The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-09
RUSSEL'S MINORITY REPORT
ON THE DISPENSARY BILL
Continued from Page u

|
attempted" as the majority report
| states, In South Carolina. but it has besn
: in good running order there for over
| eight years becoming SO popular that
| 1t has been extended to the neighboring
| State of North Carolina. Massachusetts,
people fight hard against liquor interests
| to introduce the same; Norway, Sweden,
Switzerland and the whole of Russia
mot certain provinces, as the majority
report states) have for long years adopt
ed the Dispensary System, and the re-
/ ports from all those countries are more
than favorable. AS an Illustration, L
quote some extracts from private letters
received recently from South Carolina.
Here is what the first Commissioner ana
organizer of South Carolina Dispensary
| System, the highest authority in the
United States the subject, writes
II must say in the outset that / feel
delighted to note the favorable progress
of the Dispensary liquor system in your
Territory, and / trust the advocates of
the proposed bill will not meet with any
obstacles that will prevent an early frui-
ton of their laudable hopes. The condi-
ton of affairs with US at the beginning
seems to me to be about the same as
you are contending with at this time.
We had a division in our own factions
or ranks-Dfspensary and Anti-Dispen-
sary. You seem to have, SO far as
gather from your letters, Home Rulers
I and Republicans. AS the Democrats and
Home Rulers seem to be together. 1 am
convinced that you have an easier fight
than We had. We had here fight to a
finish Arrayed against us was the bar
room element and it's money, the aris-
tocracy of the State and another large
element that was opposed to reform for
much the same reason that the Irishman
was agin the government or 'agin any
-,
been on the spot to realize fully what
We had to contend with While we still
have few soreheads, you may be as
sured that the open bar-room in South
Carolina is thing of the past and many
thousands who opposed the Dispensary
a. it's inception would not now change
for anything. Our last Legislature has
just adjourned and the law, as admin
istered, was commended on every hand
and no suggestion was ever made of a
change to any particle of the Act This
is very remarkable, for you know that
any law that touches the people at every
point as does this, is liable to violent as
sault at any moment l only mention
these few matters as / pass along to
convince you that the masses are salts
fed and that you gentlemen who are
fighting for the law in your Territory
are attempting the noblest work within
admit that whisky is an evil, but that
1t will be sold as long as the world
stands. All we can do is to try and re-
strict it to legal methods. If there is
such thing as placing honor, reputa-
ton and Christian character in the liquor
business in any of it's aspects, it is GER
tainly in the Dispensary plan. I wish
you and those interested with you in the
idea God-speed. l believe that fair
trial IF no in, win
down laurels upon the heads of those
who father and stand by the law to the
end.
Now, as TO myself in the matter, it
would suit me very well to go to Homo
lulu between May and September and
assist your people in establishing the
system l would suggest that you elect
your own Commissioner from your own
best men and let me train him; for
feel that were you to elect a stranger
or person from outside your Territory
1t would give the opposition something
to talk about and something to fight you
on In the next campaign. You will find
that discreet action in this regard is the
best 1 want to say that to put this
law into effect win be a long and dan
gerous undertaking, and you must make
W your minds that the whisky element
will not die easy You may have some
outbreaks in which the extreme hand of
the law will have to be upheld. You
need not fear failure, however, if your
men have backbone and are working for
the best interest of the people
II am willing to go to Honolulu in
May and remain until September or Oc-
tober, training one of your local men In
the business so that he may take full
charge of it at the end of that time I
will then return home. In December or
January, If 1 like Honolulu, which I
think I undoubtedly will, will return
for year or so and will give such adj
vice to the Dispensary Department as
may lie within my power.
Convey to DR.. Russell, Mr.. Emmeluth
Mr. Kalauokalanf and the other advo-
Gates OF the Dispensary law, whom you
mentioned. my earnest wishes for their
success.
Il have the honor to remain. dear sir,
yours, D. H. TRAILER"
The following extract is from the let
ter of present Commissioner H. H.
Crum:
Office of II. H. Crum, state Dispensary
Commissioner, South Carolina Dis-
pensary; IT. W. Collins, bookkeeper).
Columbia. S. c.. March IS, 1901.
1 am sorry that I am unable to
give you statistics as to the decrease of
crime etc. All of our
have been exhausted some
time ago. My recollection is that lne
arrests for drunkenness, disorderly con-
duct, ETC.. have been reduced about 90
per cent and possibly 95 per cent now.
We have had quite a number of convic-
tons and the law is well enforced, with
possibly the exception of Charleston, a
seaport town within our State which
makes it very hard to enforce there.
Your question as to how the original
package coming into your State is han
died, will say that the United States
Government allows man to order for
his own use as much as four and seven
eighths gallons. We watch the express
and If he orders more than
he can consume personally, we seize his
package.
In reference to the Germanic Brewing
Company, will state that we have a
brewing company in Charleston. S. 9.
and the State uses as much of this beer
from this company as it can. All the
surplus that this company makes we
give them shipping certificates and allow
them to ship beyond the limits of the
State, but they can sell none of their
stuff within the State except through the
We pay he United States Government
a license for both State and County. For