The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-03-01
Senator Brown Introduces Same
Act As AT Last Session.
4 DISCUSSION ON ITS MERITS
Senate Refuses to Reject the Bill.
Passed First Reading-Other
Measures.
SENATE.
Eleventh Day, February 2S.

The Introduction of Senator Browns
Opium Bill, and motion to summari-
ly reject it on the first reading, pre-
cipitated long discussion on the mer-
its of the bill Before the motion to
reject was finally lost by a vote of
s to 5, and the bill sent to the Printing
Committee, the opinions of the Sena-
tors were thoroughly ventilated.
When Senator Brown had finished
reading his bill, Senator Waterhouse
instantly moved it's rejection. He spoke
at considerable length in support of his
of action. He thanked Senator Brown
for bringing in the bill so early in the
session. The Senate could thus show to
the world at once that it's verdict was
irrevocably in opposition to licensing
the drug, that it was consistent. Since
it's inception the Government of the Re
public had been opposed to opium, why
should it change it's position now and
go back on principle of right?
The Senator read extracts from the
Marshals report in which the licensing
of the sale of opium was recommended
and stated that in his opinion it was
about time that the departments were
investigated if it was impossible for
them to properly enforce the laws
why does not the Marshal advocate
the licensing of che ia and other gamb-
ling games?" asked the Senator They
were all evils and the Marshal should
advocate changing the systems instead
of licensing the worst evils. The
speaker charged the various depart
ments with clashing in their attempts
to preserve public safety and asked
what result could be expected under
such condition. Evidently there was
public knew nothing.
Let us enforce the laws we have on
the statute books at present, and have
all the departments working together
for the suppression of vice, before we
think of bringing in new laws" said
Senator Waterhouse in closing.
Senator Baldwin asked that no hasty
conclusion be reached on such an i'm
portant subject He asked that at least
the matter be allowed consideration in
committee, provided Senator Brown
asked such disposition. Personally he
was opposed to licensing opium. Pre-
vious to the last session Senator Brown
had consistently voted against all such
bills. To his mind this was a reason
why it should be considered in COM
mittee.
In defense of his bill Senator Brown
said that last year he had found that
it would be lost in passage and that
rather than waste the time of the Sen
ate he had not taken it from commit
tee. During the past two years he had
carefully observed the operation under
the present prohibitory act and he had
become thoroughly convinced that the
sooner some such bill as he now advo-
Gated was passed, the sooner the coun-
thy would be freed from the rumors
now being circulated concerning the
departments and the use of opium, and
accusations against officials would
cease.
THAT there is plenty of opium in the
country, and that the prohibitory law
was imperative, was sufficiently clear
| to his mind because of the present low
price of opium in Honolulu as compar-
ed to what it had been in years past.
Yet the present price of opium was
greatly in excess of what it is in coun-
| tries where it's sale is carefully regu-
lated. In Hongkong, No. 1 Hongkong
opium is selling at $40 pound; in HO-
nolulu on Saturday last the price was
SIT. In San Francisco, No. 1, Califor-
MIA opium is selling at S. a pound; in
| Honolulu it is So Licensing the sale
| would in his opinion put an end to
smuggling.
| For years the Senator had voted
against opium bills, he said, because OF
sentiment The majority who opposed
| it today did so from sentiment for the
| Hawaiians. But of what effect was the
sentiment for the Hawaiians, when
they could buy all the opium wished
today? If the departments are pulling
against one another there must be
something wrong somewhere. Could it
be connivance? He held that the Gov
ernment, inasmuch as it found itself
unable to cope with the evil under the