The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-02-22
Letters From
The People
REPLY TO FEDERAL PRoEI.
BTTIoN."
Honolulu. Feb. q. 1910.

|
Editor Advertiser:--You correspond.
emit, Federal Prohibition, in Mon
day S paper, asks me what is my reason
for coming to the defense of the liquor
interests in the public prints, and adds;
"Mr. Thompson is presumed to be in
their pay. Are youi" without no.
ticing the innuendo, 1 observe that
there is a lack of discernment in the
question. 1t is not well settled that
it is defense of the liquor interests
to attack prohibition. 1t is a we'll
known fact that prohibition increases
the sale of spirituous liquors and de-
creases the sale of vinous and malt
liquors. Personal observation has con-
| WINGED me that a prohibition law is not
adverse TO the pecuniary interests of
the whisky men, and that they do not
regard it so. ! might add, for the salts.
faction of your correspondent. that in
twenty-five years l do not recall being
employed as the representative of any
| liquor Enthusiastically not in the
| Territory of Hawaii; not that would
think there was anything wrong in
representing them, although / should
not allow that fact to affect my opin-
ions or my action as citizen.
Having satisfied the curiosity of your
correspondent upon his second query,
let me assure him, on his first query,
| that / was moved to write. by far
| deeper reasons than the mere question
| of prohibition, which is but an incident
to the discussion. These reasons 90
to the foundation of our theory of gov
eminent; they are strong or weak with
us according as is our faith in Amer
lean institutions, in which all power
proceeds from the people and ali law
makers are but the servants of the peo-
pie. Consequently, if the body of the
people is wholesome and is kept clean,
their servants and the laws which their
servants enact will be clean and whole
some. The struggle for righteousness
is then amongst ourselves. The burden
and responsibility is upon each one of
us, and it is the boast of our Nation
that whenever the body of the people
has been appealed to, and any issue has
been made clear, the response has been
sound and true. Any subterfuge by
which we shift this burden from our
selves is not only an indication of
weakness, but leads to further weak
ness; and in this very question under
discussion the reason given by your
correspondent against local option is the
strongest reason in its favor. He says:
"To enact a prohibition law by our
territorial legislature, means continuing
the fight every year, every election,
with probably "wet" year to be fol-
lowed by "dry" year.
do not believe even the saloon men
favor this. AS one of them said: of
we are TO have prohibition, let us have
it by federal law. If am to close,
let every place be closed.' Without
commenting upon the singular incon.
sistency of your correspondent, who
advocates federal prohibition because
the saloon men favor it, and then ac-
cuses me, because i oppose federal pro-
hibition, of joining "with the liquor
men in fight to continue their bust
ness,' the argument in this sentence
is destructive of democratic govern
ment. As John Stuart Mills has well
said, theoretically, tyranny is the
ideal form of government; the defect
is the uncertainty of the succession to
the good tyrant who is first selected
Why not pass every public duty from
our shoulders to the shoulders of con.
gress, or some other body? We would
be saved continuing the fight every
year, over these duties. If it be said
that this duty is more important, /
deny the fact and the reason. If it
be said that it is more disagreeable
and difficult, all the more reason that
our energies should be aroused to meet
ing the exigency.
| quote from private letter from
one of the most observant of our citi-
zens, now holding high public Office,
who says: $50 long as the policies
: of the liquor commissioners have the
, support of an intelligent and healthy
public sentiment, they can be success
fully carried out. No statute and nc
regulations which lack such support
can be expected to work effectively oil
, satisfactorily. The principle you con
tend for has its root deep down in the
, foundations of our government. 1t il
l the principle which the founders OF
. American liberty fought for so brave
3 ~ 1t must be carefully guarded anc
3 protected, or the government of, fol
and by the people will surely perish
It is remarkable ms it is regrettablt
that those who are opposing Your views
| have become so calloused or perverted
5 as not to be able to see that they have
Q assumed the same position as the enc
4 mics of their forefathers did with ref
0 erence to the policies of their day"
J, And again: "The enforcement o.
r such n law, passed under such cireum
S stances, would tempt jurors, otherwis
= incorruptible, to violate their oaths
5 Such n law would be neither success
}. nor a benefit, unless backed and sup
ported by the people generally"
DAVID l., WlTHINGTON