The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-06-03
TEXT OF THE NEW YORK
SUNS" CORRESPONDENCE.
Reasons Why Spreckels and the Sugar
Trust Do Not Want Annexation
Some Hard Hits.

power He loudly claimed he was
coming to direct the settlement of af-
fairs. He has been grievouslY disap
pointed, and with the wisdom and pride
Of an experienced and vain man, who
never, if he can help it, embarks in
losing cause, he has assumed an atti-
tude of friendliness toward all parties,
and Indifference as to the general re-
suit, which is altogether dlsagreeabie
and unnatural to him. He has found
things changed since the days of his
supremacy. Kalakaua, whom 1t is his
boast he used to rule, is dead. The
Legislature which he controlled also is
no more With the ex Queen he might
have great influence, and Paul Neu.
| mann did all he could to secure him
this before leaving, but it is known that
| SpreCkels does not believe in the restor
alton of the monarchy, and this has
made him unpopular at Washington
place. With the natives, excepting So
far as he can get the good will of the ir
dethroned sovereign, he is absolutely
| d llOnCllllll, w I'LL lllC COlll DlClOldl
element of the Islands, his fellow plan
tiers, he has lost the prestige that once
was undoubtedly his. They met him
on his return here in a friendly spirit,
but he has been utterly unable to enlist
them in his opposition to annexation.
| The failure t. get their signatures to
his letter read at the meeting of the
planters agents was a blow to him from
which he VIII not easily recover With
the members of the Provisional Govern.
ment he can d. nothing. They are
independent and incorruptible.
They receive him cordially, listen
freely to what he has to say, but he has
been made to und. rotand that he has
not their confidence and can in no
measure be admitted to- their councils.
| Everywhere he has met with dIsComfit-
ure, and the indications are that with
the foresight of veteran who never
= persists in a losing fight he is now
, seeking t. cover a retreat.
He did not expect the debate which
followed the reading of his letter tc
the planters agents, and when he saw
: the oppositi, n it created, Irwin, his
t agent, who, with Paul Neumann, had
r drafted the letter, announced that II
was withdrawn, and requested that ii
be not recorded in the minutes.
Pledges have since been secured
5 from every member who had copy u
it that it should not be made public
o Strenuous efforts have been made To
conceal its contents. | have beer
able to state these. The letter was
e directed against immediate annex ltion
e and the reason given was that under
annexation contract lab u would not be
accorded, and the plantations would
= be ruined. That anneXlng Hawaii anC
in extending over it the present statute,
+ of the United States, that country
? would be anneXlng community made
"a bankrupt by the very act of union, anC
these are nearly the exact words of the
closing paragraph Of the letter. o.
course no one believes in the sincerity
of SpreCkePs reasons. He has beer
assured that annexation would not pre-
Y cude the securing Of japanese labor
: but Stubb0rnly assumes the contrary.
t A few agents and painters, all Ger.
+ mans, who cannot be expected TO have
f. any friendliness for the United States
: eXCeptingas for their pecuniary interest
have agreed to compromise position
S in letter which urges the continuance
of the present Hawaiian labor laws fol
} five years, long enough to enable them
/ in the event of annexation to accom-
modate themselves to the changed con.
ditlonS
! If Spreckels were sincere in hi,
reasons he would support this position
= but, on the contrary, he violently de.
| nounCes it, and will have nothing to dc
: with the letter. His real motives toi
opposing annexation have been set fort
} in my dispatches to the San.
The correspondent next quotes
SpreCkelS' letter in the Examiner
wherein he favored annexation anc
continues as follows:
A month later he is, on excellent
authority, reported to have written pri.
vately to President Cleveland as strongly
opposing annexation. This opposition
he took good care to keep from the
public. His house here gave in at once
its adhesion to the Provisional Govern
ment, the present efficient Minister O
Finance was drawn from its employ
and this house has never varied in it,
support. Spreckels himself has giver
President Dole the assurance of hi.
support, although the whole Provisional
Government holds power only as mean.
to annexation. Spreckels appears mo-
to have announced his opposition tc
: annexation until just before he sailed
from San Francisco, and to have done
1t then only when he felt that it was
certain to be defeated. In the results
thus far Of his mission here he has beer
previously disappointed. He cannot
: count upon a single convert to his
views, although he has, by repeated
personal solicitation, pressed them
upon everybody of any importance here
from Commissioner Blount to the least
important planter, but he has done this
4 m 4