Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-07-08
HAWAII Seeking
FEDERAL BAN ON
LIQUOR TRAFFIC
Territorial Statute, It is Said,
Cannot Be So Effectively
Enforced III.

Enforced i.
WASHINGTON. d. C.-Federal pro-
hibition of the liquor traffic in the
Hawaiian islands is what the Rev.
John w. Wadman. superintendent of
the Anti-Saloon League of Hawaii, is
seeking to have realized. Mr.. Wad-
man was sent to Washington by a
group of businessmen of Honolulu to
appear before a committee of the
house, which is considering the bill
with this end in view. He has been
a resident of the islands for IL years,
doing educational and missionary
work, and was selected for this pur-
pose as a man knowing well the con-
ditions there. Since coming to Wash
ington he has prepared pamphlet
setting forth reasons why the federal
government should take action in this
matter ~~" III. ":...
AT present Hawaii is held in the
grip of powerful politico-commercial
liquor dealers association, reinforced
by California interests, ready at mo-
ment's notice to adopt any means
and at any price to promote its
greedy and sordid ends" says the
pamphlet. "The plebiseite of 1910
was demonstration of this fact. At
least $4,000 was spent by the liquor
forces to defeat the measure and the
vets won three to one, leaving
blot of political corruption on the Ha-
waiian electorate such as no other
event has ever done.
There are now in the territory 127
licensed liquor places under the con-
troll of board Of commissioners APP
pointed by the governor The most
recent statistics of the annual drink
bill are as follows: Mainland inn
ports, $S25,000; local brewery output,
S375,000; sake distilleries, 100000;
local wine growers, 100000; Euro
pean imports, $2S5,000, making a
grand total of $1,7S5, 900; or, calculat-
ing on a basis of the usual retail IL
quor trade in profits, 1t is stated that
the annual drink bill amounts to So
$4,000, iwth population Of 223, 900,
Prior to the migration Of white
people to Hawaii, little over 100
years ago, alcoholic liquors were un-
known to the natives. 1t was at the
time of Kamehameha ! that some
escaped convicts from Botany Bay
taught the Hawaiians the art of dis
tilling, and so rapidly did the evil
spread that this great ruler in 1918
enacted law prohibiting the manu-
facture and consumption of liquor in
order to save my people, as he said.
This was the first law Of its kind en-
acted anywhere. Queen Kamehameba
as regent employed greater means for
it's strict enforcement under penal
code. Kamehameha III was also a
stanch prohibitionist.
"At the time of the annexation of
Hawaii to the United States the peo-
pie of the islands petitioned the fed
eral government for such legislation
as would prohibit opium, gambling
and the liquor traffic. This is mat
ter of congressional record. It is so
stated In the organic act, and it was
the intention of Congress that there
should be no exception to that law
Unfortunately, however, in the COM
mittee appointed for final reference, a
clause was inserted Immediately fol-
lowing this provision, to wit: Except
under such regulations and restric-
tions as the territorial legislature
shall provide
THE first objection to a federal
law is that it will be an infringement
upon local self-goyernment rights.
Hawaii should solve its own problems,
it is claimed And yet the territory
is not allowed to solve its opium prob.
lem, nor does Hawaii at all resent fed.
eral interference in this case.
Moreover, If the liquor question
were merely a local one, there would
be no need of appealing to Congress.
But it is a national problem, and an.
nexation thrust It upon the territory
and since Hawaii has been brought into
subjugation by the liquor power Of
America, only the greater power of
the nation as incarnated in Congress
can save the remnant of her native
people and maintain the honor. of our
government. Beyond this one law
Hawaii asks no legislation Of Con.
gress.
There are reasons why a federal
law of prohibition can be more effec-
lively enforced than territorial stat.
Ute In the first place, the federal
court already established in Hawaii
is composed Of men of higher stand.
ing than local officers, and federal
laws receive more respect in the
mixed community life of the islands
than do territorial. Moreover, local
elections have a controlling influence
upon the character of territorial Off.
Gals whose ears are naturally bent
eastward to ascertain the wishes of
powerful constituents and local inter
ests, while no such influences affect
federal officers. ~:
Again, territorial juries are drawn
from the immediate neighborhood
where the offenders to be adjudged
reside, and naturally local conditions
growing out of politics, business and