The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-03-06
STRONG TALK ON LIQUOR BILL


with the minor red tape aud who has
not been convicted of any felony NAV
secure license. This was pointed out
IN statement made in the Advertiser.
If the people wake up they will be
heard, and this is the time to wake
up. The bill can I pass and be sue
cess. / do not believe in Prohibition,
[ am not a Prohibitionist. and | have
doubts if prohibition law would prove
suitable in this seaport and garrison
town. But, if it comes to a choice
between liquor law of the rottenness
of the one now considered and prohibi.
tion, SO help me God. i viii do every.
thing in my power and use every ol,
of influence I've got to secure the
passage by Congress of an absolute pro-
hibition law for Hawaii -
Mr.. Thurston was greeted with
great applause when he concluded. Mr.
Bowen of the Promotion Committee in
qlired if the proposed amending bill
contained remedies for the differences
between the sal0onkeepers and the -es-
taurant men. Mr.. Ballentyne said t
probably did not.
Other Speakers.
Ex-senator Diekey then pointed eut
number of defects in the proposed
bill, showing that the differences were,
if anything, accumulated. He pointed
out how all the discretion would be
taken away from the Liquor Commits
sioners, what discretion they had left
being. valucless because the liquor men
could always appeal to the Circuit
Court. He ended up with the state
ment that the proposed bill was the
s'mast bare faced attempt to beat the
public he had ever seen. >,
Il think the saloon men realize that
they are beaten on this measure, said
J. P. Cooke, land | want to sound a
warning note. They will prepare a
nilder bill. which, though apparently
innocent, win have something back of
it.
s.The best thing to do is to work
against any and all legislation chang
ing the present liquor laws. -
j. A Rath stated to the meeting the
result of little private investigation
which ne made. Two years ago, when
the old law was in force, be stood on
a street corner for three consecutive
Saturday evenings, and the average
number of DRINKS he saw on the
streets was twenty-seven. A short
time ago, after the present law had
been in force for considerable time,
he made the same experiment, and
found the average number of DRINKS
seen in an evening to be seven. He
also stated that men who would use
the methods that were used during the
past campaign, against John Hughes,
by the liquor men. did not deserve the
consideration of the people.
Chairman Bowen stated that he had
had two tourists out sightseeing
through the city that morning and
thev both had commented on the
scarcity of DRINKS in the city during
the week they had been mere. This
was unsolicited testimony from stran-
gers, proving the worth of the present
law.
Judge Weaver dwelt at length on the
defects in the proposed law, showing
that the main thing the liquor men
were fighting for was to take away
the arbitrary power of the Liquor Com
missioners. He said that it had been
proven that men could be secured here
who would use this power with dis
erection. Judge Weaver offered the fol-
lowing resolution:
Resolved, That the members pres
emf be requested to sign petition
to the Legislature that they do mot
enact any amendments to the present
liquor law
ChairmaD Castle asked for express
sions of opinion from any liquor men
who might be present, but there were
no responses After the meeting, how
ever, Theo. F. Lansing of Peacock l.
Co. stated that be had not known the
full import of the bill until the analy-
sir of it had been published in the
ADJ cruiser. s.If that analysis is cor
rect he said. 1.-THE saloonkeepers de
serve all they are getting-and more,
too"
The following petition was signed by
rsarly all present, and viii be present
ed to the Legislature:
To the Honorable Legislature of thu
Territory of Hawaii.
The undersigned respectfully peti-
ton your honorable body, and for cause
of petition represent:
That they are informed that a bin
has been introduced into the Senate to
amend the present liquor law which has
been in force in this Territory for some
thing over eighteen months to an ex-
ent which practically destroys the real
meaning of that measure. They far
Their show that in their opinion the
present liquor law has not yet been
so thoroughly tried as to have shown
what are it's. serious defects. if such
exist, while. ON the other hand, petit
TONERS believe that, upon the whole,
said law is the best the Territory has
ever enjoyed; that under its influence
the number of drinking saloons has
been decreased, which petitioners be-
lieve that liquor men themselves will
not deny is in the interest of public
morality and deceuey, and in many re.
speets otherwise the public has been
benefited nv the existing law.
Petitioners further show that. should
the proposed bill become law, it viii
practically destroy all of the good
points in the present law. and that
without any corresponding or result |
ing benefit to the public, whose inter
ests should be first considered.
They further show that voters
throughout the Territory were led to