The herald., 1893-07-27
DO WE WANT ANNEXATION.

The latest advices from the Sand wicf
Islands show that the provisional gov
eminent and its party still have hopes
thst annexation may be accomplished
at the extra session of congress-. From
present appearances that session will be
fully occupied with questions Of such
vast domestic Importance that 1t will
not have much time to devote to the
consideration OF the serious question of
annexing the islands. Minister Blount
has completed his report and forwarded
it to Washington. Public opinion in the
United States will be greatly infiu-
enced by that report, and We hardly be.
lieve, from the course pursued by that
gentleman, and the outward and visible
signs he has shown OF the real views he
entertains. that he will strongly favor
annexation in his official report.
The fact is the United States is not
prepared to incorporate into its body
polite so Objectionable and hetero-
genous population as now exists In the
islands. We are already in the throes
OF bitter controversy about the exclu-
sion of the Chinese, and on the thresh-
old OF still greater and more far
reaching controversy about restricting
the indiscriminate low.class immigra-
tion from Europe. The voice of Amer
ican labor is making itself strongly felt
against the indiscriminats and unlim-
tied immigration of cheap labor from all
parts OF the world. The disturbance of
the labor market by these constant
irruptions, and the manifest influence it
isexercising in the lowering of the, value
OF American citizenship, have set not
only the American workingman but all
classes OF our people into deep train o +
thought on the subject Of leaving ope
the gates OF this country to the free
ingress OF all sorts OF people. That this
will become burning question in the
next few years is the conclusion that
our most observant people have come to.
Whilst there might be no objection to
the United States establishing a protec-
torate over the Islands, there is de-
cided objection to making them an inte-
gral portion OF the union, with their
mixed, heterogeneous and servile popu-
lations. There are nearly one hundred
thousand laborers on the islands, mos
of which is contract labor, composed Of
Chinese. Japanese, Portuguese and
South Sea Islanders. These are mostly
at work on the plantations, and it is
said that the sugar industry cannot be
made a success without the aid of this
degraded class OF labor. II that is the
case there ID no prospect that we could
ever replace that.vast population by one
more congeniaa.to our institutions if we
should permanently incorporate the
islands into our system. 1t would add
another difficulty to our already difficult
situation on this subject.
We admit that the possession Of the
as a .strategetic military and |
naval proposition would be OF great ad- |
vanUasc TO our country puu uuat aov.-
tage can be as fully and beneicalhy at
tanned by establishing an American pro.
tectorate over Hawaii as by incorporat-
it into the union. 1t is admitted that
the chief industry Of the islands cannot
be successfully pursued without servile
labor held under system that is essen
TALLY that Of psonage. This system is
repugnant to the policy and institutions
OF the United States, and that alone
should prove an effsctual bar to annex
alton. We have enough of mixed races
aud low-class people from Southern and
Eastern Europe in this country now.
Instead CT intensifying this difficulty we
should address ourselves industriously
to the task OF arresting it's growth.