The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-02-08
PROHIBITION WAVE
RUNNING HIGH
Question Most Widely Discussed
of Anything That Has Yet
Been Agtated.
"A HAWAIIAN LEADER WRITES
Liquor Men Get Some Cheering
News From Washington
Brewery Stock Breaks.
A HAWAIIAN LEADER WRITES
6From sundays Advertiser. }

AT least One-nalt tne p0pulatlOn Oh
Honolulu spent one.half their waking
hours yesterday discussing the pros and
cons of prohibition. The town has been
swept by wave of sentiment, surpris-
ing even those who know the city and
the people best. The cause of prohibi-
ton appears to be gaining converts
with every minute and, if the street
discussions are indications of the pre-
vailing sentiment, plebescite yester,
day would have declared the town dry
before evening
The prohibition sentiment is by no
means confined to the white population,
either. Prominent Hawaiians are array
ing themselves on the dry side of the
question and the average Hawaiian,
especially the average Hawaiian Voc
man, appears as eager for the success
of the Curtis bill in congress as WOOL
ley himself.
Hawaiian Writes.
M. K. Nakuina, one of the Hawaiian
leaders, in written communication to
The Advertiser yesterday, expresses
very forcibly the stand he and others
take in the matter. He writes:
Editor Advertiser.-A meeting of our
two commercial bodies has been called,
presumably to vote on the question of
home rule for Hawaii, but in fact to
oppose prohibition for the benefit of
the liquor dealers association, regard
less of the thousands of individual petit
tions of the Hawaiians themselves,
Nv h. efr nf
other representatives of other nation
alities, who care more for the welfare
of the people and prosperity of Hawaii
than mere cents and dollars gained
through the liquor traffic.
In spite of the withdrawal of H.
Hackfeld & Co. from the liquor deal
ers' association and in spite of the
grounds on which the withdrawal was
based, one of which was the continued
violation of the liquor laws, wonder
whether our law-abiding citizens who
are members of the two commercial
bodies can couscientiously vote to back
up an association which is accused by
one of its members as having violated
the liquor law, which they claim is a
good law but would not keep iti
No wonder they want home rule, SO
that they can keep on violating the
law. When firms composed of respect
able men and supposed to be lawabid
| ing citizens, violate the law, it is time
then that we place this traffic under
| federal control, together with other de-
partments already under its control.
NJ. X. NAKUINA.
Possible Boomerang.
So completely had the situation yes
| terday become one to place the liquor
interests on the defensive that there
was a discussion in the clubs, in the
stores and on the street of the possibil
| ity of the commercial bodies not only
refusing to adopt any home rule reso
| buttons, to aid the fight in the senate
committee against the Curtis prohibi
! ton bill, but of actually endorsing the
principles of the bill and asking for the
federal suppression of the liquor trade
in the Territory.
One thing is certain in the discus
sion of the matter in the meetings OF
the merchants association on Monday
and of the chamber of commerce OF
Tuesday, that being that the attempt tt
make blind attack upon the Curti
bill under a home rule hood is to b.
beaten. Whatever discussion will b,
will be directly on the question of fed
eral control of the liquor traffic. Thu
attempt to confne the discussion t.
academic questions will not be allowed
to succeed; the prohibitlonists hav,
seen TO that and for the first time il
the history of either organization Their,
has been scurry for the proxies Of
the members who cannot attend thu
meetings.
Brewery Stock Breaking.
stampeded. This was evidenced by the
way in which an attempt was made yes
ierday to unload Brewery stock, which
broke from $40 so bid and 500 asked
on Friday to $l7, $40 and as low as SIS
asked, with no buyers.
Some Cheerful News.
There were some riffs in the clouds
| for the liquor men, however. 1t was
suddenly remembered that Uncle Joe
Cannon is still the Gar of the house
and that he is opposed to prohibition.
"Cannon will never allow the bill
to pass was the good word sent out
AhpthcI pll VI cHttr WIS lnt ubsuf
anee of Senator Flint, of California
received by cable, that the Curtis bill
has about AS much chance Of passing in
the senate as that the banana crop OF
Waikiki will be frostbitten next Fourth
Of July. This cable came 10 membel
Of the wholesale association and was
duly passed around.
Antiaalooners Busy.
The members Of the antisaloon league
kept up the hot pace yesterday they
had set for themselves the day before
paying visits 10 the cable ofiiee ~ keel
Woolley posted on the local develop
menih.
Aaiisaloon league membsrs we're ala
engaged in eaHyapsing members ~ the
l0eal commercial hssoelallOnt, soliciting
| ihHlF Nafa aud iunu4ufn faF iha aautln h