The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-04-27
PRO AND CON.

minority report upon the light wines
and liquor bill is a matter of surprise
to no one. 1t only shows in the Sen
ate, what is about the proportion of
opinion in the country about the mat
ter. There are perfectly honest peo-
pie both for and against the measure.
Those who are against it are actual
ed by principle and their arguments
are worth listening to. Those who
are in its favor are also actuated by
principle, which while founded on the
same ideas, work out the detail in a
different way.
The opponents of the bill say all
LIQUOR leads to drunkenness, the only
safe method is to keep all opportuni-
ty of selling liquor out of reach Car
ried to its ultimate result this doc
trine would reach prohibition. The
success of prohibition is very prob
lematical indeed, the battle RACES
around it as fiercely as ever did that
between Greeks and Trojans ''around
Patroclus dead" As a fact, except at
a few points. such as Lahaina, Wailu-
ku. Kahului, Hilo and Kohala, there is
prohibition on the Islands.
The favorers of the bill acknowledge
the evils of drunkenness, but they
say that the prohibition of liquor on
the other Islands. not arguing the
general proposition of prohibition
anywhere else, is failure, and they
propose this bill not to increase in
temperance. but in the cause of tenn
perance. To. enforce this argument
they turn to the reports of the sher-
ifs of the different Islands, and from
the Marshal downwards they find one
unanimous opinion which may be
summed up in the words of Sheriff
Andrews of Hawaii. himself an oppo-
nent of liquor and liquor selling. He
says sit is impossible to stop the IL
licit selling of spirituous liquor in
most of our country stores, and our
liquor license laws should be so
amended that low priced liquor Ii
cense could be granted to any one
holding a merchandising license in
the country districts. and to any one
holding a hotel or victualing license,
to sell or furnish light wines or low
grade beer with meals served"
Sheriff Baldwin of Molol>ai says at
"Wailuku. Lahaina and Kahului," pla-
s.n1n In iSh
"this business (the Illicit traffic III
spirituous liquors) has been greatly
checked, but in other places liquor
can be bought by a certain class OF
customers at almost any country store
and also among plantation laborers,
and of late years the japanese have
engaged in the traffic to an alarming
extent"
These are remarks from men whose
business it is to follow up and put
a stop to all cases of Illicit liquor sell
ling. and who confess themselves ut
terly unable to cope with the evil.
Better to supply moderate liquor
openly than to be forced to have it
sold almost under the laws nose sur
reptitiously.
This is about the platform of those
who are in favor of the wine and beer
bill They claim that the law as it at
present stands is unsatisfactory and
is impossible of realization. They
advance the opinion of executive Off
GERS upon the point, who are by no
means personally in favor of taking
down the bars, but who find them
selves helpless to stem the tide of IL
licit liquor selling. OF this one may
feel sure, that when a man in dis
trict secures license, he is not going
to allow his profits to be interfered
with by the Illicit seller, if he can
help it, and he will become a power
full assistant to the police in hunting
down the Illicit seller.
1t is to be hoped that the bill dur
ing its passage through the Senate
may be amended so that some of the
licenses at least should be issued on
condition that the holder supplies
lodging, food and stabling for two or
three travellers. This was the late
Judge Preston's idea and is undoubt-
edly a good one. A far better and a
more responsible class of people will
take out licenses then, than would do
so when they have merely to knock
to0ether n shack for retailing liquor
only. In Australia and New Zealand
this is one of the features of some
of the liquor licenses, and we can do
no better if we follow suit.
AS the times go along the necessi-
ty of rest houses for travellers be-
comes more and more apparent. The
old days, when traveller could ride
up to any door and find ready well