The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-06-05
MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1898,
NOT A SUGAR CONSPIRACY

NN'NNN -
moving power in the planters con
spiracy' to bring these islands into the
United States The more desperate
Mr.. Spreckels' efforts are to break up
the Provisional Government the more
strenuous are Mr.. Watterson's
attempts to prove that but for
the Sugar King, that Gov
eminent would not last a day 1t
would be hard to find in the domain
Of topsy-turvydom which Gilbert and
Sullivan bring to view under the
flashes of their wit, more amusing
and bizarre performance.
Quoting the STARS statement that if
Mr.. Spreckels and the planters had
really been back of political conspir
acy to get the sugar bounty through
annexation they would not have de-
ferred their revolution until all bounty
prospects had been wiped out by the
election of Democratic President
and Congress, the Courier Journal
says:
The STAR is edited too far away from home
Consider the situation.
According to Mr.. Thurston the gains to
be credited to the RECIPROCITY Treaty with
Hawaii were
Increase in the value Of sugar property
owned by Americans, $685. 100.
Profits made by Americans on sugar, SIS.
S3o,S5S
Commissions paid to American agents, S5,
ooo 900.
All these benefits, bountes and subsidies,
paid by the American consumer to the Amer
lean spectators in Hawaii, were abolished by
putting sugar on the free list.
Why did not the conspirators act promptly
Because they preferred to see first what
course the American people would take con-
corning the tariff, reciprocity and bounties.
They wished to know for a certainty whether
there was more money in a reciprocity treaty,
or in annexation.
As time went on the indications were that
the Republicans would elect the President and
Congress, in which event the Islands were to
ask annexation and bounty, Under the plea
of glory and more land it was thought no one
would object to treating Americans in Hawaii
as Americans in Louisiana were treated. But
thecampaign, even before the election, changed
the whole situation. 1t became evident from
the course Of the debate that though the
Democrats should succeed, and should even
nut a tax on sugar, they would never consent
TO renew the so-Called reciprocity treaty with
Hawaii. In other words Democratic success
meant death both to the tariff and to reel
procity.
Manifestly, after the election and the over
whelming popular support given to the Demo
cratic party, there was only one chance tor the
Hawaiian spectators to break into the Treas
urv and that was TO secure annexation before
the Inauguration Of Cleveland. Once in the
Union ii would have the same chance as Louis
lana, and more they could not expect under
the circumstances
That scheme failed, but not because no
effort was made for success. 1t failed because
there was a revolt Of American opinion
That is theory Now for fact.
There were few signs Of revolt or
of the occasion for one until the Queen
tried a coup d etat. This was on
January ID and IS. When it became
plain that she wanted to violate the
constitution, and force a despotic
charter upon the people, the intelligent,
business, mercantile and property own
ing classes rose and cast her out. The
only men who objected, aside from the
Royalist faction, we're the sugar planters.
They advised delay and compromise
on the ground that their business would
be ruined by policy which would
make them subject to the anti-contract
and anti Chinese labor laws of the
United States. Far from being "con-
spirators" and Annexationists, they
were so alarmed at the outlook that
it required personal assurance from the
leaders of the new movement OF a
special labor clause in the proposed
Annexation treaty before they would
cease their protests, and even then they
were in a doubtful mood and were
willing to welcome an Arrangement with
the Queen by which annexation would
have been given up on the one hand
and the new constitution idea on the
other Some of them became An
nexationists afterwards, but this was
because they had as great stake in
good government as they had in sugar
stocks.
What evidence is there in these
locally undisputed facts of cane
growers conspiracy To sum up,
sugar men did not organize the revolt,
they did not lead it, they did not enter
in any appreciate way the personnel
of the new Government, and, except IN
the matter Of isolated planters here
and there, they did not join IN the
appeal for union with America All
these matters were administered and
carried on by the general community