The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-04-06

The special committee to whom were
referred certain House bills introduced
recently held an open meeting in the
hall of the House of Representatives
Saturday afternoon. There were pres
ent Senators Lyman, Hooking, McCand-
less, representatives Bond, Rycroft,
Robertson, Hanuna Kaeo (of the COM
mittee), Richards, McBryde, Revs. o. III.
Gulick, c. NJ. Hyde, S. E. Bishop, Lead
ingham, Peck; Drs. Rodgers Whitney;
T. G. Thrum; Professors Hosmer,
Richards, and others.
Rep. Bond, as chairman of the com
mittee, called the meeting to order and
introduced as the first matter for the
afternoons consideration the bill re-
lating to the suppression of libidinous
solicitations.
w. r. Castle-The Penal laws are
strangely insufficient In the matter of
providing punishment for libidinous
solicitations. A short paragraph or so
under the head of Common Nuisance"
is all that can be found, according to
my recollection. The Penal statutes
treat prostitution more as an injury to
the individual than to the state, and on
that account the fine is small; but So
licitations directly concern the we'll
being of the State. Temptations should
not be placed before any one. Since
the institution of hacks in the city it
has become the work of the lower
classes of hackmen to solicit. The ACT
proposed looks toward providing a spe-
cific penalty and punishment for such
offenders as the hackmeu alluded to-
Provision is likew Sc made for the
keepers of houses of assembly for dis
reputable women.
Rev. II. w. Peck-I heartily endorse
what Mr.. Castle has just said, and L
would suggest, in reference 10 his last
remarks, that provision be made in the
law for the owners and renters Of such
houses of assembly, if it can be proven
beyond a doubt that they are cognizant
OF the fact that their houses are being
occupied by the class of people under
discussion. / don't know whether rhis
is workable or not. In my mind, the
renters of such houses, if proven ac-
cessories, should be involved in the pun
ishment. L have been in the city seven
years, and / can testify as TO the cor
rectness of Mr. Castles statements in
regard TO the hackmen, from the fact
that l had not been here an hour before
/ had personal evidence of their solicit
tations.
Rev. c. NJ. Hyde-The law should be
81 hn nf
themselves from the rapacity of hack
drivers.
The next in order of discussion was
House Bill No. 16, looking toward the
prohibition of gambling and gaming.
Professor Richardson the old bill
providing for the punishment for gamb-
ling the provisions are direct against
few games of chance, such as chefa.
The proposed bill takes in gambling as
a whole, AMI restricts betting at horse
races, baseball games, boating contests
and the like. / have interested myself
for some time in the question Of gamb-
ling in small ways. 1t has been con-
tinually thrown in my way as an edu-
Gator and as a sporting man. In re-
gard to the latter, l hope that L have,
as yet, not been relegated 10 the back
numbers as a sporting man. In America
baseball has been wrecked by the bet
ting habit. Some time ago there was a
violent smash-up of the baseball league
in Honolulu, and all because il was
claimed-rightly or wrOngly-that a
certain catcher had sold a game. IL
baseball is to be a clean sport IL must
needs first be rid of the gambling or
betting habit-call it what you may.
Why do some people refrain from TAX
ing in the horse races, although they
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