The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-03-11

OF local option with criticism or damn
IL with faint praise
This Is not due to any 'acl, OF loyalty
to the main purpose of the movement
nor TO any coarse bigotry as To- the
methods hitherto employed. For clear
eyed loyalty and willingness TO Bacri-
fee or to perish for the sage of
cause there is no better record in ex-
istence than that OF the prohibition
party. But from the very intensity OF
their desire and the long heartache OF
hope deferred some Of us have become
too far-sighted to see clearly things
near at hand or rightly to understand
the foreground as related TO the whole
picture of the times.
Nor is IL matter for surprise that
the astronomy phase of the voyage
carries its peculiar temptation in po-
itical expeditions. Steering by the
stars does seem to be a nobler sort of
navigation than looking out for paint
ed buoys that mark known channels
and cairns and blazed trees and range
points and beacon fires on the shore
But in this world all things and all
truths are relative, and for seaman
ship, where the course is up a winding
river of strenuous economics and over
sandbars of old habit, prejudice and
| tradition, a white rock on the hillside
with a tall tree on the nose of a cape
in range takes far precedence of ursa
major or the southern cross.
write this as the same radical that
have been for twenty years and with
out a thought of pairing or abandoning
any principle. But the fundamental
principle in the constructive work now
opening to us by the general accept
ance of our right to take a hand in
the notifies of the day and work out
the details of our doctrine is that the
people are the owners and the COVER
nors.
This is not a government of the tenn
perance people, for the temperance
people, by the temperance people, al
though it surely will be some day.
Even the drinker and the drink seller
have a right to be heard and to be OBJ
Eeved if they can continue to mold, as
ND to this time they do hold, the ma
jority. Our case now is simply one
of decent and reasonable statesman
shin upon all the facts and all the
kinds of facts involved. 1t is perfect
Nv true that local option tends to mu-
nicipal Sinking and self-satisfaction.
But It is lust as true that In the long
run it tends to disappointment ana
humiliation. Those two facts are
range lights of profound Importance
Every prohibitory locality must final
w. in the nature of things, become a
storm center of state and national pro-
hibition; for, Is it is, state license ue'
feats local prohibition more or less. II
has been said for 20 years that the IL
ouor problem is not a local matter al
all. hut as national as money, quarah
tine regulations or Notifications, since
at the last analysis, or by the most SUI
,, perfcial analysis, it raises the ques
tion of the quality of the men, ant
the homes of men, which are the toun
dation stones of the republic. hav'
not changed my mind. But the yer!
!, thousands whom l have been SO happ1
l as to convince have taken the view
i that the national issue wait until TIM
D trial of local prohibition forces 1t lnt'
D the arena. l am a stubborn man anC
I still think that national campaign
like the Bryan campaign of the gol'
= standard vs. bimetallism, on the single
5 issue of the right or wrong OF licensing
> the most demoralizing trade man eV
! err put a hand to, would De the creates
education in finance, labor, marrlag
l. and divorce, dietetics, epidemlcs, cleal
: and politics, municipal government
9 immigration, railroad wrecks, strikes
y insanitary, pauperism and crime Tn
+ world has ever witnessed, and the doc
u into a period of incalculable prosper
{ ity and efficiency such as this riches
of the nations has not dreamed OF.
osS--
i rio Lab prInfInd Star Office.