The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-02-11
.FREAR PRICKS
BOOZE BUBBLE
Federal Prohibition Does Not
Mean Government by
Commission.
QUESTION A DIFFICULT ONE
No Hope From the Legislature
Local Law, if Passed, Could
Not Be Enforced.
QUESTION A DIFFICULT ONE
(From Wednesday Advertiser.)

AuNtILBtI.l
81 think this ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
sion talk in connection with the pro-
posed prohibition law is good deal of
bugbear" said Governor Frear yes
terday afternoon. ~ can't see that
there is any connection at all between
the enactment of a federal prohibi-
tion law and commission government.
All this talk that federal prohibition is
only the first step toward government
by commission l think is mistaken. I
can I see how prohibition will bring any
nearer government by commission. In
fact, am rather inclined to think that
| if there is any connection at all be-
tween the two subjects, prohibition will
have tendency to prevent government
by commission. But / really do not
think that there is any connection at
all between the two.
81 do believe that federal control of
the liquor situation in the Islands would
be beneficial and effective On the
other hand, there is the question of
whether or not it is the best way to
accomplish the object. There is no de-
nying that liquor is at the bottom of
much of the misery of the human race.
1t causes much of the poverty, much
of the crime, much of the unhappiness
| in homes.
elf the matter were put abstractly
to scientific man and he was told that
liquor is the cause of so much human
misery, so much unhappiness and so
much crime and he were asked what
was to be done, he would be fool if he
did not reply, Wipe ont liquor Most
of us, ] think, agree that the world
would be better off without liquor. The
simple question is, how to get rid>of it.
81 am not as radical, l think, as
some do not believe in saying that
a man shall not have liquor in his own
home, to use intelligently and with dis
erection. What l believe is that the sale
of liquor in saloons should be stopped.
That is the cause of most of the trouble.
The only question in my mind is, how
shall it be stopped?
''lt is easy enough to say that the
enactment of federal prohibition law
for Hawaii is an infringement of our
rights, step toward taking away our
power of government, but perhaps
that is not the main question. The
question is, what is best for us?
No Hope From Legislature.
''I think that it will be long time
before we can get prohibition law en-
acted by the local legislature. And
think it would be much longer time
before we could get such law en-
forced A federal law could be and
would be enforced. 1t would be eff
fective.
~ am strong believer in evolution
, would like to see the people of this
Territory advance to the point whert
they can handle the liquor problem
themselves. But that will take time
And in the meantime, there may be
much misery, many deaths, great dea'
of unhappiness caused by the liquor
traffic. On one hand we lose the ad
) vantages of solving our own problem fol
ourselves; on the other, we gain an i'm
mediate solution of the problem.
"But ms to federal prohibition has
think there is absolutely nothing in it
, If there is any connection mt all be
tween the two matters, think the prob
able effect would be the other way Th'
United States is spending lots none,
] in Hawaii and intends to install here
a great many soldiers and sailors. i
I the failure of the Territory to do ava,
j with the evils of liquor is looked upol
G by the federal government as a seriou
: difficulty, il might tend to- bring abou
, government by commission. But |
1 liquor were prohibited by fedora
S statute, there would be no necessity ol
b laccount of any liquor evil, to brinI
9 about commission government. -
4 --s-%-s.-