The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-05-18
ANOTHER VIEW OF the LIQUOR
PROBLEM,

has more than one side, and conse-
quently also the liquor question.
As your paper is the only one that |
lately has published anything |
against total prohibition, will take
the liberty to ask for small space
in your columns.
There is loud cry on these ISL
ands nowadays for prohibition, col
umn after column in the papers are
brimful of the most powerful eX-
pressions in favor Of it, statistics
show clearly that liquor is killing
more men daily than was killed dur
ing the whole rebellion-war. Sto-
ries are circulated how blessed those
States are where prohibition is law,
1t is plainly shown that all the sick
ness man is heir to, comes from
liquor; that the taste for it is inhe-
rited through seven generations;
that weak baby must invariably
be the offspring of q drinking father
or mother or great-great-grandfather
or great-great-grandmother, and so
dd ndatSed01.
Now, one thing is sure, and that
is, that liquor is q curse where it is
misused. We all admit that. We
also admit that the sale of 1t must
be permitted only under certain res
trictions, confined only to certain
places and to certain hours. The
control of when, where, how and to
whom it is sold must be made easy.
But from that, to total prohibition
is long step. Fake it for granted
that tobacco is poison, why not
prohibit that as we'll? According to
statistics that kills thousands and
thousands every year, causes blind
ness, palpitation of the heart, shak-
ing limbs, tottering gait, pallid
cheeks and what not. Now, every
well-informed man knows that all
these statistics, all the figures given,
are false from beginning to end.
How can you, defenders of these
calculations, know how long a man
will live with or without liquor?
How dare you say that because a
man takes liquor and dies at the age
of 10 years, he has shortened his
life at least 10 or 20 years? 1t is
simply ridiculous to defend such
statements.
Another question: What business
of yours is it what l eat or drink? !?
What right have you TO prescribe
my food2 How do you know that
the temperate use of liquor will hurt
me? Can you judge better in these
matters than can myself? Why
are you prohibitionists so intolerant?
Why is it that you really dare mis-
use the temporal power given to you
last election; you, who actually are
in the minority! Has it come to
this: that a bigoted, fanatical mi
nority is going to rule the country?
And do they think that they alone
know what is good for us? Do we,
who partake of liquors with modera-
ton, ask Mr.. j or Mr.. G or Mr.. B
what they use on their tables? You
| llhe your CuOlCe iflilhS anu ielIt'H-
cies imported direct from all quart
ers of the globe, at astounding 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
enough-who interferes with that?
What is that to me that you give
out thousands for delicacies where /
give out cents for glass of beer or
glass of wine? have had expo
rience in prohibition State in Ame-
rica, 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 to-
gether.
That means that not only every
house was saloon, but they had
drinking places out in the woods,
known only to the initiated, and YET
the ministers thanked their Goo
every day in the churches that the
evil of drinking was successfully
kept from their homes. In men
tioning ministers 1 must say that il
my opinion they would do far more
good by going round to their tlocl
and preaching the gospel, than b,
laundering against liquor from thei
pulpits and sitting day after day il
their Office (study), writing up non
sense and statistics over the liquo
problem, and trying to force thei
, views on the Legislature and Gov
{ ernment, as it was done here las
year. Preach at all times, NOV
more amongst the people, visit th
homes more, try moral influence
and you will obtain larger result
than you do now. Then what in til
world has religion to do with tn
temperate use of liquor. Give m
a single passage in the New Test;
ment where it is forbidden to touc
, it!
! A thing that probably has MOI
i to do with the health of the presel
i and coming generation is the misu:
: of the corset. Why not prohib
. that also? Ask any doctor, and
G will confirm my statement. Loo
8 at the ladies who force their bodiC
into tbo chono nf n x,,nc, ,,1 60.