The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-10-12
Afternoon Session.
The House reassembled at 40.
BIRTHDAY INVITATION.

The House reassembled at As.
BIRTHDAY INVITATION.
/ The President announced the receipt OF
a communication from II. r. II. the
! Princess Likeli5e and Hon. A. S. Cleghorn
! inviting the members of the Legislative
/ Assembly and ladies to lhau at p. N.
| on Saturday, October 10th in honor of the
! birth of their daughter Princess Kaiulani.
! Mr.. Kaulokou moved that the Secretary
/ be instructed to acknowledge the receipt
of the invitation and thank the Princess
Likelike and Hon. Mr.. Cleghorn. Also
that the reply be engrossed.
The motion prevailed.
THE OPIUM BILL AGAIN.
Mr.. Thurston said--To look at this ques-
ton from business point of view it would
be suicidal to adopt a measure that would
affect the Chinese. If we allow Chinese to
use opium, it will end in the destruction
of plantations. These people when they
have the chance to get hold of opium are
useless. On some plantations a monthly
visit is made among the Chinese, and all
opium Is taken away and the pipes used
for smoking smashed up. Ii this bill was
passed that could not be done Therefore
we are striking directly at the sugar inter
ests. He had talked with a gentleman
from Japan, who told him that the use of
opium i'll that country was considered an
infamous crime. If opium was allowed
here it might get to be used by the Japan
ese, and that would be subject for grave
consideration on the part of the Japanese
Government. He did not know but what
it would seriously affect japanese immi-
grafton to here. Reading the provisions of
this Act 1t looks as if there was a big job
behind it. The license was fixed at $780,
600 for four years, and he could not see
that this would increase the revenue any.
He could not see how any member who
was in favor of opium could vote for such
a bill as this. Every tin is to be
stamped with a 81 stamp, but it
does not say what size the tin
shall be. 1t might be as large as barrel
II the use of opium got among the Hawa-
iians and japanese, they would run the
risk of losing the thousands of dollars
spent for bringing in Japanese. If the
bill is passed, opium will be free to come
in at every port of the Kingdom except
Honolulu, and here the person who gets
the license will only have to pay 81 800
year. The native Hawaiians have
dwindled down until there is a mere
handful left. If this law is passed, there
will be Hawaiians using opium who have
never touched it before, and it will be add
ing to the doom of Hawaii by killing
them off.
Hon. Mr.. Bishop said that after listen
ing to the Attorney General and Mr.
ThurstOn it was not necessary for any
more to be said to secure the non-passage
of this bill. The original one was as bad
as could be, but this was a mean one, and
so stupidity drawn up. 1t was so dishonest
on its face that one could not expect it to
pass. The original bill had some excuse
by bringing in revenue, but this had not
that excuse. As had been explained.
the license was fixed at $4,000 but for
four years. 1t was a hypoCriticaI kind of
a bill. and confined the use of opium to
those who received a certificate from a
physician. No one could pay 81 500 a year
for opium to be used simply as a medicine.
That certificate of a physician was put in
as a mere blind. They know that certif-
Gates would be for sale right and left by
foreign and native doctors. There would
be no difficulty in obtaining them. 1t had
been tried in past years with regard to
opium and ava. The bill says some one /
was to have license. Who was to have
it? There was a job from the very begin /
ming. Let the Minister OF the Interior give
the license to who he likes. There would
be something else to get besides the license. /
1t would subject him to suspicion and /
temptation at the same time. No doubt /
those who got the license would make /
money by it. 1t was useless TO pretend
that the habit would not spread among
Hawaiians, young and old. That was the
tendency years ago, until the present law
was passed He could not believe that the +
representatives of the people were willing
to pass q law that would increase the use
of opium. not only among the Chinese, but
among their own people. They cannot
dodge the responsibility. Would any in
teligent Hawaiian, after voting for this, .
be in favor of increasing the nation?
Would he say Hooulu Lahui' after doing
a thing of this sort? They should not
adopt that motto, but adopt some honest
one. Even If he knew that not one single /
Hawaiian would not use the drug, as far
as the Chinese were concerned he would
not vote for the bill. 1t was admitted on
all hands that it was one of the most diff /
cult habits TO break off. Some do not
show the effects at first, but in time they