Polynesian., 1854-06-03
HONOLULU, H. l., JUNE 3, 1854.
The Maine LIQUOR Law sustained

der the caption, "THE MAINE LIQUoR LAW IN
committee in the Legislature of Massachusetts
recommending the repeal of the act. The writer
who introduced the 'report" to the editor of the
Argus did not enlighten him in reg I'd to the fate
of the report when introduced to the house for Its
action. To furnish that rather important informa-
tion, and to show how much the "law" was really
in danger, we extract below, as follows; which we
should like to see the Argus republish.
The Massachusetts Legislature has had the
Temperance Law up, and has refused to amend II
by most decisive majority, IN the House OF Re-
lpresentatiyes In that body the bill repeating the
law reported by the majority of that very special
committee TO whom the subject was referred, was
taken ND on the 9th inst. Mr.. Wiggin, chairman
of the committee made long speech in ia
vor of repea to bear VIII ch, and to ENJOY the ora
TORS triumph. a great number of spectators assem-
bled. At length, having exhausted himself and
his subject, the gentleman sat down, and the
Speaker took several distinguished members into
his eve with the kind intention OF awarding to the
hest of their number the privilege of continuing
the debate-for that there would be struggle for
the foor who would doubt? But solemn silence
followed Mr. Wiggin's resumption of his seat. Not
man rose either to refu,e his argument or to ex-
claim his explanation. Neither rum nor water
| could move a solitary member to open his mouth
at that bar however ready they all might have been to
show their teeth at one Of different character.
Finding that his inspiration was dull, the Speaker
was compelled to put the question, and the repeal
hill was lost by vote of lS3 nays TO 80 yeas
ma;oritv lO3. There were 46 absentees. Had
all these been present, and voted for repeal, the
majority would still have been % against It Last
year. the majority the same way was ~, with &
] -, e 4 .l,a ho oTTlalO Tfr
! has now been increased more than one third, with
the large increase of Wing powerln the Legislature
II ia curious fact that the majority against repeal
is inst the same as that claimed bT the Wings and
/ HHnker Democrats as forming theirs, when they
unite their forces in full house. Both these par
ties were pledged to repeal, and we now see how
much their pledges are worth: lhe current OF
opinion sets so strongly in favor OF the law,
and people who have heretofore opposed II
are now generally so willing to have efforts made
under il to suppress intemperance, that the poor
rum men are IN a very bad way indeed II things
should 90 on at this rate, do not see that any
thing will be left for them except to Jump into
their own vats or take to drinking their own lquor
which would be q pretty efectual mode OF suicide,
,bougb rather queer way Of getting rid Of world
lIv troubles after what Melville calls, the "hlgh
Roman fashion" The rum men, however, have
had "a drop of comfort,"-sOme say 1t Is whole
Icask-in the shape of the decision OF the Supreme
Court, given on Monday last, that the fourteenth
section of the liquor law is unconstitutional ana
void. II was under that section that various arol-
trarv nroceedinps were carried on against the IL
amor trade and those engaged in it. Houses were
entered and liquor seized and destroyed. The
moro violent friends of the law have been accus-
toned TO look upon the fourteenth section as lis
hest part while the moderate temperance HfeI
have regarded it as something upon Which theJ
could not rely The event has proved that the tears
of the latter were not without foundation. ne
Court-and the opinion IS unanlmous-haye decl-
ded that the fourteenth section is subverslve oi
that nroysion of the Bill of Lights which declares
that ihe people shall be secure in their dwellings,
from all unreasonable search and SEIZURE OF tnelf
nronartv Various other unconstitutional features
are noticed by the Court, and it seems wonderful
that Legislature, composed OF reasonable oelngs
should have passed bull so utterly 'i0iatVe OF tle
fundamental law Of the State. The Court, howeV-
or have said nothing that it was not predicted they
,yonld saw bv the opponents Of the law, when II
was under discussion in the Legislature, two years
since The friends of the law, were told Wha'
would happen but they would not listen to reason
They would have their own bill, or nothlng, and
some now think that they have got the latter Per
hans il is So but am not inclined to think that the
decision is at ell likely to materially affect the wal
now ooInp on so vigorously against rum. There l;
ienongh in the law without the fourteenth section
70 afford all the power that prosecutors can reason
ablv ask for and the Court explicitly stated thai
mart of a statute NAV be void and the rest valid
and that the declaration that one section was IN
constitutional does not in any way affect the Other
parts of the statute which may be OF binding force
and effect. The very fact that the law has beer
ridded of a violent and most aggressive provision
will not imDrubably tend to reconcile many 10 lt
existence and operations, who would have ever op
posed it while it should have contained that Provt
SION Beside, with Legislature so strongly IN Ia
vor of the principle of the law, an additional &C
can be passed, giving such powers to PollcemeT
and others to institute such rch as shall be with
in the limits of the Constitution
80 An evidence of the determination OF the temper
ance people TO maintain the fight, was affected o.
the action of the House of representatives,, on I'M
IIth inst On the 18th, Immediately after the FAC
had beep promulgated that the Supreme Court ha'
made 4 decision adverse to the ideas OF the friend
of Temperance, a committee was appointed oy tn
: Honse to make such amendments OF the law a
should remove the Courts objections. The Senat
lconcurred In the votes this subject the TEN
perance men had everything their own way.
Alexander Dumas has written letter to a frlen
r in New York in hich he says:
" Find me on the borders of the st. Lawrence
the Deleware, or the Ohio, corner where, SUI
rounded by nv chosen friends, may spend m
r last days, and die in tranquility under the sun
t liberty 49,
] II said that Mr. Dumas will in future Publls
his books in this country and has already connde
several manuscript works to the hands OF his agent
{ who have established a publishing house In Ne'
York for the purpose of bringing them out origlr
e aIly and exclusively in that city
A contemporary, after the most labOrious re
3 search saws that the Navy of Mexico consists