The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-06-07
PROHIBITION TALK
BY PROF. THOMPSON

The following address was read last
night by Prof. U. Thompson at the
Kamehameha Alumni reunion:
"The most talked of question today
is the question of prohibition. AS I
shall not be here to cast my ballot on
July 26, wish to cast it here and now;
and also to tell you young people why
I would vote for prohibition.
"Every man and boy here and every
woman and girl here, knows that most
of the poverty in these Islands can be
traced directly to drink; that most of
the men ON the reef are there because
Of drink.
"You know these things are true
Just as well as I know it. So I shall
not spend any time trying to prove it
all. But do you know that most of
the weak children, most of the stupid
children, most of the blind children,
most of the diseased children, are weak
or stupid or blind or diseased because
the father or the mother or both lived
bad lives, at some time2 And do you
know that in most cases they began
this bad living because Of drink3 And
do you know that if you should trace
out each case of weakness or stupid.
ity or blindness or disease you would
come, in most cases, to the door of a
saloon3
Thousands of such cases have been
traced out and the magazines are full
of it.
cit is a great satisfaction to any
man to see his sons strong in body,
clear headed, well trained to do some
useful work; and with clean blood Ia
pass on to their sons.
"To be a father of such sons is q
great satisfaction; but to be a grand
father Of such grandchildren is to know
the highest satisfaction a man may
know.
off had wanted my sons to be weak
and diseased and worthless, would
have used liquor before they were born
and given it to them early in life.
con July 26, each man in Hawaii
will say, by his ballot, Il want my sons
and grandsons to have the best chance
in life that is possible. I want them
to be strong, clear-headed, educated.
Or, he will say, Il DOM care what hap
pens to my children and grandchildren
Let them look out for themselves
fBut suppose the majority don'i
care. Does that make it right fol
either their descendants or for yoursi
You might as well ask lot of trampl
to vote as to whether they would work
for living or live without work. OF
! course, they would vote against work
fWhen a man has got the drink
habit he is no longer in state OF
mind to vote on the drink question any
more than tramp is in a proper state
of mind to vote on the work question
Suppose ninety per cent. Of the vot
ers cast ballots in favor of the saloons
Instead of showing that the saloon IL
right, it would show how dead wrong
the saloon really is. Simply having Q
majority does not necessarily prove
anything. The matter is just as right
or just as wrong after the vote as be
fore the vote.
"The majority never has really
ruled. And 1t should not rule till that
majority is sufficiently intelligent tc
know what is best for the coming gen
erations, and sufficiently free to stand
for what is best.
"On July 20, not the right nor the
wrong Of prohibition, but the conditions
under which your children and Their
children are to BIO born and live, will
be decided.
"Ruskin says, 'The wealth and
strength of a nation are its men and
women
"what are you going TO do about