The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-03
THE POLICY OF ANNEXATION,

/ States has admitted free sugar from
/ Hawaii The placing of sugar practically
on the free list has robbed these islands OF
their former advantages in trade and nat
| uraliy makes them more disposed than
| formerly to place themselves under the
| flag of the United States, but the chief
reason for this determination is found in
the fact that the present government of
Hawaii is weak; its population is decreas-
ing. and its mercantile classes probably
| believe that since the chief trade of the
Islands is with the United States,
/ il would he better to place them
selves under the protection OF great
power with whom they have always main
tanned friendly relations. The popular
| will expressed in favor. of annexation
would be respected by Europe. The United
| States would have as clear right TO grant
| the request of Hawaii as England had to
accept the tender of Cyprus or to occupy
| Alden at the mouth of the Red sen. The
only question would be as to the policy of
establishing precedent for further terri
torial extension. Hawaii would be valu-
able to US chiefly as a naval station in the
North Pacific, value that would be in
creased by the completion of the Nicaragua
canal, which will oblige US to increase our
navy on this coast, but we can establish
naval station at Hawaii tomorrow il we
choose, for Pearl river harbor Was ceded
to Us several years ago by the Hawaiian
government which we have never cared to
dredge out, occupy and equip as naval
station.
The population of the islands is about
5000. occupying an area of about 5000
square miles. The national debt is not
far from s., 10000. The native population
is steadily dwindling; the trading, mer-
camille classes are English, German,
American and Portuguese, and there are a
good many Chinese employed as laborers
upon the sugar plantations. Our domestic
export trade TO Hawaii last year was
&,l60.000, while our imports were about
$12, 3l4 600 There does not seem to be
any important advantage in the acquisi-
ton of these islands that we have not al
ready or can easily secure without annex
alton. We do not want any territorial
extension obtained by adding to our
present population any Kanakas. THERE'S
an increasing disposition to advocate the
doctrine which teaches the annexation
Mexico and Central America by the United
States as our inevitable and ultimate des-
tiny. Even John Sherman accepts and
approves of this forecast of our future as
desirable; Senator Hoar, in a glowing
speech, has prefigured the time when the
stars and stripes shall float over the W hole
of North America, from the bay of Pam
anna to the Polar sea. TIE argument for
the acquisition of Cuba dates back to
1922, when Thomas jefferson urged its i'm
portance in letters written to President
Monroe, and John Quincy Adams, Mon
roe's secretary of state also favored it.
President Van Buren, and Daniel Webster
deemed the retention of Cuba by friendly
power, like Spain, so important to the
United States that they officially assured
that nation that, in the event of any
attempt to wrest Cuba from her, she might
securely depend on the United States to
| aid in preserving or recovering it. OF
| Cuba Edward Everett, when secretary of
state to President Fillmore, wrote:
II bars the entrance to that great river which
| drains half of the North American continent.
II keeps watch at the doorway OF our
| intercourse with California. Terri
torially aud commercially, IL would, in our
hands be extremely valuable; under certain
| contingencies it might be almost essential to
| our safety.
The argument for the acquisition of
| Cuba is that any maritime power occupy
! ing it could easily make a close sea of the
! Gulf OF Mexico, since the western ex-
tremity of Cuba is but 100 miles from Yu-
catan, and its eastern extremity but 100
miles from Florida. This magnificent
island lies in the track of our water COM
| merce with Mexico and the trade OF our
cotton states with Europe and the North
| Atlantic ports. Havana is only seven
| hours distant by steam from Key West.
less than sixty hours from the mouth of
the Mississippi, and bat sixty six hours
by rail and water via Tampa, Florida
from the city of Washington The United
States Is Cuba's best customer, for the
value of her exports to this country be-
tween 1859 and 1889, inclusive.
was about 100000 while our
exports TO Cuba between 1859 and
1sS9 were only $3.50, 10000. OF our total
! importation of sugar in the last fifteen
years, amounting to 1884,, 10000, Cuba
4 furnished % per cent. Our Cuba COM
merce. both exports and imports, is con-
| Quoted almost entirely under the Ameri-
can flag. Cuba is zoo miles long and but
$50 miles across in its widest part, SO that
no part of it is more than sixty-fve miles
from the seaboard; its area is 81, 0I3 SQUARE
miles, with 200 miles of coast. Besides
its great staple of sugar. Cuba yields two
crops Of Indian corn year. and rice grows
like wheat upon the upands. With bat
Il per cent. of its land as yet devoted to
agriculture, il is the most productive coun-
try Of its area in the world. Cuba. with
small effort, raised 6t.l53,000 pounds Of
| coffee as early rs 1888. It is rich in
undeveloped mineral wealth-gold, copper.
lead, iron, asphalt and petroleum. The
population is but 10000 counting
negroes, Chinese and all other classes. and
10000 of these citizens pay all the taxes
about S27,oo0,o00 last year. or SIS. IS per
| person as an average. This vast tax is
levied to support Spanish standing army
| of $1,000 men, double the size of that main
tanned by our country of 1900, Oo0 people,
besides 5000 volunteers who drill and