Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-04-16
BOOZE MIST GO.

Editor Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
| Sir: | heard a person say the
other day. IF Hawaii was to try
another vote on prohibition in the
near future it would surely go
through
| believe that man was right. There
las been no world change in hun
| dreds of years that has grown 80
i fast as this flying wedge of prohiLi-
ton. The movement has been start
ed at the right moment ii was con-
Eidered good thing and pushed
| along. There is great something
abroad in the land whose chief aim
is to reach and teach and win the
American people This does not mean
that this something is to be satisfied
with winning a few hundreds or even
| thousands here and there, but the
millions who labor with their hands
and are in every sense the backbone
upon which will depend the coming
progress and hope of this nation.
This task of winning them over
will be accomplished as sure as the
sun is going to rise tomorrow. 1t has
commenced already. and from every
quarter of the land of the free there
has been a decided stand made for
the total elimination of liquor, backed
up by the highest authority in the
state, or if it has not actually come
to pass yet, there are rumblings that
foretell of its near approach. There
is no fancy, no dreaming. no eXag-
geration about it all. The liquor men
of the whole country have been
brought to a realization of the fact
that they have a fight on their hands,
terrific fight, fight that they are
going to lose. They have been backed
off the boards to a finish so far. They
arc 1T a stands till A standpatter Is
mar who has stopped and cannot
get started again, while progressive
is one who has started, and cannot
stop, and in this respect the prohlbl
ton movement is progressive of the
deepest dye. 1t would seem that It
is the psychological moment to drive
the alcohol trade, bottle and barrel,
from the confines Of the United States.
1t is most encouraging to note the
local manifestations of prohibition in
clinations that are daily making their
appearance throughout the city, and
with each day they are getting holder
and larger The treating" PROPOSE
ton is receiving much attention. Peo-
pie do not read these signs and pass
on, but in nine cases out of ten they
read then the second and thirl time.
They think it all over and in many
there is sown the seed that grows to
an idea that there is moral neces-
sity, especially so right. here in the
territory of Hawaii, of destroying. the
liquor traffic. .~7,.-
The argument that prohibition is an
infringement on personal liberty and
that each person has right to deter
mine for himself what he shall drink
has no valid excuse for living and is
kept alive by the interests that traf
fic in liquor There is not a country
in the civilized world that does not
exercise some kind Of authority over
the making and selling of liquor. It |
is thereby under control, or under the
right of control. Once this right to
restrict liquor in any Of its phases is
made manifest and the 'personal-lib-
erty" argument goes fluey.
Traffic in, and the use OF, liquor are |
two very different propositions. If |
the obtaining of liquor is made diff |
cult by the act of government, that |
is the users misfortune Why should !
the government put itself in way |
to hold out the Intoxicating glass to |
the man who has not the will power |
or the manhood to resist, bug give !
helping hand toward dragging him |
lower?
oh hn hof hn
clearing house for the whole rotten |
business. There can be no traffic In
liquor without the saloon. 1t is ad- |
mitted from one end of the land to |
the other that the saloon is an evil !
that is sapping the very life of the
country. This is even admitted by
those who fatten the ~saloonkeeper's |
purse. And this, same saloonkeeper |
would do all in his power to prevent
the locating of saloon next to his
fine home that he has built from the
earnings of those who frequently |
starve and abuse their families. He |
would consider 1t an evil of the worst
kind. Is it any less an evil when 10
Gated at some other point or near
some other mans home or school
or church? If it Is an evil because
of it's proximity to any of these will
kindly tell me of the dis
lance that will make this evil bless
ing? The saloon inSIIawaii is admit
tedly bad for the labeFing class as we'll
as all Other. classes; society should not
tolerate. it.; the number of them in
the community should be 1essened, or
better still, banished altogether.
There are those who may contend
that prohibition does not prohibit.
That is up to those who make the
laws. Of course there will be viola
tions of the law just as there are vic