New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-04
corporations have found it out and have fixed
tho excise accordingly. - - ~
RECIPROCITY OR ANNEXATION.


RECIPROCITY OR AMBITION
Late intelligence from the Sandwich Islands
shows that the question of annexation to or
reciprocity with the United States is again
agitating the Hawaians. Reciprocity is highly
desired by all classes; annexation by only
few. The King and his cabinet lately decided
to make formal application to the United States
Government for reciprocity treaty their
anxiety to secure this favor is exhibited In
their willingness to cede to us the Pearl RIVER
harbor which has been examined by Gen.
Schofeld, Gen. Alexander, and Admiral
Pennock, with view to determining its value
as a naval station. 1t is acknowledged that,
without some such makeweight as this, no full
exchange of commodities could be strictly re-
ciprocal. The questions for us to answer are !:
Do we want a Hawaiian naval station 7 DO
we want Reciprocity with the Hawaiian king
domf
The staple product of the Sandwich ISLANDS
is sugar, of which nearly 12,OOO,OW pounds
were imported into the United States In 1917.
The next largest export from the Islands Is
rice, of which San Francisco imported 1,300,O0O
pounds during 1872. The net amount OF duty
paid on Sandwich Island products imported
into the United States last year was about
equal to the entire annual cost of the Hawaiian
Government which is s5sO122. The Sandwich
islanders argue that they might just as
| well save the expense of carrying on their
little regal government by simply adding TO
| the price now received for their sugar and rice
| the duties paid to the Government of the
| United States. But it happens that we, too,
raise rice and sugar; and we very well recol-
lect that that interest in our Republic on one
occasion, at least defeated an attempt to bring
in free rice and sugar from the Sandwich
Islands. The whole people of those Islands
desire q free market for their products ;
therefore they favor Reciprocity. The
Americans resident in Hawaii say that they
want free exchange of commodities Q), be-
cause it would lead directly to annexation
and, (2), because it would now help them in
their commercial enterprises. King Lunalilo
and his cabinet would not be the ardent ad-
vocates of Reciprocity that they are If they
believed it would lead up to annexation.
Such thought is abhorrent to every native
Hawaiian. Nevertheless, reciprocity or annex
alton seems to be the alternative presented
most forcibly to the thoughtful Hawaiian.
| Reciprocity with the United States
would hasten the Americanization of the
Islands, and when the Americans fairly get
into the poor little kingdom business will
| abundantly prosper-whatever else happens.
If the Sandwich Islands do not have this
practical annexation to the United States they
will inevitably fall into the hands of some
other power. The race of Hawaiians is dying
out; in forty years the population of unmixed
blood has shrunk from 10000 to $4,000; it melts
away at the rate Of 1000 a year; the entire
extinction of the race is OILY Question of
time. What people shall take their place
| Aside from the considerations which must
| move us as a humane and Christian people,
we have no special interest in these problems.
Our exports to the Sandwich Islands are not
so large that we can afford to admit the
Hawaiians to special privileges for the sake
| of keeping that export trade or increasing it,,
as we are confidently promised we may. Nor
is it certain that we want the naval
station which is seductively offered us by the
Hawaiian Government. The establishment of
such an outpost, desirable as it might seem on
some accounts, is foreign to our ma
tional policy and repugnant to the national
idea of unity and sef-containment Certainly,
whatever may ultimately become of the Sand
witch Islands and their Government, we do
not want any annexation.