Hawaii Holomua, Volume I, Number 31, 23 October 1893 — ANNEXATION. [ARTICLE]

ANNEXATION.

IL In onr last namber we t»k a standpoint agaiost ancexation as being dis*strous to oor sognr indostn', and therefore its chief objection. The second and next important point is the disadvantage of annexatiun to the Unite<l States, and we oannoi present thisbetter than by a review of the paper on “Manifest Destiny” by Carl Scbnrz in the October Harpers. Mr. Schnr7. shows how the vanoos schemes of *‘fanciful fonign ventnres” have met with ‘•.sc.mt f;»vor with the Amenean people and then says: “The receut attempt made by Presideut Harrison precipitate the Hawaiian Islands into our Union has again stirred up the puhlie iuterest in the matter of territorial expansion. and calls fortb the cry of “mamfe.st destin\-” onee more. This attempt would no doubt already have been buried nnder popular disapproval bad not Republican politicians and newspaper writers seen fit, for the purj,>ose of making p*rty eapilal, to defeud President Harrison‘s aelion, and to discredit the cautious course of President Cleveland with deceptive appeals to Amenean pride. To draw a matterof imj>ortance so far-reach-ing into tlie ordinary game of party politics is an act of recklessness mueh to be deprecated.” The creed of fureign acquisitions is promoted by naval ofBcers who desire “a vigorons foreign policy to give congenial ooenpation and to secnre further increaso to our war fleet,” and secondly by “ Americans who have business ventnres in foreign lands. ” Ileferring to the latter he snys: “But when they ask, under whatever pretext, that for the advaucemeut or protection of their interests the conntnes in whieh they are engaged in privute business shouid he iucorporated in this republic, tho apparent pfitriotisra of their deraaud shonld bo received witb due distrust. If it were onee understoOil that a combination of Araericans engaged in bnsiness abroad eouhl at any time start a gerious annexation movement in tbe Unite<l States, there would be no end of wild attempts to drive the Amenean people int« the roost reckless enterprises.” The acquisition of Canada into the Union is recommended as being contiguous and “It might take plaee — and, in fact, it shonld take plaee only iu tbat way —as a result of a feeling eommon to both sides th«t tbe two eountrie3 and peoples naturally be!ong together in their sympathies as well as tbeir mterests.” Annex ition to tbo Soutb would lead to forther exploitations witb uncongenial r*ces. and the “*cqnisītion of Cuba whieh is especial)y *lloring to the annex* atiooists woold require that“We nmst b*vo all tbe “keys” to the seas aod to the iand. or at least as m*ny as wo ean poonb)y get. one to protect anotber. In fact, when onee weil lannched on this eoane, wo sh«ll hardly fiud a «topping-pl*ce north of the Golf of Danen; *nd we ahall bave an abund*ooe of reasons, one as good as anotber, for not stopping *ron there.” Mr. Scburx eoniinaea «o argoe

tbat democratic governasent is 1 not successful in tropical eoun- ] tries. 1 “Histoty teacbes us tbal the $ Anglo Saxou takes *nd hokls t poss«ssion of foreign countiies in ] two w«ys —as a conqntrur. and < as a co!oniz«r. In his ch«r«cter , as a conqueror he foomls government to rule tbe conqoertHl- lu his cbaiacter as a colon;zer he foonds deraocr«cies to govern themselves. The go\erument to rule tbe c< nquer»Hi be founds in j the tropics.” And thīs is usaally 1 a militaiy despotism or wme ] other underaocratic aud unpopo- | lar forra of class ruie by a minority. 0f the popuUtiou of tbe Hawaiian Islands he says: “If tbere cver was a population unfit to constitute a stiite of the ,\mer iean Uuion. it is this. But it is the chamcteri8tic populntion of the islands iu th-*t region—a nnml»er of semi-civilised natives crowded upon by a lot of adventurers Aoekeil together from all parts of the glol»e to seek their fortunes. some to stay, many to leave again after hav : ug aeeomplishetl their pnrpose. among them Chinese aud Japane.se making np nearlv one-fonrth of the aggregate. The climate and the products of the soil aro those of tlie tropics. the system of labor corresponding. If atUched to the United 8tates, HawaH wonld always retain a eolonial ehameter. It wonhl be bound to tbis repnblic not by a comraunity of interest or national sentiment, but simply by the protection against foreign agffression given to it and by certain coramercial advanUges. No candid Araerioan wouhl ever think of making a State of this Union ont of snch a gronp of islands with snch a popnlaiion as it has and is likely to have. īt wonUl always be to this repnblic a mere dependency, an ontlving domain. tobe governed as snch. The constitntional question involved in «n acquisition of tbis nsturo has recentlv heen so conclusively discnsaed i bv an eminent jnri(»t. Jndge Cooley. th«t not another word need be said abont it. i “But there is practical featnre i of the case whieh deser\es t..e gravest consideration. Fhe Hawaiian Islands are distant two thonsand railes from onr nearest sea-port. Their annexation is advocated partly for the reason that the islands would fnrnish i very desirable locations for naval de|*ots. coalingstations. and similar convenionces. and that Hawaii is the "key' to soroething vast and important in that region. Thus we find in favor of tbe scbeme a combination cf tbe interest of commercial adventnre witb tbe arobition to make this republic a- great naval power whieh is to pl*y *n active «nd commanding part in the internati<>nal politic* of the world.” Tbe argument tben continues tbat Aroeriea’s advantage is in •*occopying a eompaei p«rt of the Amenean Continent.” and that “incaseof w«r we ean defend all our possessions wiihoul leaving our own cootīnental ground. on whieh we ean figbt wīth *>very condition in onr faror.'’ ‘ ‘ A vulner»ble point willbepreseuted by tbe Hawaiian Islanda if we annex thetn. It will not be denie<l lhat ia eaae of war with a strong naral power, tbe dcfence of Hawaii wonki reqnire very strong military and naval estab-

Iisbmenl3 tbert* Havaii wouKl b« oor Achill« he«l. Otb«r utioBS *od»l obsenre il «o»l reg*r\l us uo lonijor ts inmlnewHK?. If »« *cquire Hanii. we acquire nol *n aJJilion to our streng4h. bot • »Ungerous element of weakne^»