The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-04-08

riches
President Lincoln thought the liquor
question over carefully, and wrote out
pledge embodying his reasons for
trying to help men abstain from the
use of intoxicating liquors. Then he
devoted himself for a time toward
using any spare moments saved from
his professional life in holding temper
ance meetings and promulgating this
pledge. The national difficulties result
ing in the civil war became the great
question of the time and Lincoln as
temperance leader gave way for the
time to Lincoln the Presidential care
taker of the United States. This
makes his pledge all the more worthy
of thoughtful study by conscientious
men. Here is the pledge which he pre-
pared and signed:
Whereas, the use of Intoxicating
liquors as a beverage is productive of
pauperisn, degradation and crime; and
believing it is our duty to discourage
that which produces more evil than
good, We therefore pledge ourselves to
abstain from the use of Intoxicating
liquors as a beverage
If these foundation statements are
not true then I for one desire to have
nothing to do with circulating such a
pledge. If they are true they ought
to make strong body of business and
professional men unite in a campaign
of discussion and education such as
these islands have never known. Dur
ing the past year there have been some
ringing editorials in each of our lead
ing dailies-for which we have thanked
God as they appeared. Some of our
local judges have been led to formulate
some suggestive truths concerning in
temperance, when they have delivered
charges to their respective juries. but
the solemn truth still faces US. the con-
science of the conscientious people of
our islands is not awake.
President Lincoln once said eff it is
question between money lin business
prosperity and a man-give me the
man. AS a matter of fact the highest
business development comes with the
development of the man-but it is so
hard to get men to see it so.
SERIOUS HINDRANCEs.
Beside this difficulty which comes
when dealing with men who are true
at heart, and who sincerely desire the
public welfare, the Anti-Saloen League
Gus hindranees during the past year
first the lack of money wherewith to
secure the services OF man who could
give his entire time to temperance
work; second, the fact that the MEM
bers of the various committees. have
been occupied in their regular. work
which during these times of business
depression has been much heavier
burden than usual. Therefore they
have not been able to give as much
thought and time to this committee
work as they would cheerfully have
done under other circumstances. The
third hindrance is really the most seri-
Gus: that is the apathy of Government
officials concerning the moral welfare
of the public at large. This apathy
frequently develops into open protec-
ton of saloons and gambling dens as
seemed to be the case in respect to the
gambling den located at the corner of
Fort and Hotel streets for many
1t is So difficult to prove a
motive for such protection,
that it is best to let that phase of the
question drop. But the carelessness
which allows such gambling dens to
flourish weeks after attention has been
called to them, is unquestionably
criminal on the part of Government
officials One of the thoughtful men
of the city expressed the truth as fol-
lows: ut seems as if those who are
responsible are either very incapable
or very corrupt
The Anti-Saloon League has the law
as the basis of its chief efforts against
the use of intoxicants- 1t was with the
idea of increasing the ranks of law
abiding citizens that the first league was
organized in the United States There
are two ways of making law abiding
citizens. The first is the easiest A
man who wants to do right and tries
TO live according to his conscience be-
fore his Creator, will be law abiding
sven II he cannot quote single law
IN the statute books.
The second way of making law abid-
ng citizens is hard and unpleasant 1t
s law enforcement This is what the
Anti-Saloon Leagues of forty States |
Ind Territories are seeking at the |
lands of public officials. They ask the |
legislatures of the various states to |
rame the best laws possible accord |
ng to their wisdom. They ask the |
Executive Departments to enforce I
hose laws. They ask the judiciary to /
ecide whatever questions may arise I
oncerning the constitutfonality of the
avs enacted. The leagues simply ask
or what is the best and fairest thing
n civil government and that is law
biding officials and citizens.
1t is unquestionably the purpose of
hese leagues to seek to acquaint the
eople with the law and ask for its en-
'rcement. Wendell Philips once said:
Agitation is the conscience of the peo-
lie awakening to the enforcement of
w"
For these two great objects the Anti
aloon League of these islands will
,ntinue to labor-first the awakened
'nscience of upright noble men, and
scond the production of law abiding
hcials and citizens.
OUR WARFARE"
Rev. D. Scudder delivered an address $
"Our Warfare" which was listened