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

Benjamin Snton has gone. to prison TO
fifteen years al hard labor. jyisj ri 80
His crime was the murderpf fellow-soldie
in d fit of drunken rage. He pleaded guilty +
manslaughter and was sentenred By Judg
Ashford. ~ $500 ~,
A>man witllia good record as q: soldier, Sin
ton wrecked his life when booze had mastere,
him. In passing sentence Judge ashford mad
a statement that well deSet79s btieatinl
throughout the territory. A lressing the pris
0ner, he said
Now. with reference to yourself -FOUR record
has been good one. You have reached the age,
understand, OF S6 years. That, certainly ought TO
bring you to time Of discretion After four honora
bic enlistments and discharges from the United
States army You have enlisted for the fifth time and
were still making good receId when for some
devils reason that nobody can explain perhaps and
least OF all yourself you go land fill your stomach
with cheap aud vile and vicious liquor, that very
soon communicates its evil Influences 70 the brain.
You pour liquor down throat to steal away your
brains You are old enough to know better.
But there dH another side to It. and that has been
touched h your counsel that s the fa 81 ,ss
governmelt facilities provided and thrown open to
you and HYit4g you, at almost any city block, 70
maniac 6f yourself-to walk In there. and for
few pence to part with your reason, to leave your
ss sss Sa sss
THE choice facilities, as before remarked: are !,
furnished 70 you by the government our paternal
eoFernmenf the very object Of whose existence Is
supposed to be the welfare OF the citizen. THESIS
the way the government has contributed to- your
welfare The government Win take the money of the
persons desiring the privilege of making drunkards
and brutes and assassins and thieves and
win take that money. and In exchange will grant
that person license 70 make drunkards and thieves
and brutes and assassins and murderers; and hav-
ink gotten that money win use It. perchance for
the building Of jaiis and prisons in which to incar
catate these very people who have been made cFim-
The most absoutey Illogical thing can think Of
ID connection with government-that government
fot fee Of dirty dollars. should license others
70 transform the honest sober, law-ahding citizen
into d crazy assassin; and yet such is the fact
STILL the law imposes upon this court the oblga-
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 was brought about by the sale to you of this
infernal alcoholic poison, which was soldier furn-
ished 10 YOU by the licensees of the government.
who paid the government fee Cor that privilege.
Notwithstanding all these Inconsistencies and iogi-
cal condition. however, here you are at last and here
one Of the results Of this policy Of government
one Of its sestimable and useful citizens, result
Of this policy, now stands convicted, upon his own
confession at this bar Of having Enthusiastically taken
Nothing that Il can do and nothing that you
do viii bring back that life; it is forever and
state 81 life; no reanofse Of yours VIII alleviate
the suffering ot his mother. his father his brothers
Judge Ashford s w6If is are Significantly true
Government is after all result of the sun
total of the acts of the governed. Society i
deeply responsible for tbs drunken murde
and for the pitiable man who must serve til,
rest of his active life in Jail.
Society permits, laws approve, the selling o
LIQUOR that robs men of their reason. But da.
BIZ day the entertainment of King Booze behind
the law is being swept away.
George r Carter betrayed no confdenc,
when he told the New York Times that the IIa
waiian sugar industry had benefited BY til,