The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-09

tail profits heretofore they went into
the pockets of a half dozen individuals,
who made as much at 523 per cent (see
annex on their investment. Under this
Act the profits will not exceed so per
cent, and on pure alcohol for manufac-
turing purposes, it will not exceed 10
per cent All the profits will be directed
into the public Treasury.
For whatever useful purposes the Gov
eminent may see fit to apply these new
resources it will relieve, by so much, the
burden of taxation. The question, for
what purpose the new income will be
used, is left open by the bill, because it
is premature to provide for the dispos-
ton of money before it is on hand and
because the matter requires careful con-
sideration. 1t is only intimated by the
bill that it may be used for school pur-
poses; but it lies entirely with the people
of the individual counties to direct it
against the evil itself, viz: toward the
establishment of tea and coffee shops,
reading and lecturing rooms, libraries
and other institutions of healthy recrea-
ton and awakening of mental and spr-
itual interests in the people. Men drink
to excess because they feel miserab BILE
and they feel miserable principally be-
caus of the lack of higher mental and
spiritual interests.
1t lies with the people to make the hill
temperance measure IL lllty see III W
do So The bill is advanced only as a
public health and public morality meas
ure and as such it will certainly be very
effective. From public health point of
view, the mere fact that 1t insures pure
and unadulterated goods IS sufficient ar
gun'ent. But there are other more i'm
portant aspects of the subject tending
toward the same end, into the full con-
sideration of which l can not enter
here. For instance, the transformation
of irregular drinking into q regular con-
against which there are no OBJ
jections far as public health Is con-
cerned. 1t is a different thing, whether
a man consumes his pint of beer or wine
every day at dinner or when he fills
himself on Saturday evening with the
whole weekly ration at once. 1t pro-
duces different results, although it might
not materially alter the annual con-
The statement of the ma
jority of your committee, that the
amount OF consumption of liquor in
South Carolina since the introduction of
the Dispensary System has increased, is
not correct as 1t does not take into con-
sideration the increase of population, and
other circumstances. But even if 1t
were correct, it would only prove that
the irregular consumption has given
place to the regular and inoffensive one.
1t is said that reform in the liquor
traffic was not mentioned In the party
platforms l contend that 1t was a part
of the principle of self-government. All
the parties pledged themselves to pro-
vide local self-government. This bill, by
putting the whole question of the sale
of liquors in the hands of the voters of
each precinct, gives the people the right
OF self-government in one of the impor-
tant domains of their economic and NOR
al life, which is even more important
than the political one, and goes as far
as to confer the right to vote to their
wives and daughters BY this provision
it fills the most essential part of the
program of self-government which is
the reverse of 'paternal legisla-
ton
In regard to this ''paternal legisla-
tion," of which many time residents
OF Hawaii have so recently become
alarmed, and which has prompted so
much patriotic resistance on the part
of my honorable colleagues on the COM
mittee, however, L desire to remind
them that the State control of the man
for years adopted by such ultra-demo-
cratic countries as Norway and Switzer-
land The latter country under the
present social conditions is the ideal re-
public where republicanism and democ-
racy are carried so far as direct legis-
lation by the masses OF the people
through initiative and referendum. The
State control of the sale of liquor was
adopted there about ten years ago after
the question was submitted to the d.
rect vote of the people. There is ten
iency on the part of some Senators to
consult the voters" In Switzerland.
where every citizen is an educated man,
such plan is sensible and even desir-
able. Not so in the Territory of Ha-
a.
does not go beyond the knowledge of
reading and writing, and where, there
fore, the most intelligent are elected as
legislators not for the purpose of serv-
ng merely as intermediate machines be-
tween the people and the executive, but
for the purpose of using their own
brains on the mere trust that they will
10 what is good for the people,"
From the point of view of public NOR
Atty, a view entirely distinct from that
If temperance 1 will state that the very
existence of such trade which brings |
,23 per cent profits is dangerous for the |
community, especially Wen it concerns |
liquors. Such enormous profits neces- !
;arily result in public corruption. The |
saloon people assert themselves as Estate |
within the State" debating the State |
policy. Since there cannot be two man |
lgers in the same concern, the question |
IL state COnITOl OIL liquors Is merely d |
question of an alternative: whether it |
s the State that will own the saloon, or |
whether the saloon will own the State. |
Any further procrastination to assert |
he rights of the State is dangerous, be- |
ause the power of the saloon will soon !
the power of the State, and no |
legislature Will be able to pass any |
Measure contrary to the interests of the
liquor traffic.
Under the head of Studies the-ma-
GRITTY report directs you upon this dan
erous path of procrastination. There
las been enough study already.
The Legislature of 1896 appointed a
pecial commission to investigate the
liquor question and recommend the best
ystem. This commission collected a
God deal of information which was in
orporated into a good-sized report fav-
rable enough to the Gothenberg system
Did the majority of the committee read
his report? If they did, how many more
COMMISSIONS and years of study do
hey require in order to complete their
Shall we wait until the last
;rannie will know all about the differ
initial calculus? 1t is stated that liquor
will be cheaper, and this will increase
drunkenness. Yes, the liquor will be