Ke Alakai o Hawaii, Volume IX, Number 22, 10 September 1936 — Whistlin' Through the Dark! [ARTICLE]

Whistlin' Through the Dark!

South of the Mason and Dixon line the superstifeious negroes have adopted a method ; now famcus, of maintaining- their courage w r hile passing a lonely cemetery—preferably by the light of the moon—that is described and known as "Whistlin' in the dark." It is supposed to ward off any and all evi! spirits or sprites that might be hoverJing in Ihe vicinity awaiting some luckless darkv. We don't know whether the editors of the Republicancontrolled press of Hawaii, notably the Star-]sulletin, auperstititous pr not. But certainly they have adopted the "Whistlin' in the dark" habit of the superstitious negros, according to some of their recent fulminations.* "The disorgapized, leaderless Democrats," blares l'he Star-Bulletin in a front-page story written in its usual "fair, unbiased and impart,ial" method of presenting news stories. The true picture of this purported "disorganized" state of the Democratic party in Hawaii might surprise unpleasantly the' writer of that stoiy—as it certainly would surpirse Ihe editor who probably outlined the exact manner in whieh the story was w T ritten! And haa The Star-Bu!letin, in Its usua! "fair, unbiased and imparti&!" method of present!ng nev>s stories ! been printing any artic!es about the disorganization in j the Republican Party? Has it been printing any stories about the Civil War that has been—and is—waging in the supposedly unbroken ranks of the G. O? P. between Mayor Fred Wright and the coterie who used td control t|iat party—with an eeonomie whip, if necessary—bef.ore the TerritoriaT convention handed over the reins of the party to that same Mayor Wright and c!ose!y-organized elan . of—not Repub!icans <— bttt Wright "yes-men." Eeho answers/ "No!" As for this alleged "leaderless" state of the Democrats in the Territory, does The Star-Bulletin dare to print the names of the few powerful men who really are the leaders of thē G. O. P. in Hawaii—not in the forefront and limplight of the stage, but behirid the curtain where they pullēd the strings that made the marionettes jump—bes fore the appīe-cart was upset at that last Territorial eonvention? We, as well as the rest of The Star-Bulletin's subscribers, would like mighty well to read those aames onee in their entirety. "Lieked Before They Start" brays a head'ine over an «?ditorial in the same Star-Builetln that matches anything ever seen or heard before in theiine of "Whiatlin* in the dark" to keep up one's faltering courage! "As the standard bearer of the party, he (Sambe) W. King) is now in a position to lead the Republieans to a victory whieh will insure a continuation of the constructive and progressive (sfc) adminstration of the people's affairs that has marked the record of the legislature, the government of the city and county of Honolulu and outside island counties during the past tWo years. "The Democrats have little to offer Iu men and less in measures. They are licked before they start—• and most of them know it," winds up about as blatant and as sillv a peroration as has been written in years. tn this case,'of course, "the wish is father to the lhought." Those sentiments express what the editors of The Star-Bulletin would like to believe themselves, whaf they would like the thousands of wavering Republicans throughout the Islands to be!ieve, and what they wou!d like many Democrats throughout the Territory to believe! On tlie Democratic ticket for the forthcoming primaries wil! be found plenty of MEN—not lickspitt!es nor foot-caressing "yes-men"ī "And !ess in measures, M says Tbe Star-Bu!!etin» What have the Repub!icans to offer in the way of "eonstructxve or progi-e&sive" measures escept unmer!ted criticism of President Rooseve!t and the New Deal, except Mayor Fred Wright's dream of whittling down President polieie» to the popu!atiofi of Oahu and spendmg $2,000,000 a year for the next five years on puhlie improvements on this !s!and? Delegate Sam King, whose re e!eetion is so strongīy predicted by the "Whistlin' in the dark'* Star-Bulletin, is not going to campaign on any oppos)tion to the New Deal, avc are informed. Oh, no; Delegate King is too foxy a candidate to take that cnsastrou t ? step He is going to, limit his "constructive and progressive ' campaign to the advocacy of Statehood for Hawaii, that good old, perfect!y safe-politically issne whieh first was urged upon the people of llie Territory by the Democratic party raore than a quarter of a centurv ago and has been one of the leading issiies in that party\ e impaigns evēr since. And where did the Republican paitv—«and the fotfter "hidden leaders vf that organization—stand on the issue of statehood %>efore 1932? Even Hon I awrence M. Judd, now one of that party's political "stooges," vetoed a resolution adopted by the legislature advocating st-atehood when he was Governor. The "Constructive and progresīive" critkī»®a of President New Deal that w!!! be vo!ced in the Hawaiian campaign wll! be uttered—not by De!egate King or any other cand?dAte for e!ectlve off!ce-— but by those same Rcpublican po!itical "stooges** oT whom th£re seems to be a p!aguing plelhoi a at thls time. "STROtfG G. O. P. TICKEX FŌR PRIMARY * scareheads the same Star-Bulktin m iU usual "fair, unbiased and impai*t}al" method of dressing its news pages. "Lead-

ers Feel in Line-Up/' ssys a small head afld the story be!ow goes ori for more than a eolumn extoJlmg the virtues gi the Republican candidates, q.uoting "party leaders" here and there, withput the identity of those "j)arty leaders" and giving the reader that the Republicaii candidates have gathered at a lovefeast and consume(} a lot of valuable time eaeh in praising himself. , ' Just another glaring example of "Whi§tlin in ttt£ dark," as ahe is pra ( cticed by the Star-Bulletin!