The Progress., 1893-02-18

America-Armed Conflict Between the
Two Nations the Probable Outcome.
Especial Correspondence.l
WAsH1NGTOS, Feb 6.-The arrival here
Of the annexation commissioners from Ha-
wall has stirred this capital as it has not
been stirred for many years. Probably
there was greater excitement among the
masses of the people when it was thought
we might have q war with little Chill on
our hands, but among the foremost men of
the government there was less agitation
and less foreboding for the future than there
is now. .-. ...,
No one can tell what will come out of
this incident. Behind the little kingdom
of Hawaii and its apparent desire to be
come part and parcel of the United States,
there looms up the shadow of one of the
most tremendous questions with which this
government hashad to deal since the civil
war In my talks with the biggest and
wisest men of thecapital find them look
ing forward with anxious eyes They say
we are at crisis, and that history is to be
made within the next few weeks or months
We may makea mistake in one direction
and bring upon ourselves foreign complica-
tions which viii result in war of great
cost and destructiveness. Or we may err
in the other direction, and through timid-
ity or Indifference let slipa glorious oppor
tunity to extend American prestige and to
lntrench our government securely in con
troll of the continent of which we are as yet
the chief nation.
In explaining the nature and the serious
ness of this situation as it is viewed here
\ 10 ha Ia,
guage of prominent government official
thoughtful, farseeing man, whose words,
but not whose name am permitted to use
THE revolution in Hawaii" said this
official, has brought our country face to
face with one of the gravest problems it
has had to deal with for many years. We
are suddenly brought to parting of the
ways, to an absolute necessity for reaching
a decision as to what is to be our national
policy with reference to the acquisition of
territory and of strategic advantage in the
western hemisphere. Heretofore our poll
cy has been one of neutrality We have
said that under what is known as the Mon
roe doctrine We should not interfere with
our neighbOrs, nor should we permit Eu
ropean nations 10 interfere
80 far this policy has worked pretty
well. But the time has evidently come
when we.must dOone of two things-aban
don our policy of neutrality and inactiOn
or, in case we hold to it, stand by and see
some other nation do that which we have
up to this time said we should neither do
nor permit any other power to do. The ten
denotes of the times are such that / think i
can see far enough into the future TO wit
ness in my minds eye American domina-
tion in Central America or English dom
<ination. IT must be one or the other. And
. the very question which we are now ap-
preaching a solution of, though the final
struggle may not come for some years, is,
Which shall it be'
Il do not like to take a gloomy view of
the future, but il looks 20 me as if the set
tlement of this question, 1lnless we settle it
by abandonment nf the field, will result in
conflict between thetwO nations The most
probable outcome of the Hawaiian matter,
at least for the present, is a joint protec-
torate between England and the United
States over those islands. But this will be
only makeshift. Neither nation will ac-
cept it as final solution Of the difficulty.
During the whole period of the protectorate
there will be no END of scheming and in
trigping Oh the part Of one or the other ma
tion, probably both, for the upper hand.
IuiS Will CTceiit a GonllllOU SOIlicWndG tl1lal-
ogous to that of children playing with fire.
1t is only a question of time when the con-
fagratiOn occurs
That England has ser her heart on Ha-
waii is known of all men. The diplomacy
of that nation is farseeing, alert. strong
and courageous, backed ias it is by unvary-
ing loyalty at home and the greatest navy
the world ever saw 1t as easy for diple-
mats to be COURAGEOUS when they have
100 great ironclads TO support them. The
English character Is such that it rarely
turns from. a purpose once entered upon.
and conscious of their power they are not
likely to abendon their pursuit Of Hawaii,
which is the KEY to the Pacific. They,want
Hawaii not 80 much Cor Hawaii Itself a.
. for its strategic advantage. just IS they
wanted and finally obtained Gibraltar; Just
as they took possession of Cyprus. the key
TO the Other end of the Mediterranean, and |
Just as they thrust their bayopets and their |
men of war into control Of Egypt, the .Suez |
canal and the gateway to theorient.
English diplomacy and English acguis- |
t3yeness were aptly illustrated by a Jspa- |
official whom a friend of mine recently |
in trip arOuud the world. Said tho |
up; We like the Americans. They Only |
want 30 trade with us. We are afraid ST |
the English. They not only want TO trade,
but they want 20 take possession of lands |
which ds not beloDg to them The Eng
lish get the right 70 establish eoaling sta |
fion on some island for the supply of their
ships. 1t IS only few acres, and no one
thinks it will do any BARN. But pretty
soon some of the Englishmen leave the
coaling station and 90 several miles into
the interior and kick up fuss with the
natives. To protect their men the English
send troops to the scene of she disturbance
and there draw 4 line and proclaim all
that part of the territory British soil. This
satisfies them for little time, and then
we hear the English are in quarrel with
the natives still farther in the interior.
More troops are sent out for their protec-
tion, and when thesmoke has cleared away
the British flag is seen flying OYER just so
much more territory. IL never comes down.
Two or three more advances of this sort,
and lol the entire island has fallen into Eng.
lish hands, and there Il remains forever
mere nFT TTs o-rI. FS-< j. Dsl .