The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-03-07
MORAL EVILS OF OPIUM.
Traffic Will Spread Vice NOtwith-
standing License.
Rev. II. w. Peck Speaks Against
the New Bill - Bad Politics
and Bad Morals.


Mr.. EDIToR:-With your permits
sion would like to give few reasons
why the opium bill now before the
Senate should not pass.
Such law would give the sanction
of a government license TO immorali-
ty aud one of the worst vices. II
licensing would decrease the evil
there would be a good plea for SO
doing. The evident object of the law
is not TO cure nor to lessen this vice,
but to increase it by making it easy
to learn the habit of opium eating and
smoking, and from this encourage
ment Of vice to derive revenue. There
can be but one result, that is, a rapid
increase of the victims of opium ha-
bits, with the consequent increase in
Hawaii of a still lower class of vile
and helpless wrecks of humanity than
we now have.
This opium bill seeks to establish a
lower moral standard than any we
now have on our statute books. An
ex-marshall of Hawaii after years of
experience in handling the victims of
opium says, "The use of opium is as
much worse than the use of whisky
as whisky is worse than tobacco. :"
Instead of encouraging this vice and
making it easy; our law makers
should endeavor TO encourage the sen
timent against it. 1t is the duty of
law-makers to try and make it as
difficult as possible to do wrong, and
as easy as possible to do right. It is
their duty to remove, as far as it is
possible for good laws to do, every
thing that tends to destroy the man.
hood, earning and saving power and
morals of the citizens whom they re-
present. The promoters of this opium
bill, forget that good, capable, intellt-
gent moral citizens are, by all odds,
the best capital that country can
have and anything which even tenos
to destroy such citizens is the dead
lest blow which can be aimed at a
natiou's welfare. Such injuries are
permanent.
That licensed opium does do this is
shown by the fact that every one ad
mits its evil effects and our recOGs
show that licensing opium increases
it's use. The reports of the Hawaiian
Collector General of Customs show
that
'The value of opium paying duty i q
1862 under license was 1864 "a; ten
years after, in 1870, $7049 81; twenty
seven years after-that is, 1857
$50, 331 70, an increase of 34OO per cent |
in twenty seven years. The habit
ere ates it's own growth and ever de
mands more from it's victims. That
licensing increases the consumption |
of opium is also shown by the price |
that men are willing to pay for the |
license On September 6, 1850, Hau-
Y ip only paid $4,000 for the license, but |
in 1874 Along and Achuck were will |
ing to pay $40, 100 for the same privil- |
ege. Why? Because there were more
opium eaters and smokers as a result |
of lice nsing and cultivation of the vice.
After fifteen years of fair trial the !
Legislature, by vote of 80 |
to s, decided against license. Why |
should we adopt now that which was
shown clearly to be disastrous 10 |
every way then? If we license opium
we throw over it the cloak of respect |
ability. Now it is very improbable |
that any one not already victim will |
learn the habit, for our police officers
make matters exceedingly warm for
opium smokers. If we license opium !
we will add another very powerful
cause to the many, now existing, |
which are de stroying the reproductive
powers of our population, and especi-
ally is this true of the native Hawai-
ians. We are reapiDg today in Hawaii
some of the harvest, the seed of which
was sOwn in China by England.
Chiua was forced at the cannon's
mouth to admit opium; the shame of
such deed will never be wiped out,
aud yet some of our Legislators, for the
sake of a few thousands of dollars an
Duai)y taken from the victims of this
vice, would practically force opium
upon part of our population with no
voting powers which they could use
in self protection. It is constantly |
said that the Government cannot pro |
hibit the Illicit importation of opium. |
There are exceedingly few things, if
ed. Japan has for all practical pur- !
poses prohibited opium. How? By !
making the penalties for violation of |
opium laws greater than the prosp c.
tive gains to smugglers, etc. A
who can make haul !
Of $4,000 on a single successful |
trip is not likely to be |
deferred by the remote possibility /
Of year or so of comfortable i'm
If our Government real. |
~ wants TO stop smuggling make the |
penalty five or ten years at hard labor |
and men will think many times be- |
fore taking the risk. Let the Govern |
ment stop putting a premium on dis
honesty among its officials by giving |
them starvation wages. 1t is a shame |
and disgrace that men in Government |
employ and in responsible positions |
should only receive $40 to $50 month |
Good wages, good men, good work |
is trinity that our Government
should respect. If it did, there would |
be less talk about connivance of Gov
eminent officials in smuggling. Give |
the men chance to De honest-make |
positions worth holding
by capable honest men for good honest |
wages and there will be less SNUG
CLING. Our Government has also |
been put to go much trouble and eX-
pense by its enemies, at home anu /
q broad that IL has NOT had tho Dnaans