The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-05-09
TIE NATIONAL TRIBUNE ON TIE
F AG.
THE PROS AND CONS OF THE CUES
rlON DISCUSSED.

upon annexation, could not help feel
ing hurt that our bugles had sound
ed retreat in the face of the world,
and that "Old GlOryn having been
once raised as a national assertion,
should have been lowered without ap-
parent cause The raising Of the flag
in the first instance was approved
with remarkable unanimity all over
the country. In addition to The great
strategic and commercial rea ons for
the step, it had sentimental aspect
which captiva ed the minds of patri-
otic people. Firmly believing our
form of government to be the best
possible for securing the greatest en-
lightenment, progress and happiness
to all people, we have looked forward
with peasurable anticipation TO its
extension to other less favored lands.
The annexation of Hawaii seemed to
be the beginning of the great mis-
siOnary work of AmericaniZing the
nations of the world, and the heath
en- of the isles.n Ii was the first step
in the working out of our manifest
Destiny" of which we have heard so
much since infancy.
! The administration has given no hint
| of the reasons which actuated it in
ordering the flag to be hauled down.
! 1t has maintained a silence on the
| subject which is not at all compliment
/ tary to the intelligence and patriotism
of the American people, for it implies
! that they cannot be trusted to COM
prehend and properly judge the con-
| siderations which influence the Exc
cutive in his course, but must wait in
patient silence until he determines
what to do, and then accept the result.
We feel that this is wrong. The mat
| ter of the annexation is one of such
high Importance that the people are
| entitled to the fullest information at
every stage of the proceedings. The
old time mysteriousness of European
| diplomacy is entirely out of place to-
day, not only in this country, but even
in Europe. Outside of Russia the
J statesmen of Europe generally find it
both proper and necessary to drop the
WORKOUT assumption that they alone
know what is best for the nations
welfare, and to take the people into
| their confidence on matters of serious
interest to the country.
Two explanations are current of the
J Administrations course. The first is
that it really intends to annex Ha-
wall, but for purely partisan reasons
desires to harvest all the credit posi-
BILE for such n popular step. There
fore it is carefully doing what it can
to Obliterate all connection of the pre-
vious Administration with the mat
ter, and make the annexation orig
inal with this Administration So
far as is safe and practicable it will
undo all that has been done, and after
an interval, start everything anew.
Color is given to this explanation by
the dispatch of Mr.. Blount to the isl
ands on q mission IF investigation
No one seriously believes that he will
ascertain any facts of Importance, for
the simple reason that there is moth
ing new to develop. Thanks to the
free communication between this
country and Hawaii, and to the public
press, we are fully informed about
everything in the archipelago. We
have much more accurate knowledge
about the islands than we have of
much of our own country. Should
Mr.. Blount remain there ten years he
would PROBABLY be able to tell Us very
little that we do not already know,
and the presumption is fair that he
was merely sent there in order to gain
time for the Administration to carry
out whatever plans it may contem
plate.
The second explanation is more
creditable to the administration. It
is that it desires to remove all show OF
force or compulsion upon the Hawai-
ians, leaving them entirely free TO act
out their desires. The United States
will take its hands off the islands and
make sure ttat no other nation shall
lay its hands on. Then the Hawai-
ians can make their election without
the least appearance of cOnstraint. 1t
is not even said that if they C Dose to
come to US we will welcome them.
In support of this course it can be
said that if the Provisional govern
ment of Hawaii shows that il is strong
enough to maintain itself without the
assistance of the United States mar
ines and ships of war, il may be I'M
questionably accepted as representing
the will of the Hawaiian people, and
therefore its offer of annexation can
be accepted without the slightest hest
tatiOn.
The objection to the course is that it
discOurages and discredts the annex
alton party on the islands, and makes
their task unnecessarily difficult. 1t
cannot be made to seem otherwise to
the Hawaiians as q mass than a strong
rebuff to the annexationists by the
United States, and this may
greatly endanger the supremacy
of the annexationists.
English agents in the Islands will
not fail to make the most of this to
the annexation sts, and
array against them all the elements
that can be brought into opposition.
Like most people, the Hawaiians are
influenced more by symbols and
shows OF power than by abstract rea-
soning, and the hauling down of our
flag an the decentralization Of our
marines will count more with them
than many reams of able editorials
on the justice of giving the Hawaiian
people chance to freely express their
preferences. Then, again, it will seem
hypocritical to very many. All the
world knows that we want the Ha-
waiian Islands, and want them very
much There is no doubt in the
minds of foreigners generally that We
mean To take the country; but, in
tead of going as frankly about IL "a