The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-01-26
FOR A LEAGUE
Prof. J. 7. CrawIey on
The Situation.
He Cites the Cholera Time and De-
mands Immediate Action
For Public Safety.

Editor Advertiser: Many of the cit
liens of Honolulu have been thinking |
of the urgent needs of a citizens
league, or civic federation, such as Mr.. |
Geo. w. Smith has proposed, since the
outbreak of the plague. The writer can
remember hearing during the outbreak |
of cholera in 1895 many people say |
that the epidemic was a blessing in |
disguise; that it would awaken the |
proper authorities to a full realization |
of our insanitary condition; that the
city was for once thoroughly cleaned, |
and that it would never again be al
lowed to become so filthy and plague !
inviting as at that time. Inc whole |
city was thoroughly aroused; business
was practically suspended for a time, !
and every one gave hand in the good
work.
A little more than four years after
this exciting experience the dread
plague breaks out, and we find to our
surprise that the sanitary condition is
ness is suspended and all good citizens
turn out and for the second time in
four years to assist in stopping the
ravages of an epidemic. For the sec
ond time we see all the members of the
Board of Health and many business
and professional men of the city risk
their lives in a noble effort to ferret
out and destroy the lurking places of
a most insidious disease. Already val
liable lives have been lost, and none
can tell how many more are daily in
great peril. Chinatown has been
burned and thousands of poor people,
many of them innocent women and
children, rendered helpless and thrown
on the charity of our good citizens and
the Government. Business is very
much demoralized, and it Is a matter
for conjecture what will be the loss.
The people are thoroughly alive to
the Importance of the sanitary condi-
lions of Honolulu, but does any one
think for a moment that this feeling
will last always, or that it will save us
from future calamities like the one
| through which we are passing? Ger
tainly not, unless the present unhappy
conditions leaves a focus around which
| public sentiment may gather and en-
! force it's demands. Our experience has
been that whatever the public want
and demand they get, and that they do
not get what they want with luke
warm spirit.
| Let a citizens league be formed
/ whose duty ii shall be to see that all
righteous demands of the people-all
| demands that make for the general
welfare, present and future-shal, be
| enforced. Let this league be formed of
| physicians who know our needs and
| business men who know the great cost
| Of an epidemic. Who doubts that il we
/ had such body of men banded to-
| gether for the common good, law
| makers would make needed appropria-
| tons, or that these appropriations
would be efficiently expended? The
| property alone destroyed in last Sat
| urday's fire would pay the salary OF a
good sanitary inspector and support a
| proper sanitary Office for a hundred
years. If we had had such an officer,
fearless and clothed with the proper
authority, Chinatown would have been
clean, and there would have been no
black plague. Clauses in contracts and
leases. and authority of law to compel
all habitations to be kept in a sanitary
condition, will not secure these OBJ
jeets, unless there be a strong public
sentiment and proper officers to en-
force its demands.
This Is not a time for mincing mat
tiers. We think Of the loss of China
town which can be computed, but we
must not forget the loss to business
that cannot be computed. We cannot
AFFORD to sit quietly by and let condi-
lions spring up which will bring other
epidemics In the future. We must re-
member that we deal with people
whom lease clauses do not make clean
nor knowledge Of the consequence OF
uncleanness make afraid.
Chinatown Is gone, but other China
towns will spring up, and there are
nuisances today in many parts OF this
city as bad in degree, though perhaps
not In extent, as ever was found in
chinatown. Foundations are being
laid today in places that will be the
lurking places OF epidemics in the
future. Much is being done, but more
needs to be done. And especially
should we see to it that the two latest
object lessons be not lost upon us.
Let the citizens unite and give In
time OF security that support to the
Board OF Health that they do not with
hold when calamities threaten.
IT CRAWL EY