Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-02-23
HON. JOHN [. STEVENS
Addressed the Michigan Republican
Club at Detroit, Last Evening.
He Exp, aimed Hawaiian Si.u a,icn and Showed
the Administra atoms Blum ier

given a magnificent reception. Mr.. Stew
ems spoke as follows:
1t is the matured opinion of thinking aud
responsible men that government should be
maiuly directed by principles which have
been tried and determined by experience.
There may be special emergencies in human
affairs when master minds should investi-
gate theories and resort to untried expedi-
ents. But such occasions are rare, and
only rare and specially gifted men are cap
able of dealing with such emergencies. 10
political and in commercial affairs it is just
as ne ssary to look carefully at the maps.
tie compass and the chronometer as in sail
ing ships and working out the problems OF
marine science. Facts cannot compromise
solid and clear cut. Logic is mex
orable. State smanship cares for the
present and is thoughtful of the future,
and is never divorced from real patriotism.
The craftsmanship and the patriotism which
10 not think of the future of the country,
are worse than worthless. All good men
are Thoughtful for the future welfare of
their children. Those who say-let pos
terity take care of itself, have not the in
.piration nor the fiber of true manhood.
individuals cannot safely dodge their re-
sponsibilities, if they would. Nor can gov
ernments worthy of the name ignore their
opportunities and their responsibilities. The
logic of its situation, its powers, and its
responsibilities nation cannot ignore nor
disregard. If there is one thing positively
deter mined by experience, tits that success
full commercial nation must have ready ac-
cess to the world outside of itself. Equally
certain it is, that no great aud prosperous
manufacturing nation can be boxed up
within its own borders. That the United
States is now the greatest manufacturing
nation in tie world,.is attested by conclu-
sive figures. With our vast resources of
IRON, coal, water power, and ability to pro-
duce food to feed an immense population,
the day is not distant when we will produce
thousands of millions of dollars of manu-
factured goods per annum, for expectation.
The logic of our necessities will require
the agencies of vast foreign commerce.
To have commerce commensurate with
our resources and our needs we must
have roads on the lland and roads on the
ocean. To use these ocean roads we must
have innumerable ships driven by steam
or electricity. To make available on
the ocean either steam or electricity,
there must be stored at certain
points that which produces steam or electric
ity. These storage depots must be on
ocean islands favorably located. In these
regards there is no chance for illusions,
nor for doubtful theorizing. The posses
sion of central ocean islands is an absolute
necessity for the future of this country
Ocean islands played an important part 10
European history when ssils and oars were
the only machinery of navigation. How
much more so now when steam ships are
regnant in their colossal commercial power.
To run coach lines thousand miles across
desert without hotels and feeding places
for man ard beast is obviously impossible
To run lines of steamers across thousands
of miles of ocean for commercial uses
and profit, without coaling and supply
stations, is equally impossible. The
islands are the indispensable adjuncts
of the ocean waters to render them yalu-
able for naval and commercial purposes.
Call up the phenicisns, the Greeks, the
Carthsgenians of the old centuries, and
they would tell us this with emphasis. See
with what t. nacity AMI great expense the
nations of modern Europe maintain their
hold on their islands and seas. 1t was the
teaching of histoI icsl experience As well as
maritime end commercial sagacity which
caused John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webs
ter and John NJ. Clayton to perceive the
importance of Hawaiian Islands TO the fu-
ture interests of the United States. They
did not advocate annexation in their day,
for it would have been premature for them
to have done so. The native population
was then five times what it is now and tie
number of white men was small. Our rivals
were then much stronger than We in the
Pacific waters, and we could not afford to
be premature. But the logical sequence OF
the opinions and measures of those states
men ne cessarly end in the American acqui-
sition of the islands. After California be-
came part of the Union and the great
prospe ctive Importance of Oregon, Wash
ington and Puget Sound were perceived,
the immense future value of the North
Pacific as field for American commerce
appeared more obvious. Our wise purchase
of Alaska, lengthening our Pacific coast to
nearly four thousand miles, and the build
ing of our great rans-continental lines of
serve to strengthen and illustrate
the Just demand that Hawaii shall be al
lOWed 10 come unuer tHe aHleflcAn nag
If it was clear to Secretary Marcy
and the Democratic administration of
1858 and 1854 that the islands should
be acquired speedily and at once,
formul atipg and authorizing a treaty for
that purpose, offering hundred thousand
dollars of subsidy to secure the same, how
much stronger we're the reasons in 1867,
when Secretary Seward wrote to the Amer
lean minister at Honolulu that he conf
IDENTIFY looked forward to anne xstion, and
that be then accepted reciprocity iostead,
only because the Hawaiian government was
not then ready for annexation. Mr.. Sew
ards great capacity and large experience in
his prophetic foresight as to
the vast future American commercial posi-
bilities in the Pacific, caused him to regard
the absorption of the islands, in the Ameri-
can system, certain at a date not distant
from his time of so writing 20 Minister Nc
Cook, then at Honolulu. President John
sons message to Congress in 1868, con-
tains a passage, undoubtedly written by
Secretary Seward, emphaticaily endorsing
Hawa allan annexation. The next following
indicated the same opinion
both in the message of Pref lent Grant in
1873 and by the manner in which Secretary
Fish spoke of the dispatch of United States
Minister Pierce, then at Honolulu, who had
rNonf;ruod an od paOo