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


W. a. KINNEY no W. a. SMITH
Honolulu. r. a., October 25. 1906
W. o. Smith, ESQ. Honolulu
SIR ! have just finished your letter
To- me that appears iu the Evening Bul.
/ lctm of this afternoon. and [ congratu.
/ late YOU uuon your statement made IN
that letter. and so far as / know. mad,
/ for the first time i'm this campaign
. that personally you are opposed to the
/ furnishing of Intoxicating drinks at
! Republican meetings, and if | was not
about to take trip to another island
| / believe ! would be willing to contri-
| butte to the publication broadcast of
your statement among THE disreputa-
bic or even VILE" and certainly among
the large number of children" that have
been attending Republican meetings
for several weeks last past without
hearing any such wholesome admoni-
ton, either from you, so far as | can
ascertain, or from any other candidate
speaking from the Republican plat
form.
| understand no liquor was used last
night at the Republican meetings, and
this happy result alone has more than
justified all the discussion. pro and
con, that has taken place i'm the
public press and elsewhere on this
subject Your wholesome declaration
against the use of liquor and the drop
ping of liquor at the Republican meet
tngs, it seems to me, would not have
come about but for the very protests
in the public press and by the Demo-
CT
declared unwarranted and unfair; and
we wish to point out to you that much
Of the protest to which you object came
after attention had been called to the
use of beer at these meetings, and the
Republicans proceeded, notwithstand-
ing, to continue the use of the same.
and men like yourself remained silent
on the subject. This naturally intensi-
fled the protests, and the justification
for it is in the declaration you now
make against the practice and i'm the
cutting off of that disreputabe prac-
tice itself.
| knew, Mr.. Smith, you would con-
denim it; l knew you did not believe
in it. our point was that you should
say so and you should have said so
three weeks sooner than you have.
You and l had the honor of voting
shoulder to shoulder in the Legislature
of 1888 for an election law which made
it criminal offense to provide a
voter" with either meat, drink or en-
tertainment" for the purpose of "inhu-
encing such person to vote or refrain
from voting for amy particular person
or party And what you and l and
mass of other Legislators unanimous
ly thought should be guarded against
i'm the Penal Code in 1888, l knew you
would not be condoning when it came
to the scratch in 1906. yale" beer,
whether at political meetings or wheth-
er confined in one key or dozen.
Shake, Brother Smith.
Now, as to the two leading candi-
dates on the Democratic ticket who are
saloonkeepers. In the first place, l as
sumo that you will recognize the diff
ference between the sale of liquor in
a licensed saloon according to law
by the way, Republican law-and the
fun nishing Of liquor outside of a saloon
at political meetings, where the pur-
pose is to reach the conviction and Sc
voter by the enunciation of sound doc
trine.' In that penal provision that
ycu and | voted so heartily for in 1883.
against treating the voter with meat,
drink or any entertainment to influ-
ence his vote, you surely recognized the
distinction between such treating and
the sale of liquor in licensed saloon,
according to law. Moreover these two
candidates, Mr.. Harvey and Mr.. Nc
Carthy, stand pledged to a higher IL
cense and to local option i'm regard to
the opening of saloons, a position as
advanced on the liquor question as
either party demands; and unless YOU
challenge the good faith of their pledge |
IN this respect your appeal against f..
them contained in your letter can only !
mean that YOU would not take the help
and support Of an intelli gent and re-
5ponsible saloonkeeper in securing the
very amendments to the law that Won
Yourself desire, or else L is mere an
peal to a general feeling against the
business itself.
The Democratic party, in its plat
.orm has recognized the licensed sale
II liquor under strict regulation and
las condemned in unequivocal terms
he unbridled sale of liquor that has
grown up under the present Republi- A,
'ah liquor law. And these two saloon
keepers on our ticket stand pledged to
make good that plank in the platform
~ their votes if elected, and [ do not
mink there is a easOnable-minded yot
r. in this country that knows Frank
Harvey and Charley Mccarthy but be-
ieves that those men will make good
n every particular that plank in the
platform which they have both ac-
epted.
/ think, Brother Smith, that YOU are
off in declaring that l held
'ou up to contempt and scorn in
tating that you, Smith, could With
me determined effort shut out the use
# liquor in the campaign" On the
ontrarry, l consider that a great trib-
1toootec(cQo19Q 10oQCsQo D0ooouo
ratio meeting at the mead Of TiIiLo I