The Hawaiian gazette., 1882-05-10
MEETING
N FAVOR or
TOTAL PROHIBITION.

I =
N Favor or
TOTAL PROHIBITION.
On Thursday night last number Of gentlemen
convened meeting for the purpose of advocating
the question Of Temperance, by obtaining an ex-
preston Of sentiment the part of the public re
garding the advisibility of recommending the
present Legislature to pass law strictly prohibit
ing the importation and sale of spirituous liquors
| throughout these Islands.
Shortly after seven O'Clock the Band marched
through the streets, playing lively music This
caused numbers Of people TO follow them TO the
Music Hail. where they arrived at the appointed
time 80 P NJ The Band marched on to the STAGE
and opened the proceedings with music
Judge McCully announced that be had been
called upon to preside. He ssGd We had had pro
Lihition for number Of years outside of Honolulu
and vet they were called upon TO consider whether
We shall have more prohibition. The necessity
has become apparent They had met together to
listen 10 the views of several gentlemen interested
| in the movement, and they hoped 20 elicit an eI-
] preston Of public opinion. He would first call
] upon the Rev. J. A. CruZan.
/ The Rev. ]. A. CruZan said II substance, that
] he had set for himself the modest work of remoy-
ing the distractions leaving to other wise master
builders the work Of rearing the structure Of Pro
lnbitiol- We told that Prohibition Is opposed
90 the Christian religion, reference being had TO
the example of Christ and Bible commentators Of
! vine. There are twenty texts in the Bible that
/ speak approvlngly Of wine. and one hundred and
twenty that condemn it. Does the Bible contradict
itself: Some OF the ablest eXegists, such Moses
/ stuart, Pres Mott, Taylor Lewes. and a host of
Others. say " No. that there two kinds Of wine
referred 70 IN the Bible, that which contains alcO
hOl and that which does not, and that the Bible
I cummends the of the last and condemns the
use Of the first But we are told that Paul ordered
! Timothy TO drink VINE. Yes, as a medicine. lin
uthy was an invalid and a teetotaler, else there
I had been need to order him TO drink e little -
wine II you are an invalid. under the adycie of
physician. YOU can properly hide your wine glass !
behind Timothy; but If you are strong and well |
and still quote him warrant for Indulgence III
VINE you sadly overload that sick Apostles stom-
ach. Then. regards Christs example: You must |
hrst prove that be used intoxicating wine. Thea,
after you have done that, remember that he lived
IL different circumstances from ours Even the IN
tONlcatlug wines of His day were very weak; dis
/ ullation was unknown; they were rural and 4
strongly religious people: the excitements and |
temptations Of our fast nineteenth century city 4
| life were unknown. Tie question Is not What |
ulC Chrlst Go IN CIallllee Nineteen Centuries Ago.
but What would He do IN Hawaii Today g." l
Would He drink the adulterated wine Of commerce.
and by his example teach others 10 do II Con |
vince that the Bible countenances and upholds i
the stupendous crime of liquor drinking and l \
have no further use for such Bible. On the coll
trary, the Bible Is squarely against the drinking
customs Of to-day Two principles run through II. /
l. The duty Of reseryinC ourselves our faculties our
characters a sacred trust Of God. In almost /
countless cases. drinking inebriates and destroys.
= We are bound 10 refrain from throwing needless
temptation in the way OF those who are weak
Again, Prohibition Is opposed because 1t denies i
the right 70 properly use good thing There /
are two tallacles: l. That liquor Is good thing
That which creates nine-tenths of the crime four
ifths Of the want and beecary, two-thiris Of the
woes and sorrows, and one-half of the insanity of
the civilized world to-day, is not " good thing
>. That the moderate use of liquor Is perfectly 1
safe and does not lead 10 drunkenness If drinking
does not lead TO drunkenness what does: Tramp,
tramp, the sodden, reeling army marches along.
livery year hundreds Of thousands fall into the /
druukard hopeless grave. But the ranks are a. i
ways full. From whence come the recruits if not 1
from the ranks Of moderate drinkers? Certainly l
not from the ranks Of total abstainers
But we are told that intolerable evils would fol-
low the adoption Of Prohibition" What. Snug
Cling Yes, there would undoubtedly be some L
smuggling. There Is some opium smugged-
shall we abolish the law against the impol tation
Of opium, and Is the small amount Snuggled ,
greater evil than the great amount which would |
come IN were our ports open 10 II There would /
be more drunkenness" AS well saw that there
would be less stealing in the Kingdom if we had no
law against larceny. Facts are stubborn things. 4
Maine Is fact. Thirty years ago she had Is dis
tleues, Erog-shOps everywhere her liquor bill was
ten million dollars each year. and she had one
drunkard for every forty-hve of her population.
