The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-05-15
THE NEW HAWAIIAN TREATY.
Full Text of the Measure Now Before
the Senate.
Tsan Francisco Chronicle.l


existing treaty of commercial reciprocity 1
this country and the Hawaiian |
Islands. The measure before the Senate Is |
the treaty negotiated in 1884 by Secretary of
State Freylinghuysen and Minister Carter. |
That treaty was sent to the Senate December
8, 1884, for approval by that body, but 1t
remained in the hands of the Committee on
Foreign Affairs without any action being
taken upon it until the present session. At
this session of Congress, as soon as Morrl-
son introduced his resolution in the House
to abrogate the treaty, the Senate Com
mittee took up the treaty that had been
referred to it, and after considering it, re-
ferred it to the Senate with the unanimous
report that it be approved The following
is the text of the new treaty, which, for the
first time, is now laid before the public:
WHEREAS, A convention was concluded
between the United States of America and
His Majesty the King of the Hawaiian ISL
ands on the 30th day of January, 1878, con-
corning commercial reciprocity, which, by
the fifth Article thereof, was TO continue in
force for seven years from the date after 1t
was TO come into operation, and further
until the expiration of twelve months after
either of the high contracting parties should
give notice to the other of its wish to terml-
nate the same; and whereas, the high con-
tracing parties consider that the increase
and consolidation of their mutual CONNER
cial interests would be better promoted by
the definite limitation, therefore the Presi-
dent of the United States of America and
His Majesty the King of the Hawaiian Isl
ands have appointed-the President OF the
United States of America Frederick L.
Frelinghuysen, Secretary of State, and His
Majesty the King of the Hawaiian Islands
Henry A. p. Garter, accredited to the Gov
eminent of the United States as his Majesty
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipo-
tentiary, who, having exchanged their re-
spectlve powers, which were found suthclent
and in due form, have agreed upon the
following articles:
ARTICLE I. The high contracting parties
agree that the time fixed for the duration of
said convention shall be definitely extended
for term of seven years from the date OF
the exchange of the ratification hereof, and
further until the expiration of twelve months
after either of the high contracting parties
shall give notice to the other of its wish to
terminate the same, each of the high con-
tracing parties being at liberty to give
such notice to the other at the end OF the
said term of seven years or at any time
thereafter.
b ART. II. His Majesty the King of the
Hawaiian Islands grants to the Government
of the United States the exclusive right to
enter the harbor of Pearl river, in the island
of Oahu, and to establish and maintain
there a coaling and repair station for the
use of vessels of the United States, and to
that end the United States mayHmprove
the entrance of said harbor and do all other
things needful to the purpose aforesaid.
ART. III. The present convention shall
be ratified and the Publications exchanged
at Washington as soon as possible.
In witness whereof the respective plen1-
potentiaries have signed the present con-
vention in duplicate and have hereunto
affixed their respective seals.
Done in the city of Washington the 9th
day of December, in the year of our Lord
1884.
Il. s. FREDERICK T. FRELINGHUYsEN.
Il. S. HENRY A. p. CARTER.
In the printed copy of the treaty Article
II is in italics.
Two things may be said of the proposed
treaty. First, while it seems to give to this
country certain privileges in compensation
for the great benefit it bestOws on the
Hawaiian Islands, it in reality secures to
this country nothing that the frst-class
Powers of Europe do not equally possess,
except the remission of the duties on GER
tain articles imported from the United
States to the islands.
Second, it is doubtful whether the Senate
has the right to extend the existing COM
mercial reciprocity treaty between the two
countries without the consent of the House.
AS to the first statement, a comparative
study of the treaties now in existence be-
tween the Hawaiian Islands and Germany,
France and England shows that we gain no
substantial advantage by the proposed
treaty. Article II of the proposed treaty
states that Kalakaua grants to this country
the exclusive right to enter the harbor of
Pearl river and to establish and maintain
there a coaling station for the use of vessels
of the United States, and to that end the
United States may improve the entrance to
the said harbor. This is a grant of only
temporary occupancy of the harbor, the ex-
elusive right to last only while the treaty is
continued. If this concession is to be of
any value to this country, the United States
would have to improve the harbor of Pearl
river, so that ships of commerce and war
could enter it. The United States would
also have to establish coaling station.
After the United States has gone to all this
expense, which would cost millions of dol
lars in tho permanent improvement of that
part of the islands, all these things would
be forfeited when either country gave notice
to abrOgate the treaty after the expiration
of the specific term of seven years.
But even with all these alleged privileges
which the United States would have to pay
for in vast sums, that country would have
no more substantial advantages there than
England or France or Germany now has by
the provisions of the treaties existing be-
tween these countries and the Hawaiian
islands. In 1851 England concluded a
treaty with the Sandwich islands, as that
country is styled in all European conven-
ton, the second article of which says:
The subjects of each of the two contract
ing parties, respectively, shall have the lib
erty freely and securely to come with their
ships and cargoes to all places, ports and
rivers in the territories of the other where
trade with other nations is permitted. In
like manner the ships of war of each con-
tracing party, respectively, shall have the
liberty to enter into all harbors, rivers and
places within the territories of the other to
which the ships of war OF other nations are
or may be- permitted to come to anchor
there and to remain and reft.
The ships of England by this treaty of
1851, have all the rights and privileges that
the ships of the United States would have
under the proposed treaty. English men,
Of-war and merchantmen could come to the
islands and repair at the ship yards there
without going to an enormous expense to |
establish a plant. France concluded
treaty with the Sandwich islands October |
30, 1857. The fifteenth article of that con-
vention secures to all French vessels the |
same rights that the English ships possessed |
lnder the treaty of 1851 Germany has |