The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1892-12-22

seven members answered the roll call.
The minutes were read and approved.
President Walker announced the re-
ceiving of an invitation on the previ-
Gus day from the Kawaiahao Church
for November %, 1892. The invitation
had just arrived.
Rep. White moved that Bill 173 be
laid on the table. Carried.
RESOLUTIONS.
Minister Brown read for the first
time an Act prohibiting the coming of
stowaways, paupers and fugitives into
the Hawaiian kingdom. The bill took
its usual course.
Rep. Smith rose to question of
privilege. He said he wished to call
attention to certain of the reports
published in the newspapers. While
we owe much TO the reporters, and in
the main their reports are correct,
they should be more careful. Several
times lately his remarks had been
misstated. A short time ago during
the discussion of the Chinese Restric-
tion Act, he argued that to fill the
country with japanese alone would be
a greater menace to our Christian
civilization than to have some Chi
nese; that it would be better 81 nave
more than one ASS. One of the
paappeesss merely reported that he said
that Japanese were greater menace
to Christian civilization than Chinese.
Later, when the Horner Bank bill
was under consideration he argued
that in financial questions of this
kind, the deliberate opinion of the
great majority was more likely to be
right than that of the minority; one
of the papers reported that he said
majerities are always right. And still
later, the report of his remarks IN re-
gard to merchants was so garbled that
it had caused offense.
to the
ORDER OF THE DAY.
Second reading of Bill 147, the Opium
bill.
The Clerk read Section 9.
Sections 9, 10 and IL contain direc-
tions for the use of the revenue stamps
and penalty for failure To affix or cam
eel the same. Passed.
Sections II and Is provide penalties
for counterfeiting stamps and forging
cancellations. Passed.
Section IA provides a penalty for the
use of any old opium tin to contain
opium which has not paid duty, or
for the possession of any detached
stamps which have been used. Passed.
OF LICENSES.
Section 10 provides for granting of
twenty-fOur licenses at rates varying
from $4,000 to $1,000 each, distributed
throughout the various districts of
the Kingdom.
Attorney General Brown moved to
amend by providing one license. 1t
would be easier to control smuggling.
Rep. Ashford opposed that. 1t
would promote smuggling instead of
diminishing it. We were too near to
1885 to try the system of one license
only. If opium were to be sold at all
it should be sold wherever there is
demand for it.
Noble Peterson said the hon. MEM
Der lost sight of one fact. No where
near all these licenses will be taken
up. Take, for instance, Waianae.
There were perhaps seventy or eighty
Cinnamon there, and if they all
smoked all the year, it would not pay
the license fee of $1,000 per year. The
plum would fall to a single ring.
Rep. Smith made n strong attack on
the bill. If the House passed it would
be against the wish OF the majority of
the people.
Rep. r. w. Wilcox said he favored
passage as in the bill, otherwise the
opium ring would have control. They
would bribe the Cabinet, not neces-
sarily this Cabinet, but some other
One of the late Cabinets, it had been
openly boasted, contained represen-
tative of the opium ring, and of the
new states he had seen, two contained
representatives of the ring. H[e want
ed to-have the House finish its work
and get home by Christmas. But
those who are interested in. opium
smuggling wished to prolong the ses-
sion. This Cabinet was not going out
unless the member from Waialua said
so.
Noble Marsden moved to amend by
providing a general license for each
island, with places designated where
the opium should be used.
Rep. Ashford said if the committees
report was not to be followed, then he
favored the original draft of the bill,
allowing anyone to take out license
who was willing to pay license fee
of $500.
Attorney General Brown favored
license for each island, to be sold at
auction at an upset price to be fixed
by law. If the section did not pass as
in the bill he would withdraw his pre-
vious motion in favor of the Noble
from Hamakua.
Noble Williams favored one license
for each island.
The amendment of Noble Marsden,
creating one license for each taxation
division Gsland) was carried on the
following division:
Ayes-Ministers Wilcox, Jones and
Brown; Mobiles Hopkins, Peterson, Will
liams, Maile, Kauhane, Hind, Marsden,
Young, w. Y. Horner, Anderson, Me-
Bryde, Kanoa and Dreier; Reps. Kauhi,
Kamauoha, Nahinu, Kanealii, Edmonds,
Kaluna, Akina and A. S. Wilcox-24.
Noes-Nobles Pua and Hoapili; Reps.
Bipikane, Ashford, Aki, Pua, R. w.
Wilcox, Kaunamano, Iosepa and Smith
10.
Absent-Minister Robinson; Mobiles
Berger, Ena, Cummins, J. NJ. Horner,
Baldwin, Cornwell. Walbridge and
Thurston; Reps. Wilder, Bush, Koa-
hou, A. Horner, Kapahu and White.
! Excused-Rep. Waipuilani.
The amended Section Is was then
referred to the Opium Committee,