The Hawaiian gazette., 1893-03-14
OF BIG VALUE.
Commercial aud Military I'm
portance of Hawaii.

When the reciprocity treaty will
Hawaii was under discussion in 1S7t
the San Francisco Chamber of Com
merce recorded an opinion in its favor
in the following words:
Opposite the very portals of this
commerce, and in its track, lie these
islands, keeping, as itwere, watch and
ward over this entire coast. Plant an
active enemy upon them, and even il
he were the most Insignificant of the
maritime powers, he would probably
annihilate this commerce. A power
with q fleet consisting only of the
Florida and Alabama would, in
trenched in these marine fortresses,
harass all profit out of it. In the
hands of England or France the effect
would be to enable either of these
powers to shut us out of the great high
way of the Pacific and lock us up, so
far as commerce is concerned, within
our own mountain ranges"
MILITARY VALUE OF THE ISLANDS.
That was in 1876. Since then it is
admitted that both the commercial
| and strategic Importance of Hawaii
have steadily increased. The growth
of its military value with the extern
sion of railroads across the continent
and the beginning of the isthmus
canal has been especially great.
Admiral Porter once said that with
these islands our Pacific coast is i'm
pregnable, without them it is defense
less" And the London Times Tonga ago
declared that "the maritime power
that holds Pearl river harbor and
moors her fleet there holds the key of
the North Pacific" The government
of the United States has naval and
coaling station at Pago Pago, in the
island of Tutuila, but according to the
New York Sun that concerns mainly
our interests in Central Polynesia
and the trade from San Francisco
or the Isthmus to Sydney and
Auckland. The commercial route
between Australia and Vancouver
will long be in great part for British
ships. Hawaii lies in the direct path
between San Francisco and Hong
Kong, and is the natural midstation
for Pacific commerce north of the
equator. Our Samoan harbor has it's
uses for trade in and through the
South seas, but Hawaii is not only
the mercantile but the strategic center
of the North Pacific. 1t is in the
straight route from Nicaragua canal
to China.
SECRETARY FISH'S DECLARATION.
Secretary Fish declared that "the po-
sition of the Sandwich Islands as an
outpost fronting and commanding the
whole of our possessions on the Pacific
ocean gives to the future of those ISL
ands peculiar interest to the govern
ment and people of the United States.
Their transfer to any other maritime
power" he said, "would threaten a
military surveillance in the Pacific
similar to that which Bermuda has
afforded in the Atlantic. The latter
has been submitted to from necessity,
inasmuch as it was congenital with
our government, but we desire no adj
ditional similar outposts in the hands
of those who may at any future time
use them to our disadvantage"
Thirty years earlier than this Dan
iel Webster asserted that the United |
States would "never consent to see
these islands taken possession of by |
either of the great commercial powers
of Europe" nor have enforced against |
them demands manifestly unjust |
and inconsistent with bona fide in |
dependence.n
MIR. MARCY ON RECORD.
Mr.. Marcy is also on record with
the announcement that 1--WE are re-
solved that no other power or state
shall establish any protectorate over
them" Several years later Mr.. Blaine
showed how the progress of events
had still further developed American
policy and responsibility in declaring
that the United States government had
acquired "a legitimately do
minant influence in the North Paci-
fic, which it can never consent to see
decreased,n inasmuch as "the situa-
ton of the Hawaiian Islands, giving
them the strategic control of the
North Pacific, brings their possession
within the range of questions of pure
ly American policy"
ANOTHER GIBRALTAR.
A well informed gentleman, COM
on the situation, said:
IF so important to the United
States, it can be understood what
menace to America Hawaii might
become should it ever fall into the
hands of England. Realizing its i'm
portance as a station not only between
her Australian and her Canadian
possessions, but between Panama and
Japan, she would make Honolulu an
'ther Gibraltar. Forts, dock yards
md repair shops would spring up and
he island of Oahu would be not only
he refuge of her fleets and her Pacific
but perpetual peril to our
,oast.p-Washington Star.
"The Brief History.