Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-07
THE PRESS and
the.PEOPLE
THE LIQUOR SITUATION.


. One day last week a certain white
man was released from the HilO Jail
where he had served a sentence, the
last of a great succession of such sen
fences, for drunkenness. a few hours
later he was Keeling, thoroughly in
toxicated, through the main streets,
Front and Waianuende. disgrace tc
himself and a nuisance to the com,
munity.
This man has wife and a number
of children, whom he supports when
he is not incapacitated on account OF
liauor or in jail. AS matter Of fact,
were it not for his abuse of intoXicants
he would be a very good average citi-
zen.
The liquor law, which we with jus
tice regard as about as efficient &
piece of legislation of it's kind as it
is possible to secure, provides for the
elimination as just such cases as this.
1t contains a section which makes it
a misdemeanor, punishable by fine
of 500, to sell liquor to any person
who has been twice convicted OF
drunkenness within two years Of his
second conviction.
When the prohibition proposition
was turned down by an overwhelming
vote a couple of years ago, most OF
the thinking persons who voted
against prohibition did so on the the
DRY that it would be easier to con-
troll the liquor situation when it was
regulated by an efficient liquor law
than it would be to handle the situa'
ton which would arise when no at
tempt at regulation existed and the
entire liquor traffic was made unlaW'
FIJI
This argument. however, preSup-
poses that the liquor regulations are
carried out, that the law is enforced.
When the man like the subject men
toned above, one of the best known
drunkards Of the town, man who has
been convicted time and time again
whose pitiable case is known to al
most every man, woman and child IN
Hilo, can secure enough liquor to be-
come superbly intoxicated within a
few hours after he has finished a
three months sentence, then we must
admit that the law might as we'll new
er have been written, at least as far
as f1lIO is concerned.
The one case mentioned is only one
of many We, in Hilo, provincial as
we still are, know our town DRINKS.
And every enc of us can name sew
eral of these unfortunates, who, in
spite of the law. appear to be able
to secure enough booze to enable them
to keep in a state of more or less con,
tinuous inebriety.
1t is not quite plain where one must
place the blame in each individual
case. The police and the liquor sell
ers invariably hide under the defense
that the chronic drunks, whose names
are on the tabu list, send others to
buy their spirits This is without
doubt true in many cases. and for
this reason the legislature should
amend the liquor law by adding sec
ton making it an Offense. subject T"
stiff punishment, to act as Ganym"d
to the chronic DRINKS.
However, there can be no doubt but
that the saloon men, if they were
really interested in the enforcing OF
the law, could do much to prevent
their Liquor reaching the ChrOniCs. Oh
course, the obvious thing. in seek
ing the proper enforcement of law
is to apply to the police. 1t will he
generally admitted that with a force
like that of HiIo, this would be labor
lost The only other thing to do IS
to apply to the liquor license C0mmlS'
sioners. They have it in their power
to take very drastic measures. Iii
Quor conditions in HilO hav" detFrior
ated because of several distinct rea'
sons. The district court has fought