The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-11-22
Letter From Mr.. Davies.

consist OF the courteous cOmmunlCa-
tions from Mr. Hartwell and MIR. G.
l.. Carter, and the characteristic let
ter from Mr.. Thurston, who has APP
parently been bitten by mad Eng
lishman, and whose letter must have !
been very painful reading for his
friends. Mr.. Emmeluth has also |
written, but his letter was based en-
tirely on an erroneous statement of
Mr.. HartwelPs to the effect that |
had expressed views hostile to free
trade with the United States. My
letter did not express any opinion
at all on that subject, as Mr. Hart
we'll will see, if he will do me the
favor to refer to my letter again;
and Mr.. Hartwells appeal to me-
chanics and others to take note of
my free trade views, is without any
justification on my part. The fact
is that what Mr. Hartwell, Mr..
Emmeluth and the rest of us want
is not free trade, but a large pro-
tected market such as we have for
rice, have had for sugar, and desire
to have for fruits and other pro-
ducts.
The only point on which [ wrote
was Mr.. HartwelPs recommendation
of the cession of Pearl Harbor to
the United States as naval station:
and this subject, for some inscrut-
able reason, Mr. Hartwell declines to
discuss, leaving it, as he says, ''to
others" Cession, as [ understand
it, on one side means annexation on
D.. - l., Il
at loss to reconcile Mr.. Hartwell
and Mr.. Thurston on the use of the
word "cession." Mr. Hartwell de-
clares that in 1873 the Hawaiian
King and four Hawaiian Ministers,
with the endorsement of the Chief
Justice and Associate Justices of the
Supreme Court (of whom | believe
Mr.. Hartwell was then one), desired
to cede Pearl Harbor to the United
States as a Naval Station"
Mr.. Thurston as solemnly declares
that sit never has been proposed that
any territory should be ceded to the
United States at Pearl River"
1t is impossible for me to know
which of these statements is authen-
tic, but happen to remember very
distinctly that in 1873 meeting of
the Chamber of Commerce was call
ed at which it was proposed that the
Chamber should urge on the Cabinet
the cession of Pearl Harbor to the
United States. The President of the
Chamber was asked whether this in
volved the offer of the cession or the
sovereignty of Pearl Harbor. Upon
his replying that it did involve the
sovereignty, the Chamber decided to
omit any reference to Pearl Harbor
in their conference with the Cabinet.
This is particularly y impressed on my
memory by my recollection of the
qualification which Chief Justice
Allen expresses, in the presence of
the Ministers, at the avoidance by the
Chamber of any reference to cession
of territory. Under these circum-
stances | am inclined to think Mr..
Hartwell's memory may have led
him astray with regard to the desires
of the statesmen and judges whose
names he publishes. Be that as it
may. Mr.. Thurston now declares
that what has been proposed in the
past and what is now proposed, is
simply that the Hawaiian Govern
ment shall grant to the United
States franchise similar in princi-
pie to those granted to the Wilder
Steamship Co. and to the Oahu
Railway and Land Co.
If this is all Mr.. Hartwell meant
when he said that the King, Cabinet
and Supreme Court desired to cede
Pearl Harbor to the United States
as Naval Station, it seems almost d
pity that he and Mr.. Thurston did
not talk it over together, and agree
upon the terms by which their views
should be described. The word used
should have been Concession" which
everybody understands, and with
which everybody would have beer
satisfied. | now gather that YOU
correspondents meant by ''cession O
Pearl Harbor," concession at Pear
Harbor,' and that appears to me to
} settle the whole question, and they
ought to feel grateful to me for tn,
opportunity / have given for the
explanation. A concession such "a
Mr.. Thurston describes of depo
! for the repair and reftting of ship
{ of war, in return for advantage
which the United States can give tt
Hawaii, appears to me to be natural
polite, and fully consistent with th'
: satisfactory and statesmanlike decla
, ration of policy which the Cabine
has recently issued. If it had no
been for the cloudy and vague Ian
guage which has been so loosel
used for years past, there woulC
have been no need for the explici
announcement with which the Min
isterial declaration opens, and | fo
one hail the accession of this Cabi
net as one of the very best Hawai-
has ever had.
Mr.. G. l.. Carter must have risel
from the perusal of Mr.. Thurston'
= letter with singular sensation, 70
) after publishing an elaborate de
fence of the position that unde
stress of circumstances pearl Har
Dor must 60" he finds that the posi-
} tion has been vacated by his friends
) or else has never been occupied b.
them.
But Mr.. Carter is man of grea
promise, and is marked out by brit
and by character as Hawaiian
, statesman of the future, and thos
) words of his, "we want none
badly" and ''if necessary Pearl Han
Dor must GO" are too cold and crue