Ka Hoku o Hawaii, Volume XXXVIII, Number 8, 16 June 1943 — The Rum King Arrives [ARTICLE]

The Rum King Arrives

wt*n known ss th<* Hum Kitig. n*tiw of Bart\Av-in-r\inu\ss, a.! v.\ norOiWY*t T.&ncAskuY, ICnylßnvl: s s ll?rr ivsv tn WltMnk * st o r, T^N("\K N ;\, f\>r lic«uovis,

or;:--os w.;.s vīc,;VrU\i to , ba>'. Nc\v SoaU\ \Val<<®» Austral;&, escajtKsi Aiid tAn<Jk\i ia Hoaolu' iu «bout Uv< X7sjs, Thts auui iie&i .^gUskr \>i aiwiioiu iiMWons iu «.u-i iw i&u&Ul Ut« llauaii- *«£ Uw> Aiī O* \U6UUiljig vM ōt6Ui-iAU-oik XU\- ivv usc Aaa. «buse JSUV\hioūc !»«& | sSoti& tvU Utc{

— - > lives of many of the Hawauans.

Stephenson took 'up residence in Manoa' Valley, established 'a 4iatillery t l ?ere > made rum from sugar eane, also other strong aleoholie drinks from rice, bananas, ti root, and potatoes. He was an expert distiller, had learned the art in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies; his aleoholie jjfoUucts were of pleasant taste an(l strength and were in great de[mand;.the Hawaiians, unused to aleoholie beverages became speedily lnto3rfcated; also the chiefs eo craved for the new drlnks, that they engaged Stephenson to build stills iri their homes; within a year, more than 100 stills were in operation In Honolulu .alone; orgies, <!runkenness and riotous conduct spread over Oahu and the other isl^uids;, drunken men. and women slept alongside the roads, cultivation" of food products, taro and potatoes almost ceased" famine threatened and so great beeame the demoralization of the people, that in Ihe"'year 1800, Kamehameha I, the_ King who himself had been a drinker of aleoholie liquors, and feeling ill-effects from' tlie stupefying action of the drinks —ceased drinking, sent for his bodyguards and high chiefs and ordered them to tabu all drinking of strong liquors, and destroy all the stills they could locate. ~

NEMESIS, the goddess of vengence arrived on the scene; Stephenson, wealUi . in . money and lands, lost all through gamblingf and thefts; he died in Man'oa valley about the year 1822. NAWAHI—The Statesman When the ravaging lava of 1880-1881 was on its way to Hilo, destroying forest and agricultural | lands — eame within half a mile i of Hilo — the people assembled | in the Haili Church for the purpose of praying, that God might save the people and the City from destruction and death. The church was filled. ~ Oīīē of Ihē' pērsōns~ "āt that meeting was the honorable Joseph K. Nawahi. He was one of the speakers. The following is an excerpt from his speech or address:— "Ke U nei kakou i ka ike a.na i ke kahe ana mai o ka Pēle maloko o ka ululaau ma kana misiona weliweli. Aka eia aku he Pele oi aku o ka weliweli, oia no ka waiona e pahola mai ana maluna: o ka aina. E aho no e lilo aku na ululaau mamua o ka lilo ana aku o na kane ame na wāhine i ka waiona." Translation of that speech: We all feel grieved to see yonder flow of lava eoming through our forest on its mission of destruction, but there is another flow coming upon this land whieli is far more destructive, the fiow of intoxicating Uq'uor. We ean well spare those trees, but we ean not afford to lose our. men and women." Mr. Rufus A. Lyman Sr. i n an article published many years ago Pntitled "ReeoUection of Kamehameha V (Lot Kamehameha), who died in 1872 wrote, 'Kamehanieha V really saw the evil cause<i by liquor and he refused to sign a bill allo\vīng liquor to be sold to the Hawaiians." In the ,r NATIVE SON" o£ May 2Sth 1&43, this year, the foUowing editorial appeared **HAWAnAXS ON TilE "nw 1 Ha\vaūans wor.kuig on g*>vernmcnt projects are report«xi to bo Uie most unreliahle. They stay awaj- fixun work without excuse, they eome to work feeling jlike a "Kite- and they do not ,seein to \vant to advance ! sehvs. | At Uie present time rvjcc*ds are ; b<"r.g- oheokeU of the £ovcrm«<yxt~ empToyees to kanv who eaa be deperKled on to do Uie most fot l'nole Sain. It maj- be vvise ior Uie H&-ws-.:ans to buckk āoweu «uvd busv. or m a \<»y sbori tMv.o thcy wili bc oul oi * or iS n;o!it wiiew Uie is h^h \ua fmd UwmaeK^ tho sUv>ets oi iioiioiuiu, eotiditiaa is not fjur to the \vljo ja an& e«ort lu* tc> uaa wau-, h«

i* s i»¥ UM A i*w 4 prxiaū&6&t. ho*«3in« A>wa a wsp>»sifcie » USIO> »uW.c*3c 41* lailu. oi iw w tx . &5 «ai >u.- ; «**« u«y & rv v * «« ot oth*r Ux u mU .>? «ii." Tfc>.s KUiton*i *M»*>wbt*Ky *titt«; isi Um\>u v*xU^ v , h«