The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-05
SAVE THE HAWAIIANS

GsSiis
A bill Is now pending in both
| branches OF the Congress at Wash
ington for the prohibition of the liquor
traffic in the territory OF Hawaii. Pc
| titions signed by upward Of 3,500.
mostly native citizens OF the Islands,
praying for the passage of ths bill
have been presented The superin-
tendent OF the Anti-saioon League OF
Hawaii. DR.. John ". Wadman, has
been sent TO the capital TO aid in So
curing the enactment of the law by
| which 1t liz claimed the remnant of
| the Hawaiian race may be saved from
the awful strong drink. There are
/ upwards OF lS0 liquor esta Adjustments
/ on the Islands and the annual drink
| bin amounts to SASS. 00o. a large
brewery in Honolulu. operated by
white men. does a f1ourishing business.
| There are several distilleries. includ-
! ing one or two sake stills, controlled
and run by Japanese, Cargoes of
whiskey. rum. dago-red and square
face gin are being shipped into the
/ Islands. This dago-red Is rank poison,
II is a cheap rectfied wine selling
| for sixty cents a gallon. and one gal
/ Ion is sufficiently deadly 20 keep three
| Hawaiian families drunk for three
! DAYS. The whole liquor traffic 10 the
cause OF crime, suffering and death
+ The Hawaiian race Is doomed. Out OF
I an original population OF 100000 onty
! 24,00 pure natives remain. The
death rate is appalling. The promi-
nent white residents of Hawaii, born
and bred there. have gone on record
again and again as to this fact. APP
| peal after appeal has been made 10
rCongress, but without avail.
| The local Legislature composed o.
a mixed class of citizens with the
Hawaiians and half-HawaiIans in the
majority, is held in the grip of the
politico- commercial body with the
California wine interests at it's back
During the years Of their inde-
pendence the people of the little in
sular kingdom, with the kamehame-
has leading, fought the liquor traffic
tooth and nail. enacting and enforc-
ing laws OF prohibition. the first Of
the kind in any country, FOR they
knew fun welt that strong drink, for
which they have an almost uncon-
trollable appetite. would be their
c;;rS9 ard doom *
At the time OF the annexation OF
the Islands to the United States, the
natives petitioned Congress for a pro-
vision in the organic act prohibiting
the liquor traffic. but Congress re
ferred the question back TO the Ter
rftorial Government for local con-
troll. Hence the awful record OF crime
and death of more recent years. 1t
is extremely pitiable.
Moreover. Uncle Sam has now TO-
600 American soldiers of the Army
and Navy garrisoned In Hawaii, and
the number is soon to be doubled.
These are our own boys. They are
largely from the homes OF the East,
Middle West and South. Far from
home. in a tropical cline. amid few
restraints, many temptations. often
homesick, obliged to stay whether they
like the place or not, 1t may be easily
seen so many OF these boys in KHAKI,
well bred and reared, succumb to the
drink habit and soon fall into worse
forms of evil. There are forty or
more liquor-licensed places in and
about Honolulu. where these boys are
stationed. aud some OF these saloons
are run by Japanese who deal out
death and ruin to the boys of our
army and navy There Is also a
furnishing red-light district in the
city. The native girl Is not naturally
immoral. but easily led astray while
booze and social vice 60 hand in hand.
Take one instance--On January -
last n large number of colorei SOL
diers OF the Ninth Cavalry, having
obtained shore-leave from the trans
port Sheridan while in port for coal
ing purposes. en- route homo from the
Philippines, went In body to differ
ent saloons of the city. filing them
selves with strong drink, and then pro-
ceeded to this red-light district, call
ed IwileI. where there are over 100
women doing business under police
control and medical inspection. When
some of these white women refused
to yield to the demands of drunken
negro soldiers, the men proceeded to
convert the district into what the daily