The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1883-01-24

entire group.
We have now had the new liquor law in
force here for three months and half. or
rather nearly four months, and can begin
to form some idea of how it is going to
tell on our native population. The law
was certainly child of the present Min
istry, and whatever evil or good is the ont
come of it, assuredly must rest on their
heads.
Opinions as TO the ACCESSIBILITY of the
law were very freely expressed before it
was passed in the Legislature, and at that
time it seemed to many people that the
law as it then stood, bore rather hardly on
the native population. 1t seemed to the
foreigners who came to these shores as a
hard thing that in such a matter there
should be race distinction Moreover,
not one man in hundred understood how
the restrictive law had come about; the
nine always considered that the re
striction had come through the Mission
aries This was was natural, but it was
not true, The Missionaries had no power
to pass the restrictive law at the time 1t
was done by the old chiefs That race of
hereditary Rulers, saw clearly what inroads
liquor was making on the natives. and of
their own free Will they abstained from it
themselves and passed law preventing
every one else OF their own race from par
taking. Since the passage of that tabu in
1880 every Hawaiian Monarch has steadily
refused to sign liquor bill. till in 1882
the present law was signed by King Kala
kaua
We have only TO look at what has been
the policy of England in such matters to
see how unwise it was for the present
Monarch 70 sign that bill A glance at
British Columbia will reveal that among
the aboriginal tribes liquor is strictly in
terdicted: heavy penalties are laid on those
who carry liquor to the Indians or
who manufacture it in illicit stills: and
these penalties are rigidly enforced: on
several occasions, schooners trading with
the Indians have been convicted of sup
plying liquor, and have been confiscated
There is no doubt that the new liquor law
when first proposed last session, had many
friends which it no longer possesses.
Many who thought the prohibitive law
was the work of the Missionaries certainly
favored it: larger number thought that
it was impossible, to carry ont the old law
strictly, that by hook or by crook, the ma
tives did obtain liquor, and that it would
be better to have a statute which could
not be so easily broken: still another sec
ton considered 1t in the light of an eX
pertinent, that it would be well to make
When the law was read and passed, to
most of those classes it seemed thoroughly
satisfactory.
Well, now it has been tried. and it can
not be said to work well 1t is difficult to
arrive at any exact statistics as to the
amount of drunkenness now; the police
records will not give them, for very large
percentage of drunken people are not ar
rested at all: but to any observer, who has
lived some years on these islands, it is pa
tent that the increase is large One has
only to watch the roads leading to the
outskirts of the city, to notice what a
change has come over the habits of the
people. AT one time it was considered
quite safe for ladies to walk from one
house to another after dark, unescorted
Now, with the amount of drunken people
to be met with, it is no longer advisable or
safe. A drunken man passing a number
of ladies and children the other day. com
united an act of gross indecency: ;the fel
low ought TO have been arrested but in
the first place there was no policeman in
that part of the road, and in the second.
no lady would have liked to have appear
ed to complain against him Such case,
never happened before in our memory of
this place.
But there are other sources from which
we may learn how much the new law ic
affecting the native race From enquiries
which have been instituted, it is very evi-
dent that far less money is spent by the
natives for the necessaries of life, than was
the case before October LIST. 1882. At one
coffee saloon, where large number of
native men and women used TO 90 for cup
of coffee and food, the numbers have de
creased to almost ml, and the receipts have
dropped about 500 month; another cof-
fee saloon, at which probably n still larger
number of native customers were wont to
get their refreshment, claims that the re
ceipts have decreased between IS and SO
a day. A billiard room, which was largely
frequented, and used to keep open quite
late, where the native used TO play his
game sit round and drink an occasional
glass of soda water. is nowquite deserted
and has to close at p. IN. A butcher
who used to supply large native conneX-
ion with beef, says his sales have fallen off
to the amount of one bullock day Go
ing round the Fish market il was found
that Monday. which was formerly busy
day, was now quite dull and that Satur
day the once celebrated day, when such
crowds were to be seen. presents no longer
the busy sight that it did formerly The
fish sellers themselves complained that
their sales had fallen off, this was espe
eially the case with salt fish. Before Dc
tober lst good day would yield $50 to
$50; now an exceptionally good day was a
take of $50 to SIS. At ten O'Clock on a
Saturday morning it was common thing
to have s25 in the drawer, and the drawer
was pulled ont TO show that on this Satur
day, Jan. 10Th, 1888 there We're only few
stray dollars, not more than or g. The
small dry goods retailers make like com
plants. To what does all this point why
to the fact that the native is spending a
large part of the income which he earns
upon liquor, and in order to do that is
stinting himself in those small Injuries Of
life which he used to enjoy without detri-
ment TO his health and stinting his family
in real necessities.
Can this be good? Total abstainers and
the advocates of moderate drinking must
be agreed for once: both parties must
agree that it is bad What with the demon
of disease on one side, in the shape of
leprosy, pulmonary complaints. and the
demon of drink on the other, the Hawaiian
is in evil case. Those who have allowed
the disease demon to take such hold
have been severely criticized and con
demned of late: it is time also to pass
strong cens,Te on those who not only
advocated the liquor bill in the House but
gave their advice to the King
to affix his signature to it. Dragged down
by two such fell fiends the life OF Hawaii
as a nation of pure Hawaiian blood, can
not be long; Hawaiians who have patriot
ism IN their bosoms land such men must
be very. numerous, for what man. worthy
Of the name, does not love his country y,
such Hawaiians should follow the example
Of the old chiefs, cited in an early part of
this article, and putting away the cursed
thing with firm hand, deprive themselves
Of luxury perhaps, but save a remnant
Of their race to see the dawn of the 10Th
century. As surely as the present con
dition Of affairs lasts, so surely is the
course of Hawaiians downwards going on
with accelerated speed. A heavy crime,
tar blacker than murder, rests ON the
shoulders of those who have so helped