Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-06
ANNEXATION OF HAWAII.


proposition to annex the Hawaiian
islands. It is doubtful whether the
reigning queen will have successor,
for it is very questionable whether the
American, German and French element
of the islands would be willing to con-
tinue the farce of royalty under a young
woman who had been purposely edu-
Gated in England so as to bring to the
Hawaiian throne prejudices that would
favor Englishmen and English interests
at the expense of all other foreign in
terests. Certainly the Americans in
the islands would be strongly opposed
to placing at the head of the govern
ment young woman who would be
under the sway of her British father,
and we doubt whether it would be pos
sible for any person to reign in the
islands in opposition to the wishes of
the American element.
But, in the very nature of things, the
Hawaiian monarchy has run its course.
The natives have become SO reduced in
numbers that they have lost their
prestige in public affairs. Besides, the
country is now too poor to maintain an
expensive government and must get rid
of royalty and become simple repub-
lie. But how it can become republic
that could maintain itself with any
degree of power or dignity. it is difficult
to see. The fact is Hawaii must come
under the protection Of some powerful
foreign government or relapse into bar
barism. She cannot take care of her
self. In the course of an interview in
Chicago with Hon. Henry Waterhouse,
one of the oldest American merchants
in Honolulu, that gentleman put the
situation in the islands in very clear
light. He said that the annexation of
the islands to the United States was in
evitable, and continued:
eff miracle should, however, lead
the United States to decline it's oppor-
tunity the islands will become the prop
erty of some one else. 1t is impossible
for them to continue forever as an inde-
pendent nation. The reasons for this
have been frequently told. can only
add that, after forty years spent in
Honolulu, know that these reasons are
well grounded. The natives want re-
public. The queen, however, will hold
the throne until death removes her
from it. The natives have no possible
chance of establishing republic nor of
preventing annexation when the proper
time comes. Their number is steadily
diminishing, and, even now, there are
at most but 40 600 of them
"The vast body of the American resi-
dents are anxious for annexation, no
matter what it's opponents may say.
The United States is nearer to us than
any other country, and her interests in
the islands are greater than those of any
other country; but if she refuses us
merely because annexation would neces-
state expenditures for Notifications.
when, in reality, those Notifications in
the Pacific are lust what she needs, we
must look to England, France or Ger
many" 4Qft
That is the situation in the islands in
few words. Either the United States
must annex them or they will 60 to one
of the European powers. But we can
not permit this. In justice to the
Americans in the islands and to the
American missionaries who brought the
natives out of heathenism and estab-
lished civilization in their midst, we
could not allow the fruits of 30 much
American labor and sacrifice to be
cleaned by any European power.
But over and beyond mere mercantile
or sentimental considerations there is
one that appeals directly and with ir-
resistible force to Americans to make
these islands an outpost of the United
States. In military point of view they
are indispensable to us as naval sta
tion, and as sort of halfway house be-
tween the United States and China and
the Australasian colonies, they are OF
incalculable value; and if, by our own
Indifference or failure to appreciate the
true value of these islands to our COM
merce and to our prestige in the Pacific
we should permit any other nation to
secure control of them, we would make
most grave and fatal mistake. Think
of the value the islands would be to us
if at some future time China, when she
has become great naval power, should
attempt to measure strength with us!