The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-06-03
T Fl e
THURSDAY
THE LEGISLATURE.

Yesterday, after the routine business
was disposed of by the Legislative AS
sembly, Mr.. Thurston rose to question
of privilege, and after few Introductory
remarks apologized to the House for the
supplementary language he had used
upon a previous occasion, for which the
Legislature had ordered him to make an
apology. 1t is not necessary to review
the history of this affair. Our advice
having been taken by Mr. Thurston, an
easy way was found out of difficult and
unpleasant situation We trust this
episode will not be without its use here
after. If members of the Legislature
observe the rules of gentlemanly con-
duct in debate, they will not render
themselves liable to the discipline of the
House; but if, in the heat of argument,
or from sudden impulse as in this case,
they should offend against the unwritten
law of Parliament, they should be
prompt to acknowledge their fault and
obtain forgiveness. All the wasted time
and bitterness of feeling in this case
might have been avoided if Mr. Thurs
ton had done graciously at first what he
combativeness had driven him. But
now that it is merely an incident in the
Parliamentary history of this country,
we trust Mr.. Thurston himself will profit
by it most of all. He now finds that in
his trouble the ADVERTISER was his best
Iii - - H.
future he will follow its counsel and not
that of indiscreet partisans, who GER
tainly kept him in trouble if they did not
get him into it.
The Royal assent was reported by His
Excellency Governor Dominis as having
been gwen to an Act to regulate the sale
of liquor in this Kingdom. This Act
has already been analysed in the ADvER-
TIsER, and we need not therefore say
anything further on the subject, except
to point out that the hours for opening
and closing liquor saloons are fixed at
5 80 a. m. and II 80 p. M, and that
third conviction is necessary before Ii
cense can be cancelled. The fines pre-
with the statutory offense, and not OPP
pressive as was the case under the old
law. This is in the line of progress. 1t
is impossible to expect anything like a
loyal observance of any law when the
popular sense of justice is outraged by
rigorous and excessive penalties. Pro
hibition does not prohibit in nine cases
out of ten for this very reason. 1t is an
extreme measure, and violates the rule
of common sense and social forbearance
embodied in the scriptural maxim: "'Let
your moderation be known to all men,"
We anticipate far better observance of
the newly enacted liquor law than OF
the late oppressive one. AT all events,
we do not anticipate any increase in the
sale and consumption of liquor across
saloon bars.
The Currency bill was reported with
amendments from the select committee
to which it had been referred, Hon. c.
r. Bishop, Chairman. We print the
bill as amended in another column. We
are free to confess that the bill as
originally drafted and published in the
ADVERTISER pleased us better, although it
did not 60 far enough in our judgment;
but as a compromise, which should be
Loyalty carried out by the opponents OF
silver, we are ready to accept it for the
sake OF monetary peace in the best in
terests of the Kingdom. The bill makes
United States gold coin the standard
of value, with Hawaiian silver legal
tender up to $40. But no other silver
coin has money functions, lin large or small
amounts Foreign silver coins can only
be used at bullion value. The effect
of this will be to confine the silver circu
lation of the Kingdom to the kalakaua
coinage. We thus arrive at a fixed
amount, of uniform coin value, for the
silver circulation of the country. This |
is a matter of the utmost Importance,
looking to the introduction OF gold coin
as the ultimate circulating medium. The
fact that the bill as amended was re-
ported by the Hon. Mr.. Bishop, from a
committee constituted mainly OF mem |