The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-03-06
LIQUOR BILL
IS RIPPED Up

At the meeting on the Moore liquor
bin called by the civic section OIL the
Mems League OF Central Union church
last night, c. c. Balentyne. chairman
of the Board of License Commission
ers, showed that under the old law
there were seventy-fve Americans,
thirty-seven Japanese and twenty-rour
Chinese holding liquor licenses here.
while under the present statute there
aIe forty-six Americans, seventeen
Japanese and six Chinese having the
right to sell liquor. There were die
fects in the law. the speaker pointed
cut. such as the great advantage res
taurants had over saloons i'll the prI-
vilege of selling day and night from
one end of the year to the other, Sun
days not excepted. Yet in cousulta-
ton the board thought it better not to
open the question for amendment lest
things should get into the law which
ould be more Objectionable than the
things sought to be corrected. 1t was
the so-called arbitrary power of the
commissioners which made the pre-
sent law effective. Take that away
and they would have a wide Open
town. Not the fear of punishment
kept the liquor seller within bonds.
but the fear of losing his license. TO
dispense with the inspector would be
a serious mistake. No liquor man nor
clique of liquor men could influence
the present inspector. If the people
were satisfied that the law had work
ed an improvement, they ought to ar
ouse themselves in opposition to the
bill that was intended to destroy the
amount of control the law contained.
l.. A. Thurston strongly defended
the present law as a manifest reform
in comparison with the one before.
lie was not prohibitionist and doubt
cd if prohibition would be adaptable
to this seaport and garrison town.
but he was loudly applauded on con-
Guiding with a solemn oath that if 1t
came to a choice between rotten law
like that proposed and prohibition. he
would do everything in his power and
use every bit of his influence to Sc
cure the passage by Congress of an
absolute prohibition law for Hawaii.
C. H. Dickey poinred out defects In
the bill which made 1t worse than
the present law where this mad Deen
shown defective.
J. P. Cooke warned the people
against substitute bills that would
likely be adroitly conceived, as 1t APP
>pedred the saloon men realized that
they were beaten on the pending bill.
J. A. Rath told of count he maze
two years ago under the old law, when
on three consecutive Saturday even
ings an average of q drunken men
passed a certain corner, and another
recently when the average number OF
DRINKS passing was but seven. Men
who would use the methods of the
liquor men against John Hughes in
last campaign did not deserve the con-
slGeration of the people.
w. A. Bowen quoted tourists as re.
marking the rarity of drunkenness in
the streets of Honolulu, as unsolicited
evidence from strangers OF the eff
Cacy of the present law.
Judge p. l.. Weaver Indicated the
main object of the Moore bill as pc
ing to take control away from the
commissioners, and closed by moving
a resolution that the members of the
League present sign a petition to the
Legislature against the bill. A petition
was signed by most of those present
Chairman A. l.. Castle asked fol
expressions of opinion from any liquor
ren who might be present. There
was no response