Now, she has not single distilery or open croc-
T
lars yearly, and she has ole drnnkard in every so
Of her population. Prohibition does prohibit.
The Chairman next introduced the Hon. A. F.
Judd, Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Kingdom.
de said: Let first inquire whether Is possible
70 enact a prOhibitory law. Are there auy legal
obstacles IN the way The tenth article of the
Treaty with France by which this Kingdom con
tracted not to prohibit the importation of wines
and braudies Of French origin was terminated
after twelve months notice, IN 1913. Hawaii can
make Its own laws an independent state. and the
enactment OF a law prohibiting the importation
and saleof Intoxicating liquor will tend to preserve
the respect and good will Of all Christian govern
meuts towards Us.
Is there any other obstacle Who wishes liquor
for himself VIII any one here be willing TO ex- !
hlblt himself on this platform as a man, so COM
pleiely Slave Of his appetite. to whom Iquor is
necessity? Then. for whom do YOU wish III For |
your neiGhbOr! Does any father wish il that his
sons may drink: Is It possible that any wife
wishes II for her husband Does any business
man wish It for his employees, for the captains Of
his vessels Tor his engineers Would You tolerate
your Judges or other government officials If they
would say they c0Hld rot DO irifh0nf IT,
The Hawaiian Government. in the exercise of A |
paernal soicitude for the aboriginal race is spend
ing large sums for the health and sanitary improve
Inent Of the people. Recently published figures
snow that during the past two years, over S200O00
were thus spent exclusive Of $4,000 for the small
poN epidemic, or nearly s. per capita. do not
say that this would all be saved if there was no
rum here. But mere medicine Will not save this
people. They must be stimulated TO live higher.
nobler, purer lives. The Sanctity of the family
must be more highly regarded and virtue cult
yatod and # YOU remove intoxication from among
them, you eliminate very important factor which
produces disease and death among them, and thus
greatly lessen the expense of caring for their
health.
Il Is sid that there will be great loss of reve-
nue.. But the needs Of the Government for police
Tor Jalls and for protecting life and property Will
be decreased If this crime producing agency be cut
on. In New Haven, Connecticut. where / lived /
some time, there were then 5000 inhabitants. and
yet policemen kept the city in order in spite Of
the 90 turbulent college boys. This was because
the people were ylrtuous industrious and temper
ate. highlands greatest living statesman and
the Rt. Hon. W 4. Gladstone. SAID
Lately, on similar question. Gentlemen, you
need not give yourselves any trouble about revenue
Inc question OF revenue must never stand in the
way OF needed reforms. Besides, with sober
population, not wasting its earnings, l shall know
where to obtain revenue
II IS said that the more difficult YOU make 1t 10
obtain liquor, the more men will try to get it and
he nore they VIII dr1nk.it. This is fallaciOus and
lbsurd Why do not all deterrine laws have this
=nect II tne Law forbid the carrying of weapons
md punished men for doing this would they i'm
neoiately make walking arsenal5 Of themselves j
N the state OF Iexas, men 60 armed because the
av does not forbid 1t.
Lastly, some say, If You license the traffic in !
very district, you then have in the saloon proprie
Ors police self constituted who will see thai the
aw Is carried out. The appetite for intoxicating
rms i aroused by Illicit indulgence, and then the
licensed dealer gets new customers. The demand
or liquor i unlimited. Saloon keepers are not |
Ike monopoiists of an article of limited demand
he more liquor Is sold, the more customers they
ct and 50 the experience of thirty years in Homo
1lu has shown that no saloon keeper has ever in
ntuted prosecution against the illicit traffic il
quors IN all this time Those of you who are able
y strength Of purpose and Gods grace to resist
ltoxicailon, give up for the sake of poor. weak =,
1herlng humanity around you, this indulgence N
your tastes Loud applause-l
Mr. 2. c. Jones, Jr followed. He presented fig
res collected from the Custom House returns
hich clearly showed the alarming increase in the
nPoItation and consumption of liquor in this
Junfry.
Mr.. S. B. Dole spoke at length. as also did the A
ev. James Alexander, J. W. kalua and s E. n
lshop, each strongly advocating the cause of
Otal Prohibition.
After an overture by the Band, Mr.. p c. Jones | @
.oiosed that an expression of feeling be ELECTED
hich Father Damon seconded in a short and uithv |