The Hawaiian gazette., 1888-01-03
Letter h.o4n KohalA.

EDITOR (rALE1IEs ASIDE rom III
cendiary fires and burglaries, which
have occurred with alarming frequency
of late, there have been no local incl
dents TO ripple the placid waters of
routine life in this district since the
elections; but If some of the miscreants
who are acting so badly as TO become
| targets for marksmen, would only get
rifle ball or charge of buck shot
into them while in the act Of plying
their nefarious trades, the community
would undoubtedly leave their houses,
or sleep at night, with greater sense
OF security than they do at present.
The landing Of our Representative
by the w. @. Hall, ON Sunday the
18th, and the spreading of the vague
rumor that the King had vetoed
several bills, and the Legislature had
in consequence adjourned TO the 18th,
and the Rifles had diSbanded, created
little stir of lively interest which
served TO show that the permeating
spirit of Indignation which eliminated
in the recent reform movement, was by
no means so relaxed into a dormant
state of Oblivion TO passing events, but
that il would at moments notice
spring 10 the defense of the principles
at that time demanded and Ostensibly
granted.
The Legislative reports are read
with eager interest, not as before, to
see if q corrupt Legislature had
plunged long suffering people into q
deeper gulf of despair than before, or
10 see if it were possible that the I'M
willing victims could endure the i'm
position of another unrighteOus burden
without breaking into open revolt, but
10 see what progress our sturdy Rep
reSentatives make in pulling up
stream, or whether they are able 10
stem the current; whether our Minis
try have the grit that will keep them
united for the common good, and
whether the body, as q whole, will
satisfy the hopes and expectations of
the people.
Is there any reason why the liquor
bill should have been so framed as to
diSfavor Honolulu by permitting the
sale OF ardent spirits there and not
elsewhere? Ii is as if noXious vine
were TO be torn from the limbs only, of
q tree, and left TO cling about its trunk,
or the qualifications of a cancer were
heroicly eXeised, but the root and
source of the evil were allowed TO re-
main and be carefully nurtured.
Ii prohibition 'would do away with
prolific source of revenue, and in all
likelihood render increased taxation
necessary as claimed by some,
would il not also do away with pro-
life source of poverty, misery, crime,
expense and ruin, both to individuals
and TO the public? And would we not
be perfectly safe 10 take our chances
of any increased taxation that is ever
likely 70 become necessary as 4 result
of prohibition?
1t would seem that to ask these
questions is sufficient to answer them
lin the affirmative.
The bugle call 10 consider the sub
ject of the ava traffic was well sounded
through your columns, but as the Leg
islature did not really sound it in time
10 prevent the late sale of licenses, let
US hope that the next regular session
viii take steps TO prevent its reeur-
renee. Liquor and opium are not the
only evils that curse this land.
The sensational trash written by
"Wide Awake" concerning the treat
ment of Portuguese in these islands
startles one, first, TO questioning if it is
possible that such state of thugs as
he describes could exist and not be
come known, where the labor laws are
50 stringent, and where it is to the
planters own self interest, regardless
of the law, to treat his labor at least
paSsably well; and then TO regard the
Infamous charge as emanating- only
from malicious spirit in the heat of
passion. "Wide AwakefSn views are,
TO say the least, great eXaggeratiOns,
and SAVIOR of vision distorted by
prejudice.
submit whether some of these
Portuguese do not deserve q bit of
rough handling, 10 knock into their
heads 3 becoming sense of honesty
and regard for the private rights of
others; and | submit also, whether it
is not fact patent to the most super
fetal observer, that this class of people
show improvement in general appear
ance, after q few months residence in
this country.
The children certainly, with the
school privileges they have here-and
fortunately for them, their COM
pulsOry attendance thereon, imper-
fectly enforced as it is-are vastly bet
ter off than in their own country.
They will at least be able to read and
write
They will not, in maturer years,
present the sad and disgracefuI spec
tacle witnessed previous to the late
elections, of a horde of unintelIeetual
beings many of them sporting full,
manly boards, Of whom not one in
fifty could make a decent mark, much |
less write his own name. Xxx.
kOhala, Dec. %, 1887.
Says the San Francisco Bulletin: In