The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-12-19
Con lns 80 r@r.nsl.ss chrnniel.. d..
Reciprocity with Hawaii.

The visit Of the King Of the Hawaiian Islands TO
i the United States IL an event Of much Importance.
IL is true that his dominions are neither large nor
populous. aud the kingly purple In which he was
swathed at birth. was somewhat frayed, aud faded.
But what OF thAtl Ia these days Of omnipOtent com
merce and Of kindly social intercourse, we do not
look for a lineage 50 remote In the aEnre Of the past
that il cannot indicate q royal parnllax The civili4
ration Of the island people Is born Of our own refine.
ment and noble Institutions. American missionaries
sowed 10 Hawaiian. fields the seeds Of that culture
which has matured and is to-day bearing good fruit.
Americans regulate the commerce Of the islands. dis
rect their thought and rule their councils. Their
population Il less than 60.00Qf fTheir products ara
limited 10 Kind and suaet,ys we DO no. care that
Il. The sympathies Of the people are all with US.
The little nation seems to hang like n ripe peach over
the wall, ready y drop into our grasp whenever We
care to pluck u IA remote Anerican depeedenoy.
with a fair, equa6Ie climate like this, would only
serve as an excuse for great national expenditure,
and be the resort OF costly, idle and luxurious off,
cislG The Hawaiian Islands cannot easily become
the property OF another Power. AL reasons Of State
and most probabilities Of diplomacy are againvt IL.
King KALAKAUA himself remarked 10 n friend last
Summer. IN an unguarded. perhaps In an unkindly,
moment, that IL annexation ever occurred IL would
be to the United States. As the matter reafB.
neither the King. the native. citizens nor any coBai-
derable portion of the resident foreigners favor the
absorption of the islands by the United States.
The desire for independence Ia strong and healthy.
What the nation does desire with remarkable
ununimity and the ostensible object of the pending
visit. is to secure a treaty OF reciprocity by which
there may be a mutual interchange Of products
free OF duty The question TO be answered IL,
should such & treaty be made on The part OF the
United States. Its advantages 10 the islands are
obvious. The Pacific Staies and
Territories annually consume Gs, 900. 900 pounds Of
sugar, including that produced from the heetroot.
Ii is thought that this Yield eau be uebled, and
perhaps more, from which II will be seen that the
Hawaiian Kingdom can furnish for many years TO
come nearly all the sugar nerded ia California and
the adjacent Teeion. We're n treaty OF reciprocity
concluded on reasonable terms. the resources Of
the islands would be developed TO their utmost.
All suitable lands would soon be planted with the
cane by enterprising Americans. and the populA-
ton. now depleted, would be again brought up TO
the maximnm.s "a s~e "a a.
The reasons why the United States should reclp.
rocate are good. though less obvious. Australia
is likely soon to be "A competitor for the island
trade. The import duty on sugar at Melbourne II
only one-half a cent a pound, and at Sydney one
cent. and these colonies are discussing the propri-
islands. The increased exporta.
ton to other countries here shown has been largely
of sugar 70 Australia. and the increased %importa-
ton To the prejudice OF the United States has also
been principally from that source.
1t is important to the United States. and espe-
cially TO California. that we should bave the free
sugar. free rice and other unrestricted products OF
the Sandwich Islands. The friendly relations be-
tween ourselves and them. the kinsbip which we
have with their citizens, should exercise a potent
influence in deciding the question OF reciprocity.
II we do not want them as a colony. still a cordial
international feeling Is most desirable. The power
OF other nations TO injure Us in u foreign war. with
such a naval station as Honolulu ia their posses
sion. might not be great. but we should feel much
safer with IL IN our possession. or under our puta-
tive control, than IL il were In alien hands. SO,
though annexation is undesirable. TO save an In
portant trade. TO prevent our hrm grasp looseDing,
such n treaty should be entered into as will innre
to the advantage OF both the contracting parties,
and preserve the intimacy without mourning ma
tional risk or Indebtedness. ~ M n