The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-24
AMERICA FOR AMERICANS.
oUs EAW<I11S ~PoErcL.-

the As-siristrsuos frou su Earopes,
Point OF vIew-A Dipio-,atie ssd Nsvn
Expert Discusses the Relation or en-,
Sandwich I-isus- to the Naval sae Co ~
nereiai Power % the Unites States.
ZURIcH. Dec. al met this morning the con
tinental expert Of whose views AZ to the out
look OF matters In the Mediterranean between
France and England have already given yor
some account. lie Accosted mo with thir
question: What Is the meaning Of a para.
graph | see In the hObische ZeihfnD, from
which 1t appears that your Government in the
United States has refused the request Of the
Hawaiian Islands TO be put under the Am eri-
can nagT could only answer him. so far as !
knew the request Of the Hawaiian Islands
after being favorsbly considered by the recent
Administration OF the United States under
President Harrison. had been left to be finally
dealt with by the present Administration under
President Cleveland. ANY action. therefore,
taken on the subject by the present Admin
istration had probably been affected by
considerations drawn from the relations OF
political parties in the United States. Presi-
dent Harrison having been n Republican and
President Cleveland having been elected by
the Democrats.
Abr he responded, II can understand
that That 10 one Of the many benlR-
nant and benehcent peculiarities OF what
In England and America you call party
government But l had supposed that in
America your party lines ended at the waters
edge II l am mistaken about this. and II you
carry your party quarrels into your foreign
policy, am sorry Tor you. On every foreign
question OF any real importance to you you
will ind yourselves hopelessly handicapped
and Mt the mercy OF Governments which deal
with such questions from practical and ma
tional and not from local and partisan points
OF view. see you have been sending some OF
your new ocean cruisers. the Chicago. the
bennington tboth OF them fine ships Of their
Glass; and others into the European waters
and / have supposed that the election OF
PRESIDENT Cleveland last year meant re.
versal OF your anti-commercial protectionist
policy involVinR a curious attompt on your
part to recover your position as maritime
and commercial nation. You allowed that DO
sltlon to be taken from you thirty years ago
by Great Britain. with the help OF the Alabama
and other Confederate cruisers. and II you
really intend to win It back again you cannot
afford to throw away any opportunity OF
strengthening yourselves as sea going
power under the actual and prospective con-
ditions OF naval strength. How. then. is It pos
siblc that you should consider any proposition
made to you by the Hawaiian Islands. OF all
In the world from any point OF view
dictated by your domestic party politics?
Are you not one OF the three greatest pow
ers holding line OF sea coast on the Pacific
Ocean. and are not the Hawaiian Islands the
key Of to the naval control OF that ocean. be-
tween the Equator and the Polar seas think
your Government has conditional ces-
sion or lease OF Pearl Harbor as
naval station In those islands, though |
do not know whether you have taken any |
practical steps toward making 1t available and |
useful to you. Why thon. after you have thus |
avowed to all tho world your sense OF tho I'M |
fact that footing of naval power |
n the Hawaiian Islands. II necessary to the |
'afety OF your Pacific coasts. and to the de-
'elopment OF your commerce on the Pacific.
should you hesitate to accept q protectorate
which ought to plant you and your flag more
'olidly In those islands than the flag OF Eng
and was planted In the Levant by the English
'rotectorate OF the septinsular republic and
he fertilization OF Corfu2 / know enough OF
'our Federal Constitution to understand why
'ou might hesitate to annex the Hawaiian
Stands as a State or even as a Territory Of tho
Union. though / must confess. speaking as q
orei2ner. that l cannot very clearly see why
his should trouble you any more than 1t has
roubled you to convert the Russian settle
nents at Alaska into Territory OF the United
'thtes.
IL you are never to be great
laval power. your flag must always be
n greater danger at Alaska and over
he Pribylov Islands than at Honolulu.
you moan to be a great naval power tho
ontrol OF Honolulu Is absolutely essential to
hat purpose. so long as your flag floats. not
My over Alaska and the Pribylov Islands. but
yer Portland in Oregon and San Francisco in
aliIornia." While could controvert mono OF
hese statements. observed that our relations
18th the Hawaiian Islands were necessarily,
erhaps more or less complicated by our
In regard to them with Great
rItain. the Hawaiian monarchy having been
established originally as tho result OF a sort OF
ompromiSe between England and tho United
tates. You may call 1t a compromise II you
he" replied my expert. but It was a COM
romise. all the honors OF which were carried
II by England. Look at the flag of the Ha-
allan monarchy and you will see that It car
es. not the stars OF your Union. but tho cross
st, George combined with the cross OF st.
ndrew. Do you suppose that symbol means
uthing to the kanakah2