Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-02-16
THE PRICE HE PAYS.

Benjamin Sinton has gone to prison for
Fifteen years at hard labor. .!...:,..
His crime was the murder of a fellow soldier
IN fit of drunken rage. He pleaded guilty to
manslaughter and was sentenced by Judge
Ashford. ss8l.sssa z-.
Al man WITH good reedfd as soldier, Sin
ton wrecked his life when booze had mastered
him. In passing sentence Judge Ashford made
d statement that well deserves publication
throughout The territory. addressing the pris-
oner he said: &, i.
.Nov,hwith reference to yotrself. Yogr record
has been good one You hafe reached the age, <
understand of SO years. Thu eTtainlys ought 10
bring Sdb to time OF discretoA After four honcra-
Bile pnIisimehts and discharges from the United
States army you have enlisted Tor the fifth time and
still making q good record when Tor. seme
devils reason that nobody can skplain, perhaps and
least of ali yourself you 60 and I'LL your stomach
With cheap and vile and ycioIs liquor. that very
soon communicates its evil Influences to the brain.
You liquor down your throat TO steal away your
brains You are old enoughlt to know better. ss $
"But there is another side to it. and that has4been
gosSsd b bs you please by The
governnlentfacilities provided and thrown open ito
walk in',thefe ana make brute and a iunatic and .
maHiae OF yourself-to walk in there, and for a
few pence TO part with your reason TO leave your
and discretion behind, and to take upon
Yourself the character ot = brute and 9 lunaiic ana
furnished tosyou BY the government our. paternal
government the very object of whose existence Is
supposed g Pc the welfare o. the citizen; TINS Is
welfare The government will take the money OF the
nersons desiring the privilege Of making drtnkards
and brntes assassins and thieves and murderers
II will take that money. and In exchange will'grant
that person license to make drunkards and thieves
and brutes and assassins and murderers; and 5hayt
ing gotten that money viii use it, perchance. for
the building OF jails and prisons in which to- ncar-
cerate these very people who have been made Grim
fuo1c Inv Il icRuS Of
the most absolutely illogical thing can think OF
n connection with government-that government
TO transform the honest sober, law-abidng citizen
into crazy assassin; and yet such is the fact
STILL the law imposes upon this court the obliga-
ton to impose upon you sentence of Imprisonment
for this crime that You have committed--a crime
committed. not In your sane senses. but crime
committed as the result Of that maniacal condition
that brought about by the sale to you sof this
Internal alcoholic poison, which was sold o[ turn
who paid the government fee for that privilege
Notwithstanding all these Inconsistencies and llogi-
cal condition however here you are at last and here
IS one of the results 81 this policy of government
OF ITS estimable and useful citizens, result
Of this policy' now stands convicted upon his own
the life OF fellow citizen.
Nothing that can 90 "a. and nothing that you can
IL past recall No remorse Of yours will reclaim to
state Of life no remorse Of yours will alleviate
ne suffering Of his mcther his father his 6rothers
Judge s Ashford words are significantly true.
government Is after alI result of the sum
total Of the acts Of the governed Society is
deeply responsible for this drunken murder;
and for the pitiable man who must serve the
rest of his active life in jail
Society permits, laws approve, the selling of
liquor that robs men of their reason But day
by day the entrenehment of King Booze behind
the law is being swept away.
Il =
George r. Carter betrayed NO confidence
when he told the New York Times that the Ha-