The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-01-09
LIQUOR At PAGO PAGO
CHARGE THAT SALOON HAS BEEN
LICENSED.
Mrs. Isabel Strong Writes on the
Subject But at Washington It is Be
lieYed She is Misinformed

NEW YORK, December 27.-Mrs.
Isabel Strong. step daughter of Robert
Louis Stevenson, has written a letter
to Life which commands attention. She
remarks the fact that ever since the
Samoan islands fell under the influence
of the United States, Great Britain ana
Germany a well-organiZed effort has
been made to keep drunkenness out Of
the group, in the endeaYor to save the
gentle, kindly SamOans from the de-
struction that has come to the Hawai-
ian race by the Introduction of alcohol
lie liquors. The native rulers shared
with the powers the effort to keep liz
uor away. Indeed, on one occasion
when a Hawaiian embassy to the ISL
ands brought it's own liquor and turn
ed a diplomatic negotiation into an
orgy the Samoan king informed the re-
representatives. of Kalakaua that they
should have stayed at home if they had
no better example to set than that.
Mrs. Strong desires it to be known
that since the division of the islands
and the apportionment of Tutula to
the United States a license has been
issued for a saloon at Page Page, our
harbCr there, and the saloon now is be-
ing constructed. She declares that she
is not worker in any temperance I'M
dertaking and is not an advocate of to-
tai abstinence but that she believes
not know what is being done and ought
to know. She cannot excuse such a
move as to permit the Samoans to have
access to a saloon bar They are sober
now, but they will not be long, if liquor
is offered to them.
WASHINGTON, December 2S-Se-
cretary Long is not not inclined to be-
lievethe statement of Mrs. Strong be-
cause it is based only upon hearsay
testimony from an anonymous source
considerable distance from the scene ::
and, further, because Commander Til
ley has been in the habit of reporting
promptly every little incident of the
slightest interest in the administration
of his affairs. Very little happens there
to report, and such an event as the
erection of a hotel, or even a saloon,
would be considered the sensation of the
year.
The only reference that Commander
Ttlley has ever made to the sale of liz
uors on the island in all his voluminous
reports appears in communication
dated July u, 1900, and reads as fol-
lows
las to the use of any Intoxicating
liquors of any kind by the natives, they
have not been allowed to obtain any
since my arrival, and, so far as / can
judge, they do not care for them. 1
have recently issued a regulation pro-
HlblllnB llle importation OF any wines,
beers or liquors into Tutuila except by
express permission of the commandment.
l have found it necessary to do this
in order to prevent interruption of the
government work at Pago Page. Even
under the old form of government by
the three powers the natives We're not
allowed to have any intoxicating liq-
uorS"
Mrs. Long evidently is not aware that
it is more than three years since liquor
of any kind has been allowed on a
man-ofwar of the United States navy.
Secretary Long has abolished the can
teen that was previously maintained
for the use of the sailors, and since
then the only whisky and wine on
board was a small allowance for the
use of surgeons. Therefore the officers
of the navy donartment argue that if
Mrs. Strong is wrong on one point she
may be wrong on the other. There
have been some recent experiences il
lustratng the recklessness with which
such statements are sometimes made.