The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-03-06
THE HAWAIIAN QUESTION.
From the Overland MonthM.)

(fTOW We ODertunU MOntRty.)
1t may be all right about Hawaii,
but the whole look of the thing is
questionable; most of all the fran
tic haste with which such an import
ant action is being rushed through,
before word can be heard from the
other side of the question. 1t seems
incredible that our President should
draft a treaty on the sole assurance
of the ENJOYS of a revolutionary gov
eminent, without waiting for the en-
voys of the Queen, already halfway
across the continent, to reach
Washington; and should urge the
Senate to pass on it before the mes
sengers can reach them. If it is
true, as has been repeatedly stated
without contradiction, that the revo-
lutionary envoys refused to allow
the others passage on the same
steamer, and then pushed to get the
whole transaction through before
they could be followed up by the
passengers of second steamer, it is
hard to avoid the conviction that
there must be much to conceal. If
the haste and suppression of discus
sion are for the sake of getting the
transaction concluded before the
last hours of the administration are
over, as a matter of party politics,
they are only less discreditable than
if the purpose is to suppress know
ledge of facts until it is too late.
Perhaps it is best that we should
annex Hawaii. But no strong reason
for doing so has yet been alleged
Here is a kingdom with a large
native population, large population
of low-grade imported laborers, and
a small class well-to-do and intelli-
gent whites. AS matter of course,
it is most agreeable and profitable
to these whites to have the country
governed by themselves, and as they
are mostly Americans, to have it an
nexed to the United States. The
same conditions will hold wherever
Americans or Europeans of enter
prise settle among weaker peoples.
But if this gives them the right to
seize upon the. government, call in
the aid of United States marines,
and offer the territory-practically
the conquest of arms made without
pretext of war-to the United States
under the name of voluntary annex
alton, then it can only be on the
ground that feebler and less civilized
peoples have no rights that stronger
ones are bound to respect. If present
accounts of the text of the treaty
and the method of proposed ratifica-
ton are true, there is no purpose of
getting the consent of the Hawaiian
people, or Legislature, or of anyone
but the revolutionary government
itself; and the control of the terri
tory, once annexed, is to belong to
them, under provisions that will ex-
clude the bulk of the population
from suffrage. The record Of our
country, to the grief and humilia-
ton of those that love it most, has
never been creditable in it's dealings
with any weaker people-Indians,
Negroes, Chinese, or Spanish Ameri-
cans-and it would be an incapable
pity to add another stain. There
could be no gain that could compen-
safe for it. The honor of nation
is as far above all other considera-
tions as that OF ar individual.
Even if it should prove that Ha-
waii could be taken with honor, and
that the present appearance of a
high-handed military seizure is mis-
leading, no sufficient reason has SO
far been shown why we should want
it. We have practical protectorate
now, treaties, which we are in a posi-
ton to enforce, that make it impossi-
BILE for any foreign nation to get
control there. Undoubtedly our
countrymen living there will be
much benefited by the annexation,
and it is natural to sympathize with
their desire to be once more Amer
lean citizens. But they voluntarily
expatriated themselves, for motives
that seemed to them sufficient; and
their qualification is hardly sufficient
reason for surrendering our great
advantage of a compact coast line
and taking the miscellaneous Ha-
waiian population into our family of
States; for that is what it must
sooner or later come to, unless some
stronger reason appears than has yet
been urged. The popular talk is all
in favor of annexation, but in the
most unreasoning way, purely as a
matter of national vanity, as empty
of solid advantage or real patriotism
as Alexander's vanity of conquest
If there is anything more than this
in the whole project, the country
should be given time to find it out
No possible harm could come of six
months delay for full inquiry and
consideration. At least we might
stop to get the consent of the PEG.
pie of Hawaii before we take their
country.