The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-02-22
Confirm the Treaty.

There Is no reasonable objection to
the confirmation by the senate of the
treaty entered into by President Harri-
son with the provisional government of
the Hawaiian Islands. All the excep.
tons taken by the opponents of annex
alton are met in the treaty, and The
form of government to be ultimately es-
tabli,hed at Honolulu is left to be de-
termined by the congress of the United
States. We have ample time to ascer-
tain the type Of administration best
suited to the islands, and, far from be-
ing compelled to invent an entirely new
system, we have our choice between
the precedeuts set in the case of the
Louisiana territory, in that of Alaska,
aud in that of the District Of Columbia.
Pending the enactment of a suitable
administrative scheme by congress, the
sovereignty of the United States will be
represented in the islands by a COM
missioner possessing the right to veto
any act of the provisional government,
although from his veto an appeal will
lie TO the president. That is to say, we
shall exercise q minimum of authority
at Honolulu until the legislation needed
to give full effect to the treaty has been
carried out.
The few opponents of annexation
have laid much stress upon the fact that
there is considerable Chinese element
in the Hawaiian population. That oh.
lection is effeciually disposed of by the
treaty. The further immigration of
Chinese laborers into the Hawaiian
Islands is prohibited until congress
shall otherwise provide, Furthermore,
Chinese of the classes low or hereafter
excluded by law from entering the
United States will not be permitted TO
come from Hawaii to other parts of the
United States, and if they do come will
be subjected to the same penalties as if
they had entered from a foreign country,
With equal thorOughness does the pres
ident Illustrate the attempt to represent
the annexation of Hawaii as move
ment organized by the sugar producers
for the purpose of sharing the bounty
now monopolized by Louisiana Under
the provisions of the treaty the sugar
growers of the Hawaiian Islands will
moi share in the bounty provided by the
Mckinley law unless congress shall it.
self see fit to extend it to them.
Something has been said by those
who dislike to witness the expansion of
the United States in any direction
about the unfitness for democratic in
situations of the native Hawaiians, of
the Portuguese residents, and of certain
other constituents of the population.
Like objections were pressed to the
| annexation of Louisiana, of florida, of
Texas, of California, and especially of
| Alaska. In every one of those cases
we were told that only small proper
ton of the inhabitants spoke English,
and that great majority of them were
foreigners, half breeds, or Indians.
Nevertheless, we have managed to as
simulate all of those acquisitions with
The exception of Alaska, aud that is
rapidly undergoing the assimilating
process. II there are difficulties on the
score of race, language and education
to be surmounted, they are left for con-
gress to overcome. The treaty does
not assume to deal with them. 1t rele-
gates to the federal legislature the duty
of settling all questions affecting the
temporary or permanent form of gov
eminent for the annexed territory, the
conditions of citizenship and of the
elective franchise, and all matters re.
lating to the economical and political
status of the islands. We may add
that the income which the government
of the United States agrees to pay TO the
late queen during her life, and the
lump sum of money which it covenants
TO give to the Princess Kaiulani seem
reasonable compensations for their re-
linquishment in good faith of their
hereditary claims to rule.
The treaty-making power has seldom
been more judiciously exercised than
in this instance. The president, as we
have said, has exerted the smallest
measure of authority compatible with
an effective assertion Of American
sovereignty over the islands. 1t is left
to congress to determine what use shall
be made Of that sovereignty in almost
every important detail. 1t seems in.
credible that any senator, who has at
heart the welfare and progress of the
United States, can fail to record his
vote in favor of confirming the Ha.
waiian treaty.-NeD York Sun.