The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-03-23
ALCOHOL VS.. HAWAIIANs.

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virtues presented to them which are new, and the
dangers or advantages of which they cannot at
once be taught to know or comprehend. They
very quickly, for want of this comprehension,
acquire and practice the vices, for these are more
in consonanee with their previous habits while
the virtues, a~ffording no present sensual gratlhca-
ton, are not practiced, although they may be
admired in a desultOry way. Self-restraint is no
part of their ethics. 1t is a virtue strange to
them, because its advantages are not clearly ap-
parent. Free indulgence in all their appetites Is
something present and tangible, and having but
dim perceptions of danger to warn them of the
peril, they give loose rein to all their desires.
Disease and death quickly follow, and the rapid
plotting out of whole nations and tribes is a pro-
cess going on in every part of the world. 1t is
to be seen among the Indians of America, Hot
tentots of Africa, Maoris of New Zealand, the
natives of New Holland, and throughout the
Isles of the broad Pacific. In Tasmania, or Van
Dieman's Land, the work is already finished, not
an individual Of the aborigines is left! Alcohol
has been the principal agent in this deadly work.
For these direful results our civilization, be-
cause it is superior, and because it furnishes the
means of vicious indulgence and sows the seeds
of disease, is responsible and We, the represent
atives of that civilization, can in no way diVest
ourselves of that responsibility. We must, as it
is our duty, do all we can to restrain the desolat-
ing tide by warning the people of their danger.
The aboriginal inhabitants Of these Islands, once
SO numerous, have dwindled away to a handful;
their struggle for a higher civilization has deci-
mated them. Legislation has been invoked to
save them from extinction; the fruits of the faith
full and disinterested missionary labors of nearly
sixty years are seen in schools and churches, a
constitutional government and codes of laws, and
the necessary machinery, executive and judicial,
for their due administration; but all these are
seemingly of no avail to stay the downward
course Of the nation, and a few short years will
witness their final extinction, if the tide is not
speedily turned.
Now, what Is the duty of the opponents of that
civilization which has, apparently, wrought such
devastation? To search out the causes, SO far as
we can, and then suggest the proper remedy.
In the first place, we may say that a general dis
regard of the laws of health is prevalent among
the natives; they need enlightenment upon this
point. \ few brief medical essays upon the sub
ject adapted to the native mind, would cover the
ground. Proper parental and home-training of
the young should be brought to the attention of
parents, and their responsibility In the matter
duly enforced. But one great evil, which has
long had a fOothold among our people, and which
has always led to another of even greater magni-
tude-licentiOusness-is the use of intoxicating
drinks. Of the destructive effects of this habit
upon the natives every one is aware, and conse-
uuaDflU the lala m tbana Of o1oOhOlio 6r;1la Lo,
been forbidden by law from the DAYS of Kameha-
meha III. A wise public policy justified what
seemed to be a restriction upon the constitutional
privilege or right of the individual, and the large
majority of native members of the different legis-
latures has always resisted all efforts for its re-
peal. They saw it was better to deny their peo-
pie a constitutional right than to allow them its
exercise, for its attendant excuses and consequent
evils would be beyond control. In this they
acted wisely, as We believe all will concede. But
is the law, as it now stands, effective? Nc one
can claim that it is. We all know that a native
Hawaiian CAN get liquor if he has the money to
pay for it. He cannCt get it directly from the
licensed retailer or jobber, for they are restrained
by heavy penalties, and the risk is too great.
But there is a class of people among US who will
furnish it to hin for the sake of the profit, and
who are too sharp in their illicit traffic to allow
themselves to be caught. We allude more par
ticularly now to the lower class Of Chinese shop
keepers; men ready to make a profit, even unlaw-
fully, without scruple. We hear of one Of these
storekeepers in a country village who, if a native
tuys a dollars worth of goods, gives him a
drink; if five dollars worth, he gives a bottle of
gin. In this city, one Sunday, very recently,
a foreigner met a jobber in spirits and desired to
buy a bottle of gin. The jobber replied that be
would not sell a single bottle on a week day
much less on Sunday. The man then called a
native, gave him the money, and in a few min
utes the latter returned with q bottle of gin,
which he said he bought from a Chinaman.
1t is notorious, as we have heretofore shown,
that at auction sales of liquors, the principal
buyers are generally Cinnamon; and it is also
well known, that the Chinese are not, as a rule,
themselves consumers. For whom, then, do they
buy? John knows how to drive a bargain, and
he will sell to anyone who has the money in bis
hand if the law forbids, he will laugh at the
law, and-sell. The testimony of residents on
the other islands is conclusive that throughout
the country districts large quantities of spirits,
(mostly cheap gin) are received from Honolulu
by Chinese ~shopkeepers and peddled out or dis
posed of unlawfully to the natives. Besides this,
there are natives who have acquired a knowledge
of the process of manufacturing intoxicating
drinks in a rude way, from the ii root, sweet
potatoes, oranges, bananas, and perhaps other
fruits, which afford the means of indulgence in
drunken orgies, which often lead to a good deal of
trouble, and not infrequently to crimes.
Thus we see that the law to restrict and regu-
late the traffic in spirituous liquors,-a law so
and bene6cent in its intention, SO necessary
for the protection of the people-has become a
dead letter-a mere farce. The police on the
other Islands declare that they are unable to de-