The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-04-07
A REPORT ON
LOCAL OPTION
SENATE COMMITTEE FAVORs THE
MEASURE WITH SOME AMEND
MENTs WHICH ARE INDICATED.

In the Senate this morning from the
special committee on Senate Bill 2, the
Local Option bill, Dickey reported fav-
orably on the measure. The report was
an extended one, but it's gist was to
effect that local option was increasing
and that its increase was accompanied
by a decrease in the consumption of
liquors.
The report in its full text follows:
Honolulu, T. H., April 6, 1905.
Hon. D. p. r. Isenberg, President of
the Senate.
Sir:-Your special committee to which
was referred Senate Bill begs leave
to report.
This is the Local Option Bill 1t
gives the voters of any precinct the
power every two years of taking from
the Treasurer the right to issue licen-
ses to sell intoxicating liquors in that
precinct for two years to come.
Your committee thinks that this law
is just and fair one. 1t is fair that
each community should be able to say
that no saloon can be licensed in il.
1t is mot claimed that vote for no
license will stop the drinking of liquor.
Those who wish liquor can get it from
localities under license just as those
who now live where there is no saloon
can and do get it, but the worst ele-
ments of the evil will be eliminated.
The effect in some districts may be to
get a saloon where there is none now,
but we Believe that in the long run the
result will be a great reduction in the
consumption of liquor. Local option is
on the increase in the United States.
Out of the 49 States and Territories on
ly IA are pure license States and Ter
ritories. one has state control, five
have prohibition, two have license on
ly on petition of the voters or property
holders, which amounts to local OPP
ton, and twenty-six have local option,
the trend is toward local control every
where and if we want to be in line
with the best legislation it behooves us
to pass this bill.
In the twenty-siX states where local
option prevails there is an overwhelm-
ing proportion of the towns or counties
which have voted for prohibition More
than half of the south today is for
strict prohibition and the northern
states are all but six for local option
in some form.
We recommend the passage of the
bill with the following amendments:
l. Change the title Of the Act to read
IAN Act to provide for elections on the
liquors"
?. Add two new sections after Sec
ton 2, to read as follows:
Section 3. The Secretary Of the Ter
ritory shall furnish the necessary ball
lot boxes for such election and the in
spectors of the general election shall
perform all the necessary duties to
carry out Section /, of this Act. The
Secretary of the Territory shall make
any regulations he thinks necessary or
desirable in regard to such election.
Section 4. The returns of such cleo
ton shall be sent by the inspectors of
election of each precinct to the Secre-
tary of the Territory who shall cause
the results to be published in the Ha-
waiian and English languages in Ho-
Holulu and file a certificate of such re-
suits in his o..Ce as public archive.
g. Number Section 8 as Section 8.
Senate Bill 2, the Local option law,
Achi moved that it pass on the adop-
ton of the report Of the committee.
Dickey seemed to think that this was
too easy, and asked the foes Of the
measure to come out into the open now
and not go on still hunt and kill il
on third reading.
McCandless came out, accordingly,
and stated his opposition on the ground
that local option would injure the tour
list business by shutting up the sale Of
liquor in certain portions of the Islands.
Then Achi withdrew his motion, and
'the bill was read section by section. A
new section was inserted In the bill eX-
emptng hotels from the operation of
the law, which removed the objection
of McCandless.
And then, after the Senate had got
pretty badly muddled on an amend A.,