The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-02-24

claimed Cagler.
"And you can see that split is go
ing to be a good thing?"
Sure But / don't see how it is go
ing to kill the Sunday-closing law,
which is the thing we are AFTER
You are very obtuse," said Dandy
YEARLY. 60 ahead with these ordi-
nances, and then you might arrange
to have me interviewed. I'm an en-
tireiy disinterested authority on legis-
| lation, you know"
| And after that?"
after that 1 don't think there will
be any trouble"
Cagler was still reasonably certain
that he understood the plan in a gen.
| eral way, but he had to confess that
some of the details puzzled him; he
could not see how success was to be
gained as quickly as was necessary.
Nevertheless, he followed instructions,
and the fight that resulted in the coun-
Gil was a merry one. The sacred con-
cert measure did not suit some of the
reformers at all, and 1t did not suit
a large part of the population. Others
thought the dawn OF the millennium
was at hand. The newspapers took
up the question, and letters to the
editor became numerous and warm.
But many OF the aldermen who had
previously opposed reform came VAL
iantly to the rescue.
IF we're going in for this sort OF
thing" they said, Tets see it through.
There is no use stopping half way"
And the ordinance was put through
by combination of reform and anti
reform votes. The theater measure,
however, did more than make the
nasty row. that Dandy had predict
ed. 1t had some strong advocates, but
public sentiment was against 1t. The
papers became satirical and sarcastic;
the humorists pictured the future Of
the city when all the blue laws were
resurrected, and it was gravely sug-
gested that the committee of parsons
and church organists be called upon
to censor the Sunday papers and de-
eide what books might be read that
day.
1t was in the midst of this row that
Dandy was interviewed upon the whole
subject of recent reform legislation.
Il haven't given the matter any par
ticular thought until now" he said,
but these laws are extraordinarily
comprehensive and certainly should
give us a model city. I believe You
newspaper men already have dis
covered that the gambling law covers
shaking dice for the cigars and such
trivial and common things as that, but
have you noticed that it reaches the
little games played in the privacy of
our best clubs? Any man with a
grudge could make trouble for almost
any club. Indeed, it is made the duty |
of the police to investigate wherever
there is a suspicion of gambling. 1t
puts the ban of the law on games
played for prizes in private houses. |
and trouble could be made for the |
church fair that has a fish-pond. 1t is
a most extraordinary law when one
gets down to the real meaning of 1t. |
1.-The Sunday-closing law is almost as |
extraordinary. It Is intended, OF
course, to hit the saloons, but 1t I'M
questionably covers club cafes and |
every other place where. drinks are
served. Then, too, the prize-fight law |
would get the amateur who boxes for |
q medal as well as the man who fights |
an absurdity, as the papers have |
clearly demonstrated, so I needn't say |
anything about that, but, taking them |
all together, it looks DIS if the whole |
city were tied up pretty tight. In |
hit while we're not looking, and our
personal freedom and proper pleas
ures are most seriously curtailed.
don't see how the council ever happen
ed to pass such absurd laws"
Possibly suggested the reporter,
"the council did not fully understand
the measures"
'.They are very adroitly drawn" adj
mitted Dandy. Zone could easily |
read them without approaching how
they are, unless he had
reason to give them very careful con-
Indeed, it is quite possible
that they go further than the men
who prepared them intended. 1t is
certain, however, that they hit out in
all directions. Why, the gambling law
will even reach my wife's whist club,
where a trifiing prize is provided for
the winners, and / could be arrested
for playing a game of billiards upon
which nothing depended except the
price of the game. The more I study
the laws, the more sweeping they
SEEM don't believe they can Re en-
forced. The administration that tried
to really enforce them would be run
out of town. They are legislative
all of them"
When the reporter had departed,
Dandy sent for Cagler.
Tell your saloon friends to say
nothing, but to open UP next Sunday
just as if nothing had happened, he
mo one is going to bother
them"
why not?" asked Cagler.
Because we have now got so much
reform that no one can agitate the
matter without danger of getting hit
himself. We are all in a position to
hit back il any one interferes with u.s.
1t has taken a little time. but you've
got what you wanted, and your record
Is clean. You made such gallant
fight that they'll be inviting you to
take the pulpit somewhere.
You certainly are a wonder!" ex-
claimed Cagier.
Not at ALL returned Dandy. It's
an old trick to reform reform out OF
existence, although it usually is not
done as deliberately and Intellectually
as we have done 1t in this instance.
as a rule, are the most
people on earth. and
it's a simple matter to
get them to everyday their own game.
That's one of the reasons we have SO
MANY doc Ia ol1r Y,1unicir.aJ