The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1880-04-03
We briefly
law and order was re-~established- We b
quote again from Jaryes

Mulutudes. wesried by their excuses, or dlsgusted
with seeues which had long been e,veh ~ 49, 49,
were sstsaed that Law and order were better; the expert
meut ~ uurestrained license had been tried, and demon
sfratad a. vici0us. The contrast between such times,
when neither life nor property were safe; when senI
-uaIity became PAlsied with excess; when reyenge rotSS
unchecked. and gambling begat Unsuitable desires; and
the peaceful systems q education, commercial pursuits
vautage q the latter, that it would have been found aini,
~ = -. - - sonLtld that some snong their ranks
shruuk 10 alright from the foul phantom they had con-
jurei up It elects were long felt, especially by lhdii-
viduals families were forever separated; hsalths ruined;
limb bruised Y broken: and much property sgSandsssa
ruptOn Of business and anxiety for the results
Would such be the result to-day were the
restrictions removed from the sale to natives
The question is one that is difficult Of solution /;
the experiment would perhaps be a hazardous
one. But it is argued, and with no small degree
Of plausibiHty on the side of repeal, that, besides
the anomaly of denying to the natives Of the
country the privileges and liberty which are
awarded 70 foreigners, the restriction on the
liquor traffic Is opposed to the letter and spirit of
the Constitution itself, wherein that instrument
declares that among the inalienable rights with
which God had endowed all men, besides life and
liberty is = the right of acquiring, possessing and
protecting property" Ardent spirits being un-
deniably a species of property recognized by law
the statute forbidding the acquisition, possession
and protection Of such property by a native Ha-
waiian is contrary to the Constitution.
And again, it is argued that the present pro-
hibitory law is practically a dead letter-it is a
kissing and a byword. No one can deny that
any native Of ordinary acuteness can obtain all
the spirits he desires, or has the means to pay
for, either in Honolulu or in almost any of the
districts on any of the Islands. Could the situa-
ton be changed much for the worse, it is asked
if, instead of being obliged to use some secrecy
and circumspeetion in buying his bad gin and
%furtively getting drunk, the native could legally
walk up to a bar in an open manly way, and pay
for and drink his liquor just as that superior be-
ing the foreigner does? And we are pointed to
the fact that in California and Oregon, where
there are numbers of native Hawaiians to be
seen, they are not conspicuous for habits Of
drunkenness, but on the contrary are very moder-
ate in the use of stimulants. To tabu the use OIL
a privilege or supposed good to one man, while il
is freely granted to another, very naturally
arouses the Adam that is in every man to en-.
deavor to break the tabu and obtain the perhaps
suppOsirrtious privilege.
In conversation with a native member elect OIL
the Legislature he spoke confidently in regard to
the repeal at this session of the prohibitory law
He expressed the opinion that the removal of the
tabu would not result, as anticipated by some, il
a general saturnalia among the natives as was tht
case in former times. The majority of the people
he maintained, are abstainers from principle
for a short time there might be an increase Of
drunkenness IN public by those inclined to excess
but the money of that class would soon be spent
and for their benefit he would propose the aboli,
ton OF fines for the %offense. making it punishable
by imprisonment at hard labor only. Another
very sound proposition was that it should be
made a fneable offense for a saloon keeper to sell
OF furnish to a person who was already intoxi-
Gated.
As we have intimated at the outset, the ques
ton is a difficult one. While in the abstract
those who argue for a repeal of the restriction
have the equity of the case on their side, YET
there are many counter considerations that may
be urged against the measure, and the thought,
full, conversative portion of the community will
very much regret to see the " tiger of free
liquor to the natives once more unclaimed in
these Islands.