Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-06-01
DEBATE ON OPIUM BILL
Minister Damon Raises His Voice
Against the Measure.
The AttOrney-General and Senator Brown Take
Issue with the Minister Of
Finance.

two messages were read from the
President, one extending the ses-
sion thirty days aud the other
announcing the appointment OF
five members of the Council of
State.
Two House messages referring
to routine business were also
read.
President Wilder announced
that he had excused Senator
Northrup for the b lance OF the
session on the ground of i'll.
health.
The third reading of tho Opium
Bill was then taken up and
large number of amendments
made by the Attorney General
and others and incorporated in
the bill.
Speaking on the second of these
amendments Minister Damon
said:
"When this bill was first intro
duced, virtually endorsed by one
member of the Cabinet, L called
on President Dole and asked him
whether the proposing of a
measure endorsed by one member
Of the Cabinet and opposed by
others would not have a tendency
to weaken the Cabinet. Looking
back to the time when this gov
ernment was estqblished and the
record on which it was establish
I'd, we fiud that one of the princi-
pal planks in its platform was
! tnat opium should not be tolerat-
ed in any form. The introduc-
ton of bill which lngalizes in
specious terms the traffic in this
netarious drug places Us IN the
humiliatipg position of withdraw
ing from the stand we took four
years ago; a position which L can
not for a moment entertain with
out entering my protest against
it.
"No one recognizes any more
than / do the integrity, honesty
and moral purpose of the gentle
men composing this Senate any
more than l do, nor do L imagine
for a moment that they are moi
passingthis bill solely with the hope
and belief that good will come
out of ii.
"We are endeavoring to estab-
lish a Republic and we are bese'
with temptations and influences tc
our detriment on every side. lie
us not pass this bill but rather
say to the world we are ready tc
uphold the principles with which
we started. A certain great philo
sopher said more than 1000 yeart
o, when the government is il
doubt, let it refer to the princi-
pies on which it was founded.
What was true 1000 years ago il
true now. For the size of ou
community no country in th'
world does so much for philan
thropy, education and the mora
welfare of its people as little Ha
waii. Shall it be said that W
come forward at this early date
only four years from the incep
ton of the government,and pass
law establishing and legalizing
traffic in an insidious drug tha
7 has been the bane of markin
ever since it became known ?Shal
we say to the world the Hawaiia
government not only legalizes bu
actually fosters this traffic an
covers up the law with speciou
and ingenious phrases which al
deceptive of its real intsntp Whs
effect is such law going to hay
on the children in our schools
The very fact that such law wi
be on the statute book cannot br
h bedemoralizing to the youth OF I'll
J. country. This is claimed to be
free country and a free peop
under free Republic. If this /
t. so what right have we to legalis
= this traffic, to say who shall ui
/, opium or who shall not? Is NJ
D. one man as good as the next
What we exist on today has n
10 everyone else the same right to
s Gentlemen, 1 know your minC
n are made up, but / feel like plea
a. ing with you again and agai
IL Give the country the aid of yo1
n. moral force and help to strang