Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-07-12
III Ltnlnn lurNnnt,rs-

fHE LiotOR t1tENbuKNrS
The amendments to the present
liquor law presented in the assembly ~,
Judge Hitchcock OF lilo ought to re
rei,e the cordial support OF every
thoughtful representative In default
OF actual prohibition, there could hardly
be anything ~ satisfactory 10 the tenn
pemnog people OF the nation as these
proposed amendments They intot
paatc all the favorable features of high
license and local option laws and
amply reinforce the civil damages sec
ttou by making 1t criminal to sell
liquor to minors and to any person who
ha, hoen twice convicted of drunken
ness The principal features OF the
new legislation are the further restriction
of the hours nt sale from Saturday
night to Monday morning, the increase
ut license lees, the granting to com
muultics outside of Honolulu the power
to vote against the issuing ot licenses
in such communities, the providing ot
penalties ior the sale of liquor to minors
and h5htual dunkards, and the reader
prosecution OF di,tillcrs Retailers
licenses hy this amendment are fixed
az $1,000 instead of $500 where the
liquor is not 10 bc used ON the premises,
and where 1t is sold by the glass the
license is fixed at five thousand dollars
instead of one thousand lhe effect ot
such high license would be tu limit the
number of retailers, 1t not being pro
bable that more than one license OF the
latter class would be granted This
would bring the sale s liquor more
completely under the surveillance OF
the police force, and render its illegiti.
mate sale less likely. The bill is so ex-
celleut that we feel like making only
two criticisms and these are in line with
the main purpose of the bill 1t is
patent to every observer that immense
quantities OF liquor in the original
packages are sent to individuals on the
various islands by every steamer run
ning out of Honolulu In other words,
the law makes it easy for wholesalers to
become practically retailers and un.
doubtedly more liquor goes to the little
native hamlcts and to the plantations
and into the hands of our youth di-
rectly from the wholesale houses than
in any other way, This being so there
is marked inconsistency in fixing
wholesalers licenses at $500 when the
retailers license are fixed at one thou
sand and five hundred dollars respec-
lively. There is growing feeling that
wholesalers should pay the highest
license. They are feeders of the traffic
and the parties who make the largest
profits. This is felt in other lands, and
here where the wholesalers stand so
near the people and can SO readily pro
mote home consumption and yet keep
within the law, there is special reason
for attaching high license to the
wholesalers business. The other stric-
ture is that if local option is good for
Wailuku, I.ahaina, Hilo, kohaa, why
is it not good for Honolulu ? II any
community is to be given the power to
vote against the granting OF licenses
within its limits, why may not such
power be wisely vested in the people OF
Honolulu If Honolulu people are op
posed to the granting Of a retailer
license within its limits, why must they
alone submit to the autocraiic sway OF
the privy council Is there any just
reason for thus disfranchising the intel
ligent classes OF the capital city on this
burning question of the day Aside
from these two structures, the bill is
worthy of hearty support. l. ought to
rally the temperance people of the ma
ton and unite them in securing if pcs
sible this proposed legislation. EsIeci
ally should this be done, as it proposes
probably the only temperance legisls
tion of the session