Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-06-04
PROHIBITION N THE l.. :. NAVY

! PRuHlBI Hun IN IhE |. - Wv =
Editor Honolulu Star Bulletin.
Sir: Regarding the recent order OF
Secretary Daniels prohibiting liquor
Oh board our battleships. the New
York Tribune says The order strikes
! a blow at all the social traditions OF
naval life. puts our officers to much
embarrassment in their relations as
hosts to foreign guests, and enCour-
ages the suspicion that they are not
Ito be trusted to manifest proper dis
erection in the use OF drink. 4 few
comments on this view come crowd
ling thickIy up for utteranCe.
| Beginning with the last clause "A
uroDer discretion in the use OF drink.
You are perfectly correct, Mr.. Tribune
Editor. the time has come when the
people of the L. S. A. can no longer
trust TO the discretion of officers who
use alcoholic drink. Humiliating as
il may seem to you, or TO the officers.
: or to ourselves, we simply can't trust
, them. The only man we can trust
with the stuff is the one whom We
know is cheerfully longing to pour it
-
to appoint about three whom you think
have like feelings to watch and see 1t
done There is just one other thing
it might be safe for an officer to do
with it, if he were on land in time of
battle. He might feign a retreat, and
leave it where the enemy could get
, it. The rest of his job would be too
easy, unless the enemy were Japa-
nese, when | fear it would not work.
Read the stories of history and fiction
and see how many scores of times the
1 ruse worked when fighting Indians or
! pirates. Only. the rules of civilized CD
warfare prescribe the use Of poisons
in dealing with al enemy.
After about one hundred and forty
years of experimentation we have fully
decided that we can't trust the dis
erection of either officers or men who
use it. Emperor William of Germany
has had the matter so thoroughly
/ demonstrated to him by his scientists
and physicians that he has climbed on
the water wagon, and has said that if
ever the German armies are defeated
they can lay it largely to the drinking
of beer! OF course there are many
who have known that for years. and
all who have had any reason to fear
the German armies have been hoping
Bill would not find IL out; but now
that he has done so, look out for Ger
many! What school boy does not
know that the reason Deweys fleet
and SIMPSONS came through our last
naval battles unscatl1ed was because
the Spanish gunnefs had been drink
Inns. alcohol with discfetion?''
Officers embarrassed to entertain
foreign guests ~ Well, they could en-
| terrain Lord Kitchener, Lord Roberts,
1.-THE king of Sweden or Emperor Bill
, without it, Indeed. they would know
in advance that their glasses would
be turned down by these if they were
foffered.' -
Has it ever occurred to this wearer
of the mantle of Horace Greeley that
probably a large majority of the
younger officers and not few of the
older ones in the navySare themselves
teetotalers? Where does the embar-
! rassment come in when these are ask
ed by custom to violate their con-
sciences and sense Of propriety by
serving liquors to bibulous guests? Is
the tippling officer the only one whose
embarrassment is to be looked out for
and avoided? 1t brought a burning
blush of shame to every Christian il
America to see the humiliation of our
splendid president, Rutherford B.
Hayes, forced by custom against his
conscience to serve wine at state din
ners. This argument on embarrass-
ment works two ways 1t is appar-
lently new discovery to some people
that one may be as much embarrassed
to be asked to serve liquor as an
other may be to be asked to abstain
Indeed if majOrities are to decide in
this matter the liquor users will have
to yield very soon. for their numbers
are decreasing while others are in
creasing.
Some thirty years ago movement
was started to teach the effects of al
Icohol in the public schools of Ameri-
lca- TO the first class | taught this
subject | said. You will probably
most of yOu-live to see America with
out saloon | did not then think
my own chance of seeing it was good.
but hope brightens. Indeed the aver
age man who notes the signs of the
times, if asked to argue this question,