Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-01
The UNITED STATES AND HAWAII.

Mr.. Claus Spreckels has not, hitherto,
been looked upon as literary man, nor
has he been supposed to be one of those
disinterested beings who are thought to
sit up o'nights pondering over their
adopted country's veal. Yet it looks as
if we shall be obliged to change our
opinions of Sir Claus, the knight OF
King Kalakaua's creation. In the March
number of the North American Review
appears paper on The Future OF the
Sandwich Islands, written by him, which
shows considerable graces OF COM
position as we'll as patriotic in
terest in the continued CONNER
cial intercourse between the United
States and San Francisco and Hawaii.
OF course, the underlying spirit OF Sir
Claus Spreckels's interest in any ques-
ton affecting this country and the
islands is to obtain for the sugar growers
of the Sandwich group the same two
cents pound bounty which will now
be received by the producers of sugar in
the United States under the Mckinley
tariff. He is careful to make no allusion
to this, however.
In the course of his article Mr.. Spreck-
els points out number of important cir
cumstances, indicating the growth OF
the trade between Hawaii and
the United States following upon
the reciprocity treaty of 1876. We pre-
sumo his statistics may be accepted as
accurate. He says that when the treaty
first went into operation the total for
eign trade of the Hawaiian kingdom was
only $3,S11 ,1S7. The sugar export for
that year was 10000 tons. For 1889,
under the stimulus of reciprocity, the
sugar export of the islands was 125 900
tons, every pound of which was market
ed in the United States, employing
skilled labor in the refining business
and dependent trades, while the
total foreign commerce was $19,-
313,131, of which $13,972,579 or
1894 per cent, was with the United
States. The collector-general of GUS
toms of the Hawaiian islands, in his an
nual report for 1889, says: "The trade
with the United States has increased
5.7S per cent. during the year, and is
now 1910 per cent. of our entire i'm
ports. Our exports virtually all go to
the United States. The United States
received the bulk of our trade both in
exports and imports; Great Britain re-
ceived 3.45 per cent; and China and
Japan 1.10 per cent"
Sir Claus enters into minute details OF
the operations of our merchant marine
in connection with the islands. He says:
In the shipping trade OF the Hawaiian
islands the American flag has the pref
erence. and in this respect the Hawaiian
trade is an exception worth noting. The
collector-general's returns for 1889, from
which quote, state the percentages OF
shipping employed in the foreign trade
of the Hawaiian kingdom as follows:
american, 1924 Hawaiian (nearly all
built on the Pacific coast), 1919; Brit
ish, $50; German, 2.04; all other, .53." !"
The percentages OF shipping for 1890,
when published, will tell even
better for the American flag. These fig
ures emphasize the fact, however, that,
while the stars and stripes are being
driven from the high seas by foreign
competition, the reciprocity treaty with
Hawaii, mere dot in the wide Pacific
ocean, has created trade of which
Americans have the virtual monopoly.
Indeed, it is to this fact alone, and to
the wise and far-seeing policy embodied
in the Hawaiian treaty, that San Fran
cisco ranks so high on the list of Ameri-
can ports for American shipping.
On the Importance to the United
States of Pearl harbor this writer has
some pregnant reflections that are
worthy of reproduction, and, we may
add, of the serious consideration OF the
government and congress OF the United
States, as follows:
The possession of Pearl harbor as a
naval station has been guaranteed to the
United States government by treaty
for number OF years. Why not i'm
prove the harbor and make this condi-
ton of occupation perpetual by treaty
conferring perpetual reciprocal advan-
tages upon Hawaii? The overshadow-
ing influence of the United States in
the industries and trade of the
Hawaiian islands renders it emil
nently proper that it should protect its
commerce and the investment OF its
citizens against any possible combina-
ton or attack from without. This should
not, and indeed need not. involve any
attack upon the independence of the
islands. No one could be more opposed
to their annexation to the United States
than / am. 1t could do no possible
good, and might do great deal of in
Jury but only good could result from
the plan l have suggested. 1t would
restore confidence in the stability of
Hawaiian institutions, and stimulate
industrial enterprise on the islands.
This would necessarily react favorably
upon American trade, and help to build
up the shipping interests of this country,
which are now at so low an ebb.
Thus far most Americans will 60 with
Sir Claus Spreckels. Whether, how
ever, when the real question, of giving
the Hawaiians the benefit of our bounty
on sugar, comes up, they will be in a
compliant mood, remains to be seen.
We are inclined to think that it will
require a great deal of ingenuity and
eloquence to work the courage of our
legislators up to the sticking place on
that issue.