The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-12-18
UNIFORM MARRIAGE

AND DIVORCE LAWS
am well aware how difficult it is to
pass a constitutional amendment. Nev
ertleless in my Judgment the whole
question of marriage and divorce should /
be relegated to the authority of the Ma
tional Congress- At present the wide
differences in the laws of the different
States on this subject result in scandals
and abuses, and surely there is nothing
so vitality essential to the welfare of the
nation nothing around which the ma
ton should so bend itself to throw every
safeguard, as the home life of the aver
age citizen. The change would he good !
from every standpoint. In particular it
would be good because it would confer
on the Congress the power TO at once |
deal radically and efficiently with poly |
gamy and this should be done whether |
or not marriage and divorce are dealt |
with Tt is neither safe nor proper to |
leave the question of polygamy to he
dealt with by the several States. Power |
TO deal with it should he conferred on
the National Government.
When home ties are lOosencd; when
men and women cease to regard a worthy
family life with all its duties fully per
formed and all its responsibilities lived
up to, as the life best worth living; then
evil DAYS for the commonwealth are at
hand There are regions in our land
and classes of our population, where the
birth rate has sunk below the death rate.
Surely it should need no demonstration
to show that willfully sterility is, from
the standpoint of the nation. from the
standpoint of the human race. the one
sin for which the penalty is national
death, race death; sin for which there
is no atonement; sin which is the more
dreadful exactly in proportion as the men
and women guilty thereof are in other
a, respects, in character and bodily and
n mental powers. those whom for the sake
of tire state it would be well to see the
r fathers and mothers of many healthy
:. children, we'll brought up in homes made
: happy by their presence No man, no
n woman, can shirk the primary duties
y Of life. whether for love of ease and
pleasure or for any other cause, and
retain his or her self-respect.
# ENCOURAGE AMERICAN
II SHIPPING INTERESTS,
Let me once again call the attention
: of Congress to two subjects concerning
which I have frequently before communi
Gated with them. One is the question
of developing American shipping !
trust that a law embodying in substance
. the views, or a major part of the views,
express i'm the report on this subject laid
, before the House at its last session will
- be past. I am well aware that in former
years objectionable measures have beer
proposed in reference to the encourage
ment of American shipping but it seems
;. to me that the proposed measure is as
nearly unobjectionable as any can be
1t will of course benefit primarily Oul
Z. seaboard States, such as Maine, Loui
: siana and Washington; but what benefits
part of our people in the end benefits
all: Just as Government aid to irrigation
and forestry in the West is really Of
benefit, not only to tire Rocky Mountain
States, but to all our country. If i
prove impracticable to enact law FOL
r the encouragement of shipping generally
then at least provision should be mad
for better communication with South
America, notably for fast mail lines Il
the chief South American ports 1t i
discreditable to us that our business PEG
IyIn 60 &c tsoy
in the shape of lines of steamers will
South America, should in that great sis
ter continent he at disadvantage com
u pared to the business people of Europe
- NATIONS CURRENCY
NEEDS INFORMATION
especially call your attention to til
second subject, the condition of our cur
rency laws. The national bank act ha
IN nobly served a great purpose in adm
the enormous business development of tn
country; within ten years there has bee
an increase in circulation per capita fror
$21.41 to $33.OS. For several years ev
dence has been accommodating that add
y tiOnal legislation is needed. The recuI
renee of eaclr crop season emphasizes tn
defcts of the present laws. There mus
soon be revision of them, because t
g leave them as they are means TO incu
.g liability of business disaster Since you
of body adjourned there has been a auctuG
ton in the interest on call money fror
per cent to, 30 per cent; and the fuC
a tuatiOn was even greater during the pre-
- ceding six months. The Secretary of tn
Treasury had to step in and by wise az
ton put a stop to the most violent pc
- riod of oscillation. Even worse tina
such nuctuation is the advance in con