The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-05-19
STILL ANOTHER VIEW OF THE
LIQUOR PROBLEM.

entitled, " Another View Of the
LIQUOR Problem" signed "Anti-
Prohibition" which seems TO me to
have at least a touch of the fanati-
cism and exaggeralion which It's
author so freely attributes to and
condemns in others. He begins by
rcciting the position of those he dis
agrees with, a task which, it is gen
orally admitted, calls specially for
accuracy, precision and fairness,
particularly in one whose object in
coming out in print seems to be to
condemn inaccurracy and unfairness
in others. The following is a spe-
cimen of his manner of doing it:
"There is q loud cry on these ISL
ands nowadays for prohibition, COL
anan after coLumn in the papers are
| brimfuL of the most To,ocvul ex-
pressions in favor of it! Statistics
show clearly that liquor is killing |
more men daily than was killed dur
ing the sChole rebellion-,cdr,"
(Which l believe has been estimated
at 5000 men.) "Stories are cir
culated how blessed those States
are, where prohibition is law; it is
plainly shown that all the sickness
man is heir to comes from liquor"
Having thus accurately and fairly
stated the position of "the other
side" and condemned in vigorous
terms "the exaggeration, intolerance
and bigotry of others, he gives us q
specimen of his own moderation,
and the accuracy of his own statis-
tics in the following language:
II have had experience in pro-
hibition State in America, viz,
Massachusetts. l lived in small
town above Fall River. There were
at that time about as many churches
as houses, and about as many
whisky shops as both together"
Our Statistician in order to clinch
the above rather startling figures,
proceeds, "That means that not
only eoery house was saloon, but
they had drinking places out in the
woods known only to the initiated"
Having claimed that the statistics Of
the death rate and evils from drink
are the results from gross exaggera-
ton, he says: "You," viz, "the
other side' "like your choice fruits
and delicacies imported direct from
| all quarters of the globe at astound-
ing high prices. You partake of cakes
, and ices and fruits till you ruin
your health, of which your pale
cheeks and sunken eyes are evidence
e enough. What is that to me, that
4 you give out thousands for delica-
: cies, where give out cents () for
a glass of beer or glass of wine?"
As matter of fact has not the
author of this article succeeded con-
: sciously or unconsciously in illus
: trating the faults he condemns about
as well in his own person as by
others? Perhaps he has succeeded
unintentionally in showing the fail
T ings of both sides if so no harm is
s done. Had his article been confined
S to extremists among those who be-
. lieve in the principles of prohibi-
tion and their ultimate adoption by
the state or better still to the eX-
S tremists on both sides he would have
e come nearer the mark, but to in
clude in his charges indiscriminately
!, the rank and file of those who are
known as prohibitionists is hardly a
i fitting illustration of that discrimin-
It alton tolerance and fairness which
S he has stepped forward to promote.
, If the question was how many
in this community believe in prohi-
~ bition and its ultimate adoption by
4. the state very fair proportion o.
y the men and women here would pro
IL badly plead guilty at once, but il
II those same persons were asked i
prohibition is practicable now, unless
u l am very much mistaken there
le would be but very few indeed tina
he would say, yes.
Id This L gather from the nature o
NO the petitions that were presented tt
- the last Legislature, none of whicI
e except one (to my recollection) ask
BIT ed for prohibition; most of then
il asking in the alternative for prohi
nj bition or restrictive measures ant
J., the Y. Nj. c. A. asking for restric
le tive measures only. In fact, it wa
generally understood that any refer
ne ence to prohibition in these petition
* was meant as a declaration of prir
,s- ciples rather than request to enac
immediate prohibition. When tn
W Legislative Committee on the liquc
he question invited the public to atten
re- a sitting of the committee at til
W. Government building, TO whic
he liquor men were specially invited
80 and there to express their view;
'ei it was attended almost solely b
IN pronounced temperance men of thi
m city, and yet when the EChairma
ife called for show of hands as
" whether Or not immediate prohib
~ ton was practicable only one {
III two voted yes, every one else votin
les no. (To be continued.)
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