Evening journal., 1893-04-26
NEWSPAPER OPINION.

Light ON the Haw waiian Situation.
New York Herald.
Ia his dispatches from Honolulu to the
Herald. the second of which appeafed on
this page yesterday, Charles Nordhoff is
revealing the real situation in theislands
and the true inwsrdness of the Hawaiian
revolution He finds that in its incep-
tion and progress it has been what the
Herald has more than suspected from
the beginning-simply sugar planters
revolution for revenue The purpose Of
these men was not government, but
business. Their object was money. They
did not seek to govern, but they wanted
the is ands governed to their interest
and for their special benefit. This they
schemed and hoped to attain
through, annexation. With this end
in view a revolution was Matched.
the Queen dethroned, the will
of the Hawaiian majority overridden and
provisional government proclaimed in
behalf of an Insignificant planter
minority, OF course this revolutionary
movement would have speedily come to
an untimely end had success depended
on its own strength or righteousness.
But ready sympathizer aud coad jutor
was found in the American Minister
and in the United States naval com
mander. The provisional government
was promptly recognized by the
minister aud as promptly backed by
the forces under the commander, and
commissioners were despatched TO
Washington to hurry through
annexation. Then the armed pro
tectorate vas proclaimed, the Ameri.
eau flag was hOisted on the Capt
IN nj nfa
ostensibly under the protection of the
United States as a preliminary to the
expected consummation of the scheme in
Washington II is now becoming only
too plain that this whole business was
simply a sugar conspiracy, concocted and
pushed for revenue Thanks to timely
change of administration at Washing
tOl it has been nipped in the bud Com
missioner Blounts quiet but effective
action has restored the status quo at
Honolulu without entailiug any Of the
dire consequences so confidently pre-
eicted by the rabid jing, annexationists.
rs our correspondent reports, "the
Japanese have not yet taken possession
of these islands. The British lion is not
seen to wag its tail Colonel Blount has
not forcibly restored the Queen.
aud everything is quiet, even
the discussion between those who
want ann xation aud those who
don't" What seems to be most desira
bic now is ths summary recall Of Miuis-
ter Stevens, who "has been and will con
tinue to be, as long as he remains here.
an intermeddler in local differences openly
on the side-of annexation. He can do no
good and may help to serious harm" We
commend this extract from our Honolulu
despatch to the special consideration OF
President Cleveland and Secretary
Gresham We also commend TO their
consideration the potent reasons which
our correspondent finds against aunexa
tion. or course, annexation is favored
by the stockholders in about sixty FIVE
sugar p antations, who want chance
to make more money, being rich already
and don't want the trouble of Justly rul
ing the people among whom they have
chosen to settle. Until lately they
have been clearing from twenty
to eighty per cent on their investments,
and they are naturally eager to restore
their fallen fortunes through annexation
But the great majority of Hawa ians do
not want annexation, and their will is to
be respected by every foreign power AS
for the United States it has everything
to lose and nothing to gain by annexa
tion. In time of peace we would have to
keep feet Of revenue cutters patrolling
the islands to prevent opium smuggling.
and in time of hostilities a large force of
warships to defend the islands and the
property of the sugar planters. For the
purpose Of aiIording homes, land or EN-
ployment to our surplus population the
islands would simply prove useless In
short, annexation would merely add to
the national burdens and responsibilities
without securing any advantages in re
turn There is no earthly reason foI
Hawaiian annexation.