The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1890-09-23


without fear of the law to buy glass o
beer, when as now he buys a bottle o
"rooster +" brandy which destroys him
In the South of France where wine Is
made, drunkenness is rare-in the North
where brandy is made, it is rife. A sin
gle case of selling spirits will, under this
law, work the forfeiture of license. A
man will not take that risk. Last yeal
$4,000 gallons of brandy and gin were
withdrawn from the Custom House
Most of this goes to the country-it costs
from s. to 70 C. per dozen quart bottles
in bond. This Showing a specimen is
bottle of rooster" brandy. A physi-
clan tells me that half bottle of it on
an empty stomach is liable to kill a
man. 1t is poison. This is what the
natives buy and this is what kills them.
l would give them instead of this, good
honest beer, pure light wine. The
Sheriff of Hawaii tells me if this bill
passes he can control the liquor traffic.
Now he cannot secure conviction.
Noble J. NJ. Horner-This bill is
fraught with more evil moral and fnan-
cial than anything which has been
brought in this session. The object of
it is to distribute wine and beer for a
license of $3.50. This is set forth in the
first two sections, and the rest of the
| bill is devoted to the evils which the
| first two sections are going to produce.
| The bill will establish fifty saloons, in
addition to those we now have. But
| these are to be good saloons, innocent
| saloons, different from those we now
have, when people will drink without
getting drunk. When my intellect is
short enough to see that wrong is right,
that sin is holiness, that death is life,
and life death, l may vote for this bill.
honestly believe that they will be
moral pest, breeding idleness and dis
tress among the people. The past his
tory of saloons (put it down gentlemen,
l know them to be evil-only evil. The
leopard can't change his spots, nor the
Ethiopian his skin. What saloons have
always been they will always be-a curse
and disgrace to every country that sup
ports them, and these very innocent sa-
looms contemplated in this bill will be
no exception to the rule. The $3.50
license fee is a small compensation to
the people for the loss of time, money
and character; for the misery engendered
and the lives destroyed by these saloons.
This is claimed to be temperance mea-
sure. Statistics tell US that there has
been lately large increase in the con-
sumption of wines and beers and also of
crime. 1 say increased drunkenness and
crime have kept pace with increased
consumption of wines, beers and ales. At
the same time these statistics tell me
that the consumption of strong drink has
decreased. What then will be the re-
suit if these saloons are established all
over the kingdom. The report of the
Chief Justice shows an increase of $3.50
cases in the biennial period. Most OF
the drunkenness does not come before
the Courts. In one case a woman got
drunk in grog shop and fell off her
horse in the road for the evil-minded to
look and laugh at. Noble Marsden-
What did she get drunk on?) Soda and
sarsaparilla, for all we could learn. II
soda water does this, what will wine and
beer do. In another case three young
men in Kukiuhaele drank and then be-
gan pounding each other with sticks of
wood One died. Another young man
drank, lay down to sleep and never
woke. Another in Hilo went out on to
the beach and died. A woman out here
by Diamond Head was pounded to death
by drunken husband. None of these
cases are in the Chief Justices report.
You will say these were poor Hawaiians. |
Yes, but once they were innocent and
pure. Their children demand protection |
from US. 1t is our duty as legislators to
protect them. We are the only ones |
who can put a stop to this. We can do |
it if we will, and thus save the property, |
the morals, and the life of the people. |
There are four strong men sitting in |
Oahu Prison to-day for killing one poor |
little Japanese, and the way the law has |
been indicated in that case is a credit to
civilized man, for it teaches that human
life is not to be trifed with from passion,
avarice or revenge. Their twenty-seven
years of prison life means a cost of |
$40 900 and no one will say it is too
much for that one life. Who then is
to pay the debt for the lives of these
scores and hundreds of Hawaiians. We
think we know who handled the rope
that pinched the life out of that poor
Japanese. But who mixed the drinks,
opened the slaughter houses, dug the
pitfalls, which have taken the lives of
all these Hawaiians. There are other
agencies besides fierce and violent men
which destroy and one is strong drink.
The bottle kills more than the bullet,
and it is our duty to protect, as law
from this destroyer, as from
murderous men. 1t is not the wise, the
strong, the high-minded who need our
protection (perhaps not even the men,
bers of this Legislature), but the weak
minded and young.
Rep. Richard said the hon. member
had spoken about half an hour.
Noble Marsden moved he have all the
time he wanted.
Noble Muller moved the House take a
recess.
Noble J. NJ. Homer, continuing, asked
whether those who claimed to be cham
oions OF the natives, would show it by
helping to postpone this bill. Let us
Keep away temptation, make it easy for
men to do right, and hard to do wrong.
Let us reflect that when we put up our
hands to pass this bill, we send children
o bed without supper, and their
athers, perhaps, to an untimely grave,
ike scores of those l have mentioned.
Now, Mr.. President, ask with earnest
less and energy that this bill be indefi-
litely postponed.
The House took a recess.