The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-05-03

hlthl4dh mas nNt minutes OF time. ana
he may use it in reply. Is the time
OF this house going to be taken up in
determining the internal policy of our
respective possessions, or is this merely
d bid to get the votes of some enthuSi- |
astlc persons who are trying to create |
a crusade in favor of prohibition?
Now, we have had prohibition on trial |
IN some of the States of this country, |
and ii has proven Intellectual as a regu |
lator Of the liquor traffic. Take, for |
instance, Vermont. For wears that State |
had prohibition, but it decided il would !
be better to have local option. to refer
the matter to the respective com
munites Of that State to determine
what should be its policy toward the
control of the sale of liquor Those
who have any knowledge Of this prac-
teal question know that you can not
enforce prohibition unless there i a
solid public sentiment back of il in the
respective communities which will en-
force the prohibitOry law. And there
is nothing worse than to compel dis
trict or a municipality to have prohibit
ton when the majority of the people
are opposed to it. Here 1t is proposed
to adopt that very course by forcing
the people of the entire Territory to
determine what shall be the internal
policy of the respective cities.
In the Territory is a little group Of
some $4,000 population, scattered over
| six islands. 1t is largely foreign in
makeup. Some so per cent are foreign
ers, 4 large number being japanese and
Chinese. and this is a proposition to
leave It to the electorate. whoever they
may be, to determine this policy as to
whether they should have prohibition.
The legislature has
Mr.. Hamilton. Does the gentleman
question whether they are competent
to do it?
Mr.. Stafford The legislature, for
good reasons. has seen fit not to have
prohibition in these respective local-
ties Are you. who believe in local
home government. going TO accept their
Judgment, or are you going to accept
the dictum and opinion of some per
son who comes here to Washington.
and happens to have been a candidate
for the Presidency on the Prohibition
ticket. and who tries to make Others
believe that conditions in faraway Ha-
wall are so unbearable that there should
be forced upon them an election on a
question that may be against the wishes
and the best interests of those respec-
tive localities? Upon that principle |
toppose it, and upon no other. There IS
no personal interest whatsoever that
have in this matter 1t is merely OF
the broad principle that we should not
take jurisdiction over the internal pc
lice arrangements of outlying posses
. | sions, or even Of Territories IN cont
mental United States.
Mr. Boutell. Mr. Speaker and gentle
men. this is one of those bills that fire.
Iquentlv come before the house that in
volve fundamental constitutional prin
cipIes Of much greater Importance tnaI
! the specific objects to be obtained by
the measures. | do not propose to ad
dress myself at all to the object sought
to he obtained by this bill, but | Dc
wish to call the attention Of every
member of this BODY to the serious con
s;deration Of the infraction of the spirit
= Of the constitution and of the founder:
of our government that is involved II
), this bill. Let us examine its provision;
with care:
This bill appropriates $4,000 to pay
expenses Of an election in Hawaii by
which the people Of that Territory may
express their opinion as to what the,
want the members OF their Legislature
to do.
1t could very well he entitled -
bin to take $4,000 out of the treasur!
; of the United States to suppress III thu
Territory Of Hawai- the constitutions
fright of the people to peaceabIv assem-