Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-12

~ %ae-A usuai saiu'es were
,sls2. e er's eo aan''' was Sa aa;
~Nl-fN nounced two days
NsssNNS$$S earlier. by sailing
A~SN vessel, or it would
have been a surprise.
OF course it has caused great speculation.
We have the various Washington reports
to help us guess what special errand the
famous admiral must be intrusted with.
1t seems evident that so very prominent
an officer would not have been selected.
and kirkland recalled. unless some ser
vice of great moment, and perhaps peculiar
delicacy, was required. We have scarcely
been awake to the fact of any special
emergency having arisen here, or Of
any new necessity requiring extraordinary
management. Very probably your admin
istration has gained important light from
some source upon Pacific matters which we
have not.
If as alleged, and not improbable. Admiral
Walkers special errand relates to Pearl
harbor Americans in Hawaii will generally
be glad to see him take as active steps as
possible toward occupying that much neg
lected concession to the United States. now
remaining unoccupied for nearly eighteen
years since first coded by our treaty of
reciprocity. The doctrine has always been
held here. and was confirmed by Secretary
Bayard. that the concession was not perma-
nent, but conterminous with the treaty, and
would expire whenever the treaty expired
II the United States now begins TO take
possession there and to eXpend money
while the treaty has yet at the very least d
year and a half to run, We have no right to
object. and we have no objection. We are
delighted to see the administration show so
enlightened a sense of the great Importance
Of its growing commercial and naval in
terests in the Pacific. If they think II
necessary to reinforce the gallant admiral
with one or a half dozen more of the
steel cruisers we can make room for them
inside our snug little harbor. We shall wei
come them with delight as an earnest of
Americas intention to hold Hawaii close
and fast to herself.
some of the Interesting Conjectures.
We have had so much confidence in that
intention speedily prevailing that we have
not felt seriously alarmed at certain strong
indications of grasping interest in Hawaii
on the part of both England and Japan. 1t
has seemed certain that neither Of those
nations would venture to let any interest
of that sort materialize into open action, in
ton on the part of our powerful and i'm
perial American neighbor. Possibly United
States policy has not been sufficiently ex-
pressed, or perhaps the Presidents action
last December was misinterpratad show
ing Indifference to American influence in
Hawaii. In any case, this mission of Ad-
miral Walker will tend to diSpel doubts
upon that subject. We shall look for in.
teresting developments in few days.
Word has already gone on that Admiral
IrNyip'S made Pea ri Ia rbOr | a N
dictate that the obstruction consists wholly
of soft material, sand and mud, and not of
coral rock, as had been supposed. If this
is 50, the cost of removal will be COMPARE
lively small An obstruction of similar ma
terial at the entrance of Honolulu harbor
was easily removed by a suction dredge
ever year ago. Two years work of a
couple of such machines ought to completely
open Pearl harbor, with an entrance pass
age 800 feet wide and 80 feet deep as
planned. This bar is about a mile out
side of the shore, where Is a barrier reef
Inside of this the water is deep clear into
the river channel and the interior lochs or
lagoons.
The lower two miles of river channel are
perfectly commanded by the point of a
peninsula in the fork of the east and west
branches. Guns there will rake the whole
passage, and search light at the same
point will reveal everything stealing in nv
night. Perfect defenses will be made with
the utmost facility. The naval ysssaIs win
naturally be berthed farther I'D the harhor
Coal yards and docks will be arranged as
desired, either on the central peninsula or
upon Fords Island. which contains 800
acres There are about 500 acres Of 5esn
water anchorage.
A Commercial Future.
After the Nicaragua canal is opened and
the Atlantic steam fleet begins to stream
across the Pacific to the ports Of China and
japan Honolulu or Pearl harbor will be
their only possible coaling station In mid
ocean. The amount of traffic is estimated
TO average thirty steamers month, count
ing each way. Nearly as many GOLFERS will
be needed to supply them. Honolulu harbor
mas no capacity for one-quarter of that
business, which Will. of necessity go six
miles below to Pearl harbor. Thus, in the
very near future an immense revolution In
our commercial affairs is to be looked for
We have no doubt that the United States
Will be fully awake to these contingencies
ana to their necessity of holding complete
control OF the situation. The coming trans
Pacihc commerce via Nicaragua must be at
first mainly in British hands There will
therefore, be an inevitable tendency on the
part OF Great Britain to secure the posses
sion of these islands. which will form the
central haven for that commerce Such a
result can only be prevented by a prompt
and decided assertion by the United States
OF their superior claim and by an active oc-
cupancy of the position. We welcome the
presence of Admiral Walker as indicating a
clear intention of the United States to as
sert and maintain their rights in Hawaii as
Americas great outpost for her control of
the North Pacific. Whatever the admirars
instructions may be. or whatever stems he
may first take. we feel assured that ali will
inevitably hasten on our manifest destiny of
annexation to the great republic
They Saved the Trees
Probably the greatest benefactor OF apri-
culture. particularly of fruit culture. in
these Pacific regions is Prof.Albert Koebele
He Is now doing great work in Hawaii
Just as Pasteur found the microbes Of hu-
man diseases and the secret of comba ting
them. so Koebele is the expert who knows
all the plant lice that blight and poison the
trees of California and Hawaii and he
knows how to find the ladybugs and other
insects that will exterminate those deadly
little pests. Some three years ago our finest
shade trees were suddenly attacked In a
fearful manner by a new pest-the cottony
cushion scale. Honolulu, you know, is a