The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-12-15


colonize them, and subyert the ma
tive government. Considering,
therefore, that the United States
possesses SO very large share of in
tercourse with those islands, it is
deemed not unfit to make the de-
claration that their Government
seeks, nevertheless. no peculiar adj
vantage, no exclusive control over
the Hawaiian Governments, but is
content with its independent exist
ence, and anxiously wishes for its Sc
curity and prosperity Its forbear-
ance in this respect under the cir
tumstances of the very large inter
course of their citizens with the isl
ands would justify this Government
should events hereafter arise to re-
quire it, in making decided remon-
STRANGE against the adoption of an
opposite policy by any other power"
Mr.. Tylers Secretary of State was
Daniel Webster, who was also Secre-
tary under President Fillmore, and
he expressed the foregoing senti-
ments in similar language:
"Five-sixths of this commercial in
tercourse is with the United States.
and these considerations together
with Others of more general char
acter, have fixed the course which
the Government of the United
States will pursue in regard to them.
The annunciatiou of this policy will
not surprise the Governments of
Europe, nor be thought to be I'M
reasonable by the nations of the
civilized world: and that policy is,
that while the Government of the
United States itself, faithful to its
original assurance, scrupulously re-
CARDS the independence of the Ha-
waiian Islands. it can never consent
TO see those islands taken possession
of by either of the great commercial
powers of Europe; nor can it con
sent that demands manifestly unjust
and derogatory, and inconsistent
with a bona fide independence, shall
be enforced against that Govern
ment."
1t will, therefore, be seen that
fully fifty years ago our Government
laid down and promulgated the
policy which guides its action to-
day, To complete this part of the
story it is necessary to add that
within twelve months thereafter, on
the 18th of November, 1913, there
was signed an agreement, styled eX-
pressively a "Declaration of Great
Britain and France relative to the
independence of the Sandwich Isl
ands.' This agreement announced
that the sovereigns of these two
countries, in view of the existence of
a Government in the islands. capa-
BILE of providing for its relations.
"haye thought it right to engage re
ciprocally to consider the Sandwich
Islands as an Independent State, and
never to take possession either
directly or under title of protector
ate, or under any other form of any
part of the territory of which they
are composed" Ii is difficult to see,
therefore, how Great Britain could
to-day, or at any time in the future,
consent to the acceptance of pro
tectorate, no matter what the
strength OF the petitions reported
to have been lately circulated in
Honolulu making such IA request.
Taking that starting point we find
that President Fillmore, about ten
years after the declaration of Presi-
dent Tyler, insisted that the desire
of our Government was that the
Sandwich Islands shall not pass
under the control of any other great
maritime state, but shall remain IN
AN independent condition, and so be
accessible and useful to the com
merce OF all nations" This was after
the discovery of gold in California
had opened a wonderful future foI
our Pacific Coast, SO that he was en-
abled to say thai the importance
of these considerations has been
greatly enhanced by the sudden and
vast development which the inter
ests of the United States have oh
tanned in California and Oregon, and