The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-07-13

taken as merely supplementary Of
the other. If the Government can
not suppress Illicit traffic in opium,
who can7 The persons obtaining
license, says the newspaper advo.
cate. 1.-The means at the disposal
of the Government are not suffi-
Gent" says the Minister. Hence,
the licensees of opium, according to
both authorities, must be more
powerful than the Government. II
there is a firm doing business in the
Hawaiian Islands of sufficient power
to make and unmake cabinets,
such firm might possibly be
able to prevent illicit traffic. No
doubt the Advertiser that loses no
opportunity of lauding the Oceanic
steamship company as the nursing
mother of Hawaiian Commerce will
require no magnifying glass to see
that company big enough to sit
down on all the smugglers'
rings in the Kingdom. If the
representative, in this city, of the
oceanic steamship company
holds Cabinet Ministers on his fin
ger ends, it is quite reasonable to
suppose that the means at his dis
posal are amply sufficient to prevent
the smuggling of opium. Under
any other arrangement, it is difficult
to perceive how smuggling is to be
cured by license. But the suppress
sion of smuggling by license cannot
be depended on. If the advertiser
writer, yesterday morning, had read
his Hilo correspondence, he would
have found himself sadly mistaken
on his pet theory. His correspondent
at Hilo complains Of the large num-
ber Of illicit liquor shops in that
locality. How can the Advertise,'
claim any credit for common sense
by coolly asserting that license will
stamp out illicit traffic while his
news on the very next page, shows
that license does nothing of the
kind?
If this were simply matter Of
prevention of smuggling, it would
probably be expedient to offer the
license to Mr.. Spreckels, as there
would be strong probability,
should he accept it, that smuggling
would be stamped out. 1t is un-
reasonable to suppose that gentle
man who is able to manipulate Min
istries would be thwarted by snug
glers. And the public would have
the added source of satisfaction that
that gentleman's efforts in dealing
with illicit traffickers would be Sec
onded, for if the Ministers failed to
back such prosecutions as might be
necessary, they would be summarily
dismissed. The recollection of the
events of June 30th, 1886, would be
sufficient incentive to active exer-
tion on the part of the Government
to "go for" the smugglers without
gloves.
Apart from the question of smug-
Cling, there still remains the ugly
fact that the licensed trade will
bring the drug within reach of thou
sands to whom it is at present mac
cessible. If the members of the Leg
islature are disposed, for the sake
of the coin it will wrest from the un-
fortunate victims of the opium habit,
to legislate for the decentralization
and ruin of thousands of their con.
stituents, they will have an oppor-
tunity to do so when Mr.. Kauna-
mano's little bill makes it's appear
ance. The reading of the opium
license bill will be the formal open.
ing, during the session, of the pro
gramme Of the National Degrade
ton Party. The fate of this bill
determines the question whether the
present Legislature is under tn,
control of that party or whether il
possesses intellectual and mora
calibre sufficient to deal with ques
tions of right and wrong on thei
merits.