The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-03

| spect and gentle manners, in business
intercourse, is almost wholly missing.
'"The islands are volcanic politically
as well as geologically, and growth by
eruption is a battling method of devel-
opment. Christianity or civilization
which is the same thing, dropped sud
denly upon these barbarous islands, out
! of the sky as it seemed to the natives
/ but, as we know, out of New Bedford
with the doctrine of inherited tota; de-
pravity taught by uncompromising fish
ers of men, with an inflexible theology
administered from an office in Boston
seven months sail from the scene OF
action, and on the other hand, new
I possibilities of enjoying the unhappy
! inheritance, illustrated by certain jovial
and irresponsible fishers of whales.
"The fishers of whales were not the
! best of men, bat they were good mix
/ ers. They married native wives and
founded, or, at least, disseminated fam
lilies. The fishers of men were families,
virtuous, detached, severe, that loved
the natives wisely but not well enough
even to let their children play with
them. While the Bible had to be trans
lated in order for the missionaries to
perform their high and wholesome err
rand, the bottle was easy reading in
the original, and Immediately brought
into compact working union, the weak
and vicious elements IF the beach.
''Then followed convulsion after con-
vulsion, until Annexation at one of the
darkest hours in our history installed
American commercialism, without the
clear necessity of social struggle, exist
ing on the continent, and reduced all
political problems to a study of sugar
and whisky, the natives having the
votes and the whites having the money.
IT found the liquor situation in this
Territory to be in the nature of a
political China-shop, where a bull
might exhibit great loyalty to his own
point of view and yet make poor use
of the crockery. In such a condition
one may serve his cause by what he
does not do, even better than by what
he does. I came to do good, so far as
I could see the good, or to do nothing;
and while I have to confess that I
have done very little, I have not al
lowed anything to make me fussy. At
the time of my arrival, causes already
in motion were producing good effects
which it would have been folly to be-
little and impossible, at the time, to
improve.
THE law of 1907 was a licensing law
and in my opinion bad fundamentally;
but it was clear advance in licensing
legislation, and in effect, 1t has ham,
strung the liquor power in the islands
The appointment of commissioners for
the various counties had been made
with singular. discretion, and the ex-
perimental year of the new policy has
reflected clear credit on the new ar
rangement.
81 Immediately sought the acquaint-
ance of the commissioners and am glad
to give my testimony to their high
average quality as men and as officials.
I at once offered my services as the
agent of the league and kept close
watch of their work. but refrained from
seeming to meddle, and from asking for
relatively little things, premature
things. or impossible things
1.-THE frequent contentious in the
board as to whether a certain man was
good enough to be certified as a saloon
keeper, I did not engage in. No man
is good enough to keep a saloon. But |
did urge upon the various boards the |
single proposition that there were al /
ready enough saloons. To have claimed |
anything more radical at their hands /
would have been useless and foolish. /
The law was new and was entitled to /
fair trial. The commissioners were |
unframed in their duties and unac-
Iuainted with the liquor traffic. at /
,lose, studious range. But their educa- /
ion was advancing rapidly. The press
vas favorable to reform. The liquor
dealers We're disconnected and frighten-
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