The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-11-21
The Hawaiian Annexation Issue.

The Hawaiian Annexation Issue.
We have no sympathy whatever
with a lingo policy for the United
States. We believe that it would be
aradical mistake for the nation to go
into the business of foreign conquest.
Our territory is vast enough. Our
military and naval establishments
are too small for the defence Of dis
tant possessions, and it is not accord
ant with our policy that they should
be increased so much as to afford
efficient protection to a far distant
island in case of war with a great
maritime power.
The acquisition of the little king
dom of Hawaii a bring no glory to
this country, there is nothing in it to
swell our own bosoms with pride or to
enhance our greatness or Importance
in the eyes of the world. The present
or recent offer was not in its circum-
stances calculated to throw any
special glamour about the acquire
ment. 1t shed lustre neither OH our
arms nor statecraft. 1t made US, at
best, the refuge of a minority faction
in the islands, which lacked power to
effect or at least to uphold the revolu-
tion, which it desired, through its own
resources. So much for the senti-
mental side of the Hawaiian ques-
ton; its material aspect affords no
ground for change of opinion. All
the advantages that can be attributed
to the proposed annexation are of the
commercial kind, and, in a word,
it may be said that we IN
joy them-and the island do
SO too just as absolutely as
if Hawaii were admitted 10 the
Union as a State or was governed
like Alaska as a Territory. Under
the beneficent influence of free
trade, our with Hawaii has
come to practically absorb the entire
commerce of that country. We prac-
tically receive its entire products at
our Pacific ports and, in return, we
supply it, to all intents and purposes,
with all the supplies that it draws
from lands of more advanced civiliza-
tion. To say that the contraction
into our ports of the small residual
volume Of Hawaiian trade even if
there were any certainty of doing so
would afford q sufficient motive for
the annexation of the country or a
sufficient recompense for the inevlta-
bly, resulting expense and trouble is
to indulge in a preposterous exag-
geration, a pretence and a humbug
which can only avail when it meets
such antecedent inclinations as those
of the spread eagle Sun. or such
selfish and interested designs as those
of the B. Harrison administration.
If we are to take Hawaii under the
wing of Uncle Sam, at all, it should
be done merely as a sort of charitable
act-an act performed purely in the
interest of civilization and general
human progress; but all the evidence
seems to show that not only would
the act be gratuitous and un~warranted
from this point OF vi ew, but further
that nothing could be more abhor-
rent to the alleged b~eneficiaries. We
have, so far, only two impartial an
alyses of the entire Hawaiian ques-
ton, only two fair and just p~resenta-
tions of Hawaiian public opinion.
One of these is afforded us by Mr..
Charles Nordhoff, one of the ablest
and most experienced writers on
politics in the country; the other is
the work of Commissioner Blount,
the Government Commissioner sent
to Hawaii for the purpose of getting
Information upon which the Presi-
dent and his Cabinet might base
their decision upon the annexation
proposal. The impartiality of both
these judgments must be apparent to
everyone. Mr.. Nordhof had no more
interest in representing the case one
way than the other. He went to the
Islands as the emissary OF the New
4OIh AAcIUtUs dAd, u14bu Alo llOSU COn-
vincing letters began to appear, that
paper took no decided stand upon
the issue. Presumably it is of no
more interest or consequence to the
Herald whether we annex Hawaii or
not,-except Oh public grounds, OF
.~ourse,-than whether we should
erect Utah into a State or not. The
Herald's only interest in the matter
was to tell the truth.
As for MIR. Blount, the temptation
must have been very great. in his
case, to see things with annexationist
eyes. 1t is indisputable that il Mr..
Cleveland and his ministers were
mere men OF show, if they were con-
tent to give the people eauds and
Joys instead of truth and honesty and
ound government, they had a SPLEEN
lid opportunity for gorgeous display.
It is true partisan and personal
Malice would have abused and
naligned them, whatever they did;