Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-04-28
CHINESE FUND AND LONG BILL PASSED
SENATORS DISCUSS OPIUM AT LENGTH

| The bill TO provide for the licensing
of opium and to prevent opium dent
came up for third reading.
Senator Cecil Brown, who, as h,
stated, had voted some days ago &c
lay this bill on the table, now advocat.
ed its passage with an amendment he
was about to propose. Under ordinary
circumstances and former conditions
here, every members should vote
against this bill. But since II first an.
peared his attention had been called
TO the fearful increase of opium using
in Honolulu. Things had arrived at
such siege, with the unrestricted i'm
lportation OF opium since annexation
that II was necessary to regulate the
traffic by legislation, first. as a police
measure; secondly. matter of public
health. and. thirdly, a source OF reve-
nue.. TIE liquor traffic was thus reg
ulated and there was more reason for
law to control the sale and use OF
opium. lie presented an amendment
which would place the traffic under
the surveillance Of the police. 1t was
1 w uih W Nllt C'NNlOu lOI lllt
sale Of opium by the liCensee between
n. m. and 1880 p. m. except Sunday,
words allowing the sale to such person
or persons, excepting women and min
ors, who shall present certificate
from each such PERSONS medical adj
wiser that the use OF opium is neces-
sary to his health: a fee of 81 to be
paid for such certificate. and book
to record the names OF purchasers to
be kept by the licensee. which shall
always be open to the inspection of
the police. Unless this bill became
law, the use of opium would increase
day by day until hardly n Hawaiian
could be found not addicted to the
drug. The law was ably drawn. pro-
viding fit penalties for its infraction.
Senator Kalauokalani reviewed the
arguments Of the previous speaker and
said he opposed the bill once and
would oppose It now. He did not OPP
pose 1t without reason. He had been
employed on a plantation for over thir-
ty years as engineer and sugar boiler
and was well acquainted with the OPT
um habit among the Chinese. AL
though there were restrictive laws
against opium in those days when he
was on a plantation in North Kohala.
he observed that the Hawaiians fire.
quented the Chinese places and were
ruined in health and property thereby.
On Lahaina plantation he saw the
same thing. When the Hawaiians in
dulged in opium they would not work
unless driven to II. His observation
at Waikiki again was 20 the same eff
feet. All those times the law was very
strict and he believed that II they lie
ensed opium now its use among the
Hawaiians would greatly increase. liz
had noticed that Chinese addicted to
opium became poor and homeless and
he did not wish TO see the Hawaians
come to that condition. The Honolulu
Senator had said there were places
where thirty or forty persons could be
seen now indulging In opium. but he
believed that II they licensed the sale
the number would be multiplied four
fold. When in 1856. with the conniv-
ance OF King Kalakaua. "A bill such as
this one was brought forward the mer-
chants and white people generally
stumped the whole country with de-
nunCiations OF the license of opium.
He believed the same intelligent class
of people regarded the matter in the
same light today and would applaud
the Senators II they threw this bill out
OF the window.
Senator Dickey. supporting his mo-
ton to table the bill said he would he
in favor Of such an opium bill as they
had in Oregon and in Washington.
There the fee for a license was one
dollar, but only pharmacists could OBJ
tain a license and they could only sell
opium upon the certificates of physl-
clans. To license the sale would be to
increase its use. 1t would be given
away to Hawaiians to lead them into
the habit. To open the way for such a
condition would he hellish.
Senator Cecil Brown had listened to
the arguments OF the two previous
speakers They were suited very well
to the conditions that formerly exist
ed here, when Hawaii had the power
of prohibiting the importation. But
entirely different circumstances existed
today. The secret use OF opium would
in his opinion promote its increase.
Senator Baldwin-"You are only
wasting time"
Senator Brown-"Psrhaps I am talk
ing against time for another object"
Senator Brown then wound up his
remarks and his amendment carried
almost unanimously.
The motion to lay the bill on the
table carried, 6 TO g.
The Garnishee Bill.
The House bin amending Chapter 80,
Session Laws OF 1890, Deing an Act to
facilitate the collection of debts from
Government benehciaries, was read a
third time. II provides for the gar
nisheeing OF the pay OF Government