Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-06-13
Inter STATE Law and
MORALS.

Hawaii and the Hawailans have
had so much thrown at them Of late
In the way of alleged correction of
their habits and moral convictions
by, legislative enactment that 1t Is
OF especial interest for them to OBJ
serve how their fellow Americans
feel toward such movements.
The lobbyists in this Territory
have first endeavored to prohibit
most everything in Hawaii by Fed
eral enactment that will result in
the treatment OF our Territory either
as an Indian reservation or in a
manner that has never been dupli-
Gated In any other part OF the coun-
try.
Following the same line of action,
a Congressman named Smith has en-
deavored to correct the human de-
sire to read the story of a prizefight
by having Congress pass a law for
bidding the transmission from one
State to another OF the news and de-
tails of the championship contest that
is to take place in San Francisco on
July 4.
The manner In which the people
Of the mainland receive such foolish
legislation, that is quite on par
with the local campaign to extend
Interstate commerce law to our
shipping and attempting to prohibit
the use OF liquor by Federal laws, Is
very well set forth in the following
editorial remarks by the New York
World:
"The surest way to get an immoral
government at Washington is to es
tablish there government OF NOR.
ais. Paternalism Is bad and central.
izatlon is dangerous, but a Fedora
Pecksniff would be humbug be-
sides.
Probably Representative Smith
imagines that his bill forbidding thu
transmission from one State to an
other, of prizefight news Is justified
by the commerce clause of the Con
stitution. The power OF Congress
lover interstate commerce is plainl!
written. 1t is instructive to not,
that recent tendencies to stretcl
this authority into fields that are II
no sense commercial have now re
ivealed legislator who hopes at on
Istroke to use 1t as a blanket for tn
whnla raalr, 80 ,anraIo
IF as a regulator OF commerce
Congress can guide the tastes OF tn
people in the matter of newspape
reading. protecting for example tn
innocent populace of New York fror
the communicating influence OF Sal
Francisco, 1t will soon have on It
hands a continental task In regeneI
alton. 1t can not stop with new
censorship. People eat things, drin
things, wear things and do thing
that are execrable. The commerce
clause duly exerted by Congress wi
localize every one of them.
"A statesman OF Mr.. Smiths aus
tere virtue and correct ideas shoul
have no difficulty in that case I
making our State lines look like tn
Chinese Wall at the time the Boxer
, addressed themselves to the foreig
devils. At home In Connection
New Jersey, Iowa, Indiana or Ker
lucky man might wear a red necl
tie, eat onions for breakfast smok
a rope, carry flask In his hi
pocket or pick his teeth with a jacl
I knife and be model citizen, bl
: when he came to the boundary M
, Smiths Interstate morals and ct
quette act would apply and the heay
hand OF government would fall o
n him.
d 1T Is bright and beautifl
Q dream. but. alas, 1t is only dream
0 The United States Government wi
8 not Instituted for such spurposes.
I NEEDLES good deal with matte
n that are none of Its business. 1t
n inclined to extend Its powers undul
II might do many foolish thlnl
i under the commerce clause II II cou
: find court that would class moral
!, fashions, habits and appetltes und
4 that heading. And yet, formidab
e as Mr., Smith appears to be, Il