works iu thc Territory aiui Fov!u\< liad kopt that purported Perhaps thon Prosidont ITar4ing would havc boen aavcd great cttibarrassr.;ent--ar.d tlie voterans'of the ihe maiuK\i, iho vr;ppKtlio bliud» Uie ImlU the lame, tho gast-od, ainī thoii 4oi ! oiidonts—would Lave reccived tlie. treatmont tl;oy mesTvd from that Repuhlkan adniiiiisti«tion instoad of thoihanioful and shabby treatxuent thcy did leeoKo. j Afi aoalysis 9! that $o-oallod "oalh" and the entire

nauseatfng details of that performance lea<īs lo ttie Bel!ef lhat perhaps it would be better /or nei if some of th.©§te eandidates should break ,their "oath" forthwith —and depart as hastily as possible froni the Territory! < ■ ' ■ Would Favor Certam I*recinctsī ' "I, a eandiāate for office under theitep'ubiican banner, do hereby solemn!y affirm, without mental' reservatioīi "or hesitation, that if elected I wi!l ever do my' duty to the precinct, district, county, city and Territory wKieh elects me." Particutar attention shoulcLj}e pai<T to the conclu<3ing portlon of that "swear"—' r tliat if elected f wil! ever do my duty to llie *p rec ' nct > co v unty, c!ty and Territory WHICH ELECTS ME." If the English languāge rheans anything at all to the RepiibHcan candidates, that particular "swear A binds them —if any are elected—to serve only the precincts 5 districts, et£., "whieh elected me"—in other worc!s, successful Republican candidates—-if any—-ean onlv perform service for the precincts ; districts, ete., in whieh the ītēpublicans obtain a majority—and to harig "with'"the rest of the Islands! Whieh, of c.oursej is about as ra\y sion of the democratic system whieh is to rufe the United States as 'īs possible. In fadt, it is difficult to figure whether that particula? f 'swear" is a threat or a pr.omise! , . How Many Fmgers Were Crossed?| And it is~to be ,wondered how many of thpse*Repubi liean candidates with previous experienee in publlc office j had their fingers crossed'when they repeated those asinine j phrases, "without mental reservation or hesītātion"? Tf they didn't have their fingers crossecl they ceriainly must have gagged over those—and all the other—worcls in that "oath"! . , ; ■ "That, furthermore > ,r continues this weird document, "if elected, I WILL CŌNSCIENTIOUSLY REf>RESENT ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN MY CHŌSEN OFFĪCE regardless of race, creed or p6litical affiKation." Iri other words, the Republican elected officials— If any—have ptedged themselves to "CŌNSCIENĪOUSLY REPRĒSENT ALL OF THE PiĒIOPLE IN MY CHOSEN OFFICE"—or to serve their own office employes—AND THOSE PEOPLE ONLY! ' What Mnd of a government would we have'under sūch conditions—when the elected officia!s pledge themse!ves to serve only the people—br employes—in their own offices? .Fie upon such a foolishness! "That in my own personal conduct, my off!cial conduct or by though.t, word or deed, ā ahall never giv;e cause for the high opinion of my neighbors, business associates and fellow citizens x to be altered ; " continues this bit of asininity. ' R*{mblicans Become Presumptuous • It would strike one that these Republican candidates ( are assuming and presuming a whole lot that may not be true! Who, except they themseīves, ever said their neighbors, business associates and fello%v citizens HAYE a high opinion about them? i f Seif-praise is about the most sickening in the wor!d, especiatlly it is laid on as thickly as the Repubīican candidates applied it to themselves! "That in my campaign always shall I remember that l am a gentleman« . . . !* Do the Repul>lican candidates feel that they must be constant!y reminding themseīves that they are "^enllemen" —although the title may he self-ap^>lied — just as they feel that they must keep constant!y reminding themselves that they are Amenean citi2«ns? "That I am in the role of an instructor expla]ning.the" difference betweeri good government and bad, and betwēen good leadership and bad. . . .!" Who Says They Are Qualified? Who. except themselves, ever told the Republican eandidates that thev are qualified to distinguish between good government and bad? And if nobody, except themselves. considers them qualified tb distinguish hetween good government and bad, how under the dome of Heaven are thev qualified to act in the role of instructor to their fellow citizens? "That I pledge whole-hearted allegiance to the Republican party, its entire platform, and the high ideals (sic) for wliieh it stands, and that I shall ever strive to bring honor and aeelaim to Ameriea, Hawail nei and to my party." s Wliat are these so-ca!led "high idea!s" except an utterly empty phrase? Are they the **high ideals" of Fall, Daugherty, Forbes, Smith and the re»t o f t h e "Ohio gang"? And why not a plcdge—or a so-CaT!rd do a little bit for the eommon men and women and ehildren of this Territory? They have needed plenty of help for 10, these manv years } under the ftepuh!icancontrolled !egislature! "So help me God!" Tleavoii kuows tlu\v iuhu help—lmt U is to bo doubted thai He;i\en will help Ihe Kepuhliean candidatos, despite thcir frar.tio ai d rato p!ct\ nnd prayer to the Almightv!