The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-10-26

w O. SMITH TO W. A. KINNEY.

Evening BuIoOn yesterday IN regard IL
the subject of beer having been dis
pensed at the Republican meetings.
wish to state that personally | am Oh.
posed to the furnishing of Intoxicating
drinks at such meetings In the various
campaigns I'm which ! have been can
didate for election during the past thir-
ty years, | have never furnished nuuor
at such meetings nor knowingly con-
tributed to the purchase of the same.
You ask what statements as to the
use of beer at Republican meetings |
consider exaggerated and overstated. %
Answer. The statements which have
been made upon the platform by mem
bers of your party and also statements
published in the Pacific Commercial
Advertiser as well as the columns of
the Bulletin controlled by yourself,
have been such as to give the impress
sion that beer and booze were among
the most prominent features of the
Republican meetings; that certain of
the published statements have been
such as to give the impression that
drunkenness and disorder prevailed at
these meetings.
You ask, "Who is furnishing this
beer, what is the amount furnished, the
justification for its use and the circum-
stances under which it is furnished?"
Answer. l have attended more than
twenty of the Republican meetings
during the past two weeks and have
not seen or known of the furnishing
of any beer at any of these meetings
There have generally been two meet
ings each evening and | have spoken
first at one meeting and then pro-
ceeded to the other, generally being
present from one to two hours at each
meeting, and have been about among
the people assembled, and if any such
state of affairs had existed which has
been charged l surely would have
known it, / have heard that on Ger
tain occasions at and after the close
of the meetings beer has been furnish
ed, both by certain of the candidates
and by others who were not candidates.
As to the amount furnished l cannot
state The justification for it's use in
the minds of those who furnished it
was, l suppose, that it would please
those who drank it; that it was an
act of good fellowship and hospitality.
AS to the details of the circumstances
under which beer was furnished l can
not state further.
You ask, What is your purpose i'm
stating that if beer had been furnish
ed, etc, it has not been during the
time when l was present, SO far as l
was able to see"
Answer. The purpose was to cor
rect the impression that was being
that the Republican meet
ings were drunken carOusals
You ask. The Democrats want to
know what part free beer has in teach
ing the disreputable or even vile or
large number of children sound doc
trine?"
l think no fair-minded and honest
person needs misinterprt what | stat
ed in the letter to the Advertiser from
which you quote. L made no such sug-
yestion. The meeting at Iwilei which
vas hid in the open air, was conduct
I'd in an orderly and decent manner.
came there from another meeting,
arriving a little after o'clock, and
'emained until half past nine, and dur
ng that time there was nothing dis
orderly or offensive excepting the con-
iuct of one man who had been drink |
ng; another Well-knOWn native, who |
s a little more than half witted, who |
vas persistent in his attentions, but !
Who showed no signs of having been |
thinking. and one native woman who |
vas volublc and demOnstratiVe. If she
vas a strumpet there was nothing in !
Ter conversation or manner to indicate
t. With these exceptions, and posi-
Nv one or two others, the audience
vas composed Of we'll behaved and APP
arentIy respectable Hawaiians, many
f them having their wives and chill
rem with them, and the meeting was
uiet and we'll conducted
Sound doctrine was taught earnestly
nd sincerely and l am sure the meet
ne was not calculated to harm the
earers or the speakers.
And is it not somewhat remarkable,
Ir. Kinney, that even if some draught
'eer was given out at the close Of some
f the Republican meetings that such
olleys of denunciatiOns and fierce in
ective should be hurled by you and
our candidates at the Republican par
y when two of your most prominent
andidates are men who own, or are
Interested in, liquor saloons which they
Onduct themselves or through others?
Had ice cream and soda water been
fered for refreshments at the end of
ur meetings there could have been no
Ossible objection, but it is because
eer Gf taken i'm sufficient quantity
'ould intoxicate and for no other rea-
on that the walls of wrath are poured
ut.
At the worst beer was given on a
aw occasions as an act Of good fellow
hip and hospitality while six days
nd nights i'm the week, and every
eek in the year, your leading candi-
ates referred to are selling not only 3
eer but gin, whisky brandy and all
lanner of violently Intoxicating liz
ors, and so far as they can, they Of
n attractions to tempt people to come
nd drink. This is done for gain, to
H.. |