Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-03-31
Annexation of the Sandwich
.-.....s Islands,

The late whig administration refused the
gift of the Sandwich Islands, and even kept the
offer of annexation from the Government o.
those Islands & secret from the people as long
as possible. This was one of the miserably
managed affairs of defunct whiggery.
The current of events demonstrates that not
only Cuba, but these beautiful islands of the
Pacific, have a gravitation towards the Union,
so strong as to. eventually fall into our en-
brace. And the pity is, that SO good an OPP
portunity as was presented by the recent offer
of the Sandwich Islands Government, should
have been lost We can never consent that
any foreign power shall get foothold there
and it is hoped measures will soon be adopted
to secure this once lost prize to our opening
and expanding Pacific commerce.
The following remarks of the editor of the
Detroit Free Press, on this subject, are to the
point plainly = .4 ...s
The President declares in an emphatic
manner that his administration will not be
controlled by any timid forebodings of evil
from expansion. Ii is Dotoriously true that
during the administration of Mr.. Fillmore,
the Sandwich islands to cede the entire ter
rilory of those islands 10 the United States.
This offer, at once advantageous and desira-
BILE TO the people of this country. was refused
by the government. Ii is an admitted fact
that Ihe-islands cannot for any great length
of time remain in the hands of their native
population. By the inevitable operation OF
natural laws this population is rapidly de-
clining, and will eventually become extinct.
Before the lapse of many years, therefore,
the islands will pass under the jurisdiction
of some one of the strong governments Of
the earth. How fatal, then, was The policy
which refused TO receive them when they
were freely offered TO us
Ii is hoped that negotiations may be re-
opened by General Pierce's administration,
and a most unfortunate error Of whiggery
retrieved. Next TO Cuba, there are no pos
sessions SO desirable to this country as the
Sandwich islands. When our Pacific trade
shall reach an importance which wise men
have already foreseen-when San Francisco
shall rival New York in commercial impor-
tance-when China, japan, and all Asia,
are opened to the enterprise of our people,
then the value Of the Sandwich islands to us
cannot be calculated. Situated OH the great
highway and midway between the two con-
tinenrs, Gen. Pierce's declaration tina; III is
not 10 be disguised that our altitude as a ma
lion, and our position on the globe, render
the acquisition OF cer:ain possessions, not
within our jurisdiction, eminently important
for our protection, if not in the future essen
lial 10 the preservation OF the rights of COM
merce and the peace of the world may be
applied directly to them.
n this view IL Is not unlikely Tint General
Pierce may be charged with entertaining
propensites-wilh having an
inordnate desire to acquire additional terri
tory, &c. No doubt such will be the Eng
Iish understanding of the matter, and posi-
bly, the wings in this country may fall into
the same error. But we have only TO roint
out a single sentence of the address to falsi-
fy any such charge. Should such posses
sions he obtained,' says General Pierce, ii
will be through no spirit of aggression, but
with view TO obvious national interests and
security, and in manner entirely consistent
with the strictest observance of national faith.