Arizona weekly citizen., 1893-12-23
Ultimate Policy as to Hawaii.

The Houston, Texas, Post. a staunch
democratic journal and an ardent friend
of governor Cleveland, under the abo 70
caption, publishes the following sensible
editorial. The Hawaiian question is
not political much less partizan one,
but is one which involves the destiny
of this republic for generations to
come.
A great deal is being said about the
political embroglio in the Hawaiian
Islands.
1t seems that there is danger of this
question being discussed on too low a
plane. so far as the interests of the
United States are to be affected.
1t has been the traditional policy of
the United States to avoid entangling
alliances with European countries, and
this is no doubt wise policy. But is
1t wise to extend this policy so as to
cover our relations with the govern
ments and people of this continent, and
its adjacent islands, aid such of the
islands of the Pacific ocean as lie in the
pathway of commerce between this
country and Asia and Australia? The
United States lies midway between the
great commercial nations of Western
Europe and teeming millions Of people
OF Asia, and the growing and enterpris-
ing population OF Australia. The
commerce of the Asiatic countries has
done much towards enriching the COM
mercial countries of Europe for centu-
ries past. A wise and far reaching
policy ought to, and no doubt would,
secure to our country much the larger
part of that commerce and the wealth
growing out of it in the future. An
important step to this end was the
proposed construction of the Eads ship
railway across the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec, which was believed to be
practicable, and would probably have
been accomplished if Mr.. Eads had
lived. His death seeming to have
arrested this great enterprise, it was the
part of wisdom for the United States to
foster and promote the construction of
the Nicaragua canal. The Tehuantepec
route was the more desirable of the the
two routes to us because it shortened
the route between our Atlantic and
Pacific seaboards much more than the
Nicaragua or the DeLesseps canal route;
and because it would have brought to
the worlds highway of commerce
through the Gulf OF Mexico and nearer
our doors than either of the others
both of which would take it through
the Caribbean sea and farther from
our gulf and Atlantic sea ports. The
opening of passage for sea-going
vessels through the lsthmus would |
make 1t In the near flu ture the greatest |
highway of the worlds commerce, and |
our government should have a larger |
control of it than any or more than all |
others.
To give our country the commercial |
supremacy to which, by geographical
position and by population, wealth and |
enterprise OF our people, it is entitled |
something more than an ithmus canal |
Is necessary. We ought to have control |
of the Hawaiian Islands, or at least a |
coallng station. dock yards, etc, at which |
our ships could be coaled and, IL |
necessary, repaired. And we ought to !
have similar facilities for the coallng |
and repair of our ships at the Samoan |
Islands which if It should be practicable |
to obtain 1t fairly paramount political |
control in both.
If the United States would adopt and |
carry out the policy above indicated |
ours ought to become the greatest |
commercial. as it is now the greatest |
agricultural and manufacturing. nation |
in the world, and thus transfer the |
balance of exchange from Great Britain |
to the United States. The execution of |
such policy would involve the neces- |
sity of our having a respectable navy. |
And our navy has been much improved |
in the number and character of ships |
and their armament in the last few
years. The theory on which this policy |
is opposed is that our government |
should limit its territorial possessions to |
the mainland in order to avoid com
plicatiOns with other nations and to |
save the expense of a navy. This is |
surely ashort-slgned and ignoble policy. |
The United States has now by popula- |
ton, wealth, agriculture, manufacturing |
and cOmercial resources, aud by their |
extent of territory and geographical |
position, attained the position of one of |
the first-class powers of the world; and |
can no longer avoid the responsibilities |
and duties of a tirst-class DO wer without |
abandoning the great destiny, which, |
with wiser policy, awaits them. 1t |
would be great want OF wilson and |
foresight; it would be an evidence of Ma |
tional weakness and cowardice to defeat |
such a destiny as hes before us for |
such reasons.
The adoption and carrying out of the
policy suggested in this paper would |
ultimately make the city of San |
Francisco the rival of the city of New |
York, and would cause the building up |
of other great cities on the Pacific coast !
and the Mexican Gulf and South |
Atlantic coast, and would give to these |
portions of the Union an importance
and grandeur to which they can never |
aspire under the policy which would |
show that we feared to leave the |
mainland and accept great destiny for |
our NODDED republic,