The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-04-15

Here We should pause and enquire. /
would be willing to stop law-making for -
while in order to prompt the patriotism and
energy Of the country 10 Il more effective
execution of what law we have.
Think you there would be much discus
sion of the evils OF lutemperance and of the
need of new prohibitOry restrictions in re-
gard To the lmportatio and sale of spiTitu-
Gus liquors, il there had been such vigilance
and faithful police administration, that il
had not been possible for any Chinese, or
other foreign Illicit traficker, To nave sold
TO you Hawaiian people = single bottle of
contraband liquor? TheTr il un quest5on
in the minis of taOSe who are investigating
these matters, that You Hawaiiaus who
have, through your Representatives, inn
posed upon yourselves an interdict i'm the
use of alcoholic drinks, consume more con-
trary 10 law, than what is consumed by
other ptop'e according 10 law.
Then let u repeal laws that are a mockeTy
AMI u misfortune. or make the admiuistra-
ton of laws more effective. 1t is folly 10
have laws that find no concurrence in the
IDEAS, tastes Or intelli euce az II people. Blu
you have the intelligence 10 appreciate that
money spent for strong drink is Il hurtful
waste of means, ana that drunkenness is II
sad misfortune and a woful degradation.
And you surely can appreciate and be will
ling to sustain laws that would save you
from misfortune and degradation.
But your race pride is hurt by "a diScrimi-
nation of law, which, however, brought
about by an influential few, was never ac-
quiesed IN by the mass of the people! That
is the difficulty, is ii not? The cause why
Il forbidden indulgence becomes such a COW
eted temptation? Then let it be that we of
all r4css shall be all taboo alike, or all priv
LEGGED alike.
Alas, for the privilege of Keeling like a
senseless beast along the Kings highway !
For the privilege of swallowing a draught
that causes you to spend the heft of your
dearly earned wages, and to go home I'M
reasonably angry and quarrelsome to beat
your wife to kick her soft, shrinking body
to tear out locks of hair from her scalp; to
bruise her face and make piteous and hide
Gus blood flow from cheeks and lips, where
God has INTENDED sweet smiles to be wreath
ed as loving offerings for your kindnes and
nourishing care. l know and have seen
with my eyes these things here n little
while agO.
Alas ! for the privilege of doing so much
evil and destroying so much good. | want
no such privilege, and wish all foreigners
to join with Hawaiians in imposing upon
ourselves a common restriction in regard to
spirituous drinks. But we Legislators must
not undertake to do violence to public SEN
%tinient. If people will persistently and I'M
wisely continue 10 drink to their hurt, we
mus not attempt to stop their mouths with
law, which they would endeavor by a
thousand ways to evade. There must be a
majority of sentiment in the community
for good i'll order to support the action for
public welfare of a majority of your Legisla-
tors. Our action must be based upon what
you appreciate and what you properly re-
quire, or our action is in vain. And in any
way it is vain if there be imperfect or cor
rupt administration of law.
Here again I will quote from u missionary
father, the venerable COan, from n letter
written thirty-four years ago:
u have but little hopes in the efficacy of high
ly stringent laws, while there is so much laXness
in the public sentiment. A healthy standard of
public moral feeling is necessary to the due exc
cution of the laws relating to moral conduct, as
we'll as a good example on the part of the rulers
of a nation. 1 should therefore. while approving
of n more strict execution of the existing laws,
question the expediency of such rigid enactments
which the public opinion would not sustain.
I will not undertake to discuss now, any
shortcomings of individuals in any eXecu-
tive branch of the Government but will
say, that in exercising the duty of u repre-
sentative of the people, / shall deem it my
duty to scrutiniZe the official action of every
public servant alike; whether a policeman
on his beat or a Minister in the Cabinet OF
the King.
This is a constitutional monarchy, one OF
the best forms of government and we, cit
liens and subjects of this Hawaiian King
dom shall best SubSerVe our common well
fare, by a faithful adherence to cOnstitu-
tional principles in all our public actions.
The several coordinate branches of govern
ment must not trench nIon each Others
privilege and duty. We must not favor any
class privilege, or mouopo y, or have any
ClGtS lCSl 4 AANSA
ests in the country, to bc cons dered the
planting interest, the commercial interest,
the grazing interest, the railroad interest,
the telegraph and telephone interest, the
liquor interest, and even the newspaper in
terest but | hold no interest, nor all com
bined, greater than. the human interest,
which you poor jewellers and workers in
this valley represent. l am for you, who
have no interest but your rights of man.
hood, and your wives and little ones, equal
ly with those who represent millions OF
treasure and enterprise. | chiefly appreci-
ate enterprise that shall bring health and
gladuess to the poorest homes. want
health more than money. L know and ap-
preciate also that health is to be obtained by
the help OF money. IT'S money will bring
skill, and provide food and comfortable ap-
pliances. We need money for health "a
generous share of public money for the pro-
motion of health. And when it is provided
again, as it has been provided from time to
time, out of the public treasury, trust that
it will be insisted upon that national trea-
sure shall be judiciOusly and faithfully
expended in promoting national sanitary
welfare.
believe the Hawaiian race can be so far
healed that increase rather than decrease
shall become the law of its existence. And
| am happy again to quote from the mis-
sionary father Hitchcock, the following
words uttered in 1913, rs most pertinent and
deserving of consideration at this time
1T is hardly worth the trouble to seek for the
best means OF preserving a people, When II Is a
given point that all means for the purpose will
be unaviiling. If it be possible to preserve the
race. the first means in order thertO, Is for the
present able officers of the government to make
such preservation the object of their pursuit. To
take hold of that as the work to be done. |
have long thought that Saxon skill, enterprise,
perseverance and philanthropy was competent
to save the nation, Notwithstanding all the unfa-
yurable circumstances known to exist. 1t
would he hard l think to show that disease and
] laafh = 1npra constitutional IN the Hawaiian
than in any other race, or that if the peculiar
causes. or accidental causes of premature death
were removed, this people would not propagate
and prosper as well as any other. Doubtless it
would take much time and patience, and expense
to carry the nation to the point. where the moral
and physical influence of their acquaintance with
wicked foreigners, and of their own heather hab-
its would cease to operate. But that Christian
philanthropy could attain that point, were 1t to
undertake it, l have little doubt and when once
attained, the work of preserving the nation would
have been accomplished"
What noble and hopeful words, and L am