Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-11-28

lulu bounded by Fort, King, Hotel ana
Bethel streets in which are located
meat market, music store, a drug
g!st. a ieweler. dry goods emporium
q grocery, a restaurant and saloon.
in cur common speech. which is often
careless. we call ii a business block
and speak Of all these establishments
as business houses" But is 1t l0glcaI
for US TO put the saloon in the same
category with apothecaries, groceries
and meat markets? ! have four rea'
sens for not thinking so.
In the first place all these establish
mcnts are dealing in the necessities
n life and civilization; in the COM
mcGitles and conveniences OF every
Gay existence; hut the saloon Is deal
ire in that which, TO say the least, Is
net doing anyone any good. If every
drop OF the intoxicating liquid in our
sixty LIQUOR establishments OF oahu
were thrown into the sea tomorrow
morning, there is not a human beint
or interest or habitation that would
he in any sense injured. Not copper
invested I'm any saloon ever really
pays in any actual lasting worth.
Spend your money in the meat mar
ket and you have a steak on your
table to show for II. Spend It in o
dry goods store and there Is linen in
your closet as result. Spend 1t IN
the grocery and your cupboard is sup
piled with food for life. health and en-
joyment Spend 1t for music and your
wife and children fill your home with
song and cheer, but spend 1t IN the
saloon every day Of the year for 30
years or more and what IL the gain ,,
il there any? Business, we know. is
the transfer Of commodity for profit.
and any institution that preys upon
the public, taking the money of the
individual and giving him on adequate
equivalent, Is not legitimate nor
should Il be permitted TO exist.
In the second place every one OF
these business houses named above Is
transacting business on small mar
gin of profit. There is not one but
what is quite satisfied to make one
per cent profit on l0-cent sale. But
the salocn aims to make nine-per
cent gain, en- a 10-cent sale and is
never satisfied unless it does so; nor
do its sales minister to any neces
sity OF life nor supply any need o.
humanity, but rather do they too oft
en- rob the home of food and clothing
not to mention ordinary comforts.
in the third place, all these business
houses are obliged to give credit
They trust people by the week. by the
month. often by the year or even long.
er. The saloon, on the contrary, is
run en- the spot-cash basis, doing bust.
ness longer hours. opening unreason
ably early in the morning and Keeping
az It till nearly midnight-long after
ether respectable houses are closed
end its busy people in bed asleeD
Mr.. Roosevelt breaches square dea'
for every man" but the saloon ere
stes conditions of trade which are
unfair to other lines of business, coin
.ing into cash the appetites, the pas
slcus and even the social cravings o.
mankind. and that too, with large
profits and without rendering any
proper equivalent for the same.
In the fourth place, other business
establishments suffer from bad debts
lsrgely because of the thriving trade
CT the corner saloon venture the
statement that fully so per cent Of ar
the unpaid debts Of the grocery and
dry goods stores on Fort street and
the meat market on King are due to
enc thing. namely. the competition OF
the legalized liquor traffic picking the
pockets Of the working man and 9TH
ers before they can pay their honest
DEBTS. -ss.--
A friend of mine in Santa Monica,
California. found that the leading mer
chant cf the town was opposed to the
temperance movement and the reason
he gave was the old chestnut that IF
you close the saloons the grass will
grow m the Streets Calling on him
one Saturday morning my friend said
s 'Mr. Brown. am asked to make Q
temperance address tomorrow after.
noon on the plaza and I want you tc /
help me out. He replied: Sir, am
en- the other side of the question
But that doesn't make any difference
to me. All ] want you TO do is to fur
nish me with two or three facts and
they are these: First. how much has
your business suffered the last three
YEATS ettTOuSu bdu s0SUtbth5 0CCOtlOs Oy
how many people did you lose? Third
how many Of them were drinkers"
Brown answered. Call in on Mon
day" Monday morning the merehan'
handed my friend a slip of paper anc
On II was written: I'VE have los
s21S5 in three years through bar
debts, by 6S different people. and on
CT them didn't drink a DROP. ...,.
Later, it was found upon INQUIRY
that the one, the only one. who didn't
drink drop was a poor widow who's
husband had some years previously
been killed in a saloonfray over In
San Bernardino and she only owe1
SO CT the amount named above. A
week later MIR. Brown, upon hapine
his attention called to the fact that
he had lost $2f75. through 81 different
people. every one Of whom was pat
renting the saloon with his cash and
beating an honest merchant out Of
the necessities Of life in order to sup
port a dependent family at home. re