The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-02-19
ANNEXATION TALK AT HAWAII.
Honolulu Corr. n. Y. Mail and Ex-
press.

Honolulu Corr. N. Y. Mail and Ex-
press.
The question of annexation TO the
United States, if put to popular vote
in the islands to-day, would undoubt-
edly be voted down. The native
Hawaiians would vote against it be-
cause their cry is Hawaii for the
Hawaiians" at least, that is the cry
that has been raised by some of their
leaders. A few representative of
Great Britain, and, perhaps, of other
European nationalities, would quite
likely vote against it through jealousy
of Americans. There are also some
Americans, or whites of American
parentage, who would vote against
it, or would have voted against it
few months ago, from the notion that
the present form of government is
better suited to meet our wants than
that which we would have after an
neXation.
Ii is considered probable by some
that annexation would shortly be
followed by an lnrush of oflice-hold.
ers and carpet-baggers, probably
drawn largely from California, who
would scorn the traditions of the
past and thus cause great injustice,
not only to the natives but also TO
the white men. There is great weight
in this consideration. Take the
questions of water rights, fisheries
and public land; although not finally
settled, they are comparatively quiet
now and there is good reason for the
feeling that when the time comes for
their final adjustment it will be
necessary TO keep in view the tradi-
tions of the soil,
1t seems as if there were some
ground for apprehension that these
interests might not receive full JUS
tice at the hands of newcomers,
whose lives have thus far been un-
touched by affectionate interest in
the history of these islands.
A CHANGE IN PUBLIC FEELING.
But public feeling has been under
going change. The experiences
of the past few months have done
much to force upon the minds of all
thinking and reasonable men, the
conviction that the destiny of this
country is sooner or later to be link
ed politically to the Great Republic.
An important factor in producing
this feeling is the hard times that
have fallen upon us as result of the
sugar bounties and the removal of
duties OH all imported sugars enacted
by the American Congress. The de-
duction of 2 cents from the selling
price of pound of sugar has in
most cases made living profit i'm
possible to the sugar planter in Ha-
waii. We are nation with one
staple, and to take away the profit
on sugar is ruinous to our business.
THE NEW RECIPROCITY TREATY.
The new treaty of absolute reci-
procity with the United States, re-
Gently signed by our Minister at
Washington, DR.. j. Mott Smith, and
now awaiting the signature of Presi-
dent Harrison, will, if it becomes a
law, be of considerable help TO us by
opening up and making profitable
certain "diversified industries" But
all of them put together will not
amount to a tithe of the sugar inter-
est. 1t is felt that the United States
have not dealt fairly by us in the
matter of sugar, inasmuch as this
new deal wipes out the benefit to US
of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1876 by
cutting off at one stroke our whole
margin of profit ON our most import
ant product.
And this feeling is strengthened
and made more CALLING by the fact
that during the few months that i'm
mediately preceded the going into
operation of the Mckinley tariff and
the sugar bounty very heavy inyest-
NETS had been made in this country
in the sugar business, viz, the open
ing up of three enormous plantations,
one at Eva, .djoining Pearl Harbor,
capitalized at 5000, 900; another at
Kahuku, representing the same
amount (both on This island), and
u third at Makaweli, on the island OF
Kauai, capitalized at $2,OOO,OO0.
We are just at the beginning Of hard
times, and even now the distress is
considerable. The other influence
that tends to make annexation ac-
ceptable is the feeling that it will
+ put final stop to the plottings and
the threats of revolution that have
created much uneasiness during the
last two years. Capital is needed,
and capital is timid and does not
seek storm or revolution centers for
opportunities of Investment.
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