Ke Alakai o Hawaii, Volume IX, Number 31, 5 November 1936 — MAYOR WRIGHT, DRUNK WITH 'POWER,' ALIENATES OAHU'S BEST FRIEND-F. H. LOCEY [ARTICLE]

MAYOR WRIGHT, DRUNK WITH 'POWER,' ALIENATES OAHU'S BEST FRIEND-F. H. LOCEY

Mayor Fred Wright, insane with his HitTer-like ambitions, pu}]ed the greatest of all the political boners in his long public life when he charged last Saturday, before a Kaneohe audience, that ,"coercion" on the part of the Works Progress Administration had dec.reased at,tendance at Republican rallics on the windward side of the island and had robbed the GOP candidates of "the votes to whieh ■they were entitled." Elected at the primary himself, it seerned as though His Honor (?) has lost his senses entirely and went out of his way de]iberately to alienate the one man who has been of more conc*rete assistapce to the community progress and public improvements under the Wright administration than any one other individual-—Frank H. Locey, administrator in Hawaii for WPA. If this is to be an example of the statemanslike manner in whieh the city and county of Honolulu is to be eonducted during the next two years under << Mussol»ni" Wright, drunfe with "power," and hia rubber-stamp Repuhliean majority of six »upervi»ors, the municipā!ity would appear to be in for a fine ride! For months, during the mdst heated period of the loeal campaign, the name of the Workg Progress Administration had been kept out of the political fray except for some erroneous and misleading statements by eheap politicians regarding the minimum wage rates paid to WPA labor in the Territory. Democrats Point To $9,000,000 Gifts The only other reference to the organization was that bv certain Democratic candidates who pointed to the $9,000,000 in WPA allotments to the Territory as one of the boundless benefits accruing to Hawaii under the first Roosevelt administration, With Administratior Locey and his aides exerting their utmost efforts at all times to aid the city and county administration to push through to completion worthwhile projects of permanent value that cou!d perhaps not have been huilt wi.th the funds at the disposal of municjpal.authorities for 50 years or more, it remained for Mayor Wright, the outstanding beneficiary of that assistance, to raise his piteous voice in a weak and wailing attack upon the WPA, with his asinine and inane charges of "coercion" being used to keep WPA workers from attending 'Republican ral!ies. There is need for real eoneem over the Mayor's sanity when he permits himse!f to let !oose such a barrage of "dud" charges such as: "I see that there are no men present. Maybe they were under orders of the WPĀ to keep aw.ay ; ! Don't let anyone tell you that the money used for WPA payrolls is I3emocratic money. That money is supplied by the taxes all of the people of Ilawaii pay, ?frid it was returned to us from Washington by the Republican party through the efforts of loeal men and Delegate Sam King." His Honor (?) convemently forgot to explain how "the Republican party" had been able to mduce the Democratic administration to allot WPA funds to Hawaii "through the effort» of loeal men," whose identity His Honor (?) also cloaked with deepest secrecy! The truth in the matter is, of course, that Delegate King was not able to obtain from the Democratic adminj istration in Washington all the WPA aliotments to whieh the Territory was entitled, and that the $9,000,000 allotments already made were the result of two trips by Govemoi* J. B, Poindexter and one trip by Administrator Locey to Washington, where they found open to Democratic appointees official doors that were cīosed tightiy to the lepuhliean delegate from Hawaii! Deiegate King, who also is taking rank as one of "Mussolini" Wright's ever-ready and always-willmg "rub-| bcr-stamp yes'-men," %vas quick to support the weird ae-cusat-ions of his political mentor*—Mayor Wright! Delegate King Adds "Yes-Yes" "There is no such thing as Democratic money or Repuhliean mo'ney," he told his audience. "It is United States money. "There is no justification in any effort to capitalize on reiief moneys. If anyone has been playing politics w!th the WPA. it is directly against the Preaidentjj orders. Tho former FERA head (H. A. Mountain) and the present" head (F. H Locey) of the WPA have not, so far as I know, violated ihstructions." , . Aithougrh Delegate King seemingly absolved Administrator Locey of any connectiōn with the wild accusations of "coercion" and like clap-trap, Adminstrator Xocey followed the example whieh has been set recently by the national WPA administrator, Harry L. Hopkins, in defending the organization against Republican fabricated charges &gainst the WPA. "I have not taken active p&rt in this camapign," Administrator Locey told The Honolulu Advertiser, "but now that a Republican speaker has opened ihe issue» let*« let them have the truth of the matter. "Mayor Wright is reported to have said at Kaneohe, i there are no men present, Maybe they are under

6rders from the WPA to keep āway. Don't let anyone tell | yoti that the money used for WPA is Democratic money. j . īt was returned to us from' Washington by the Repub-j iliean partv through the efforts of loeal men and Delegatei King.' ' - | 1 ' "There is no po!itical set-up in the WPA, and I defy| anyone to insinuate that there is. We have declared a holiday tomorrow (Election Day) so that the boys ean do i !as they please on election day. Our instructions fromj Washington are that no man on the WPA payrolls can| hold any sort of a political job or be a candidate for any office to whieh a salary attaches. ( "We have carried out those instructions, and we have, I gone even farther. We have forbidden any political talk lon the job. But tomorrow the gate is open, and the men i ean do as they please. | 4 'A* to the money the mayor says was returned to us from Washington by the Republican party and Sam King, I don't know of any money that King got. The governor and I got the money, and King was on hi» way home at the l time we got it. It wa» not my intention to bring up. this i »übject t but th«y brought it Up themselves, io now letV h«ve the truth of the matter." Advertiser Spankg "Muwolim" i The last word in this exchange of statements whieh i was begun by Mayor Wright, drunk with "power," was fittingly and deservedl/ said in an editorial Wednesday morning in The Honolulu Advertiser, whieh read: "UNNECESSARY AND INCORRIĒ;CT" "It was unfortunate that Mayor Wrlght, in the final hours of this campaign, dēemed it expedienl to brmg the WPA into the loeal po!itica! arena in an unfavorable light. It was entirely unnecessary and uncalle<3 for, and in so doing the mayor made implfcations that are not justified by the facts. "The WPA has been removed from political influences under thē administrations of both Mr. Mountain and Mr. Locey. Its operation here on that basU is the result of efforts of not only Democrats but Republicans as well. "Mr. Locey did not at any t»me permit political discussions in WPA ranks, and it appeared pointless to bring the WPA into the campaign." "Unnecessary," incorrect," "unfortunate," "expedient," "uricalled for," "pointless,"—all those adjectives are well chosen by the Advertiser editorial writer—Mayor Wright's inane remarks"were all of that—and more! This incident, apparently, is a' leaJmg example of the chil'dish, wild-eyed, and woozy munieipal administration that may be expected from the men the voters of Oahu retumed to munieipal office in the primary and general elections—it won't be long before those same electors will regret their actions exceedingly!