The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-01-22

Congress his disapproval OF the pro-
iect entertained by the Government
OF the United States, last winter,
for the annexation of Islands of
the sea more than 1000 miles re-
moved from our nearest coast" He
has not called attention, however,
to the fact that as long ago as the
year 1884 the United States EN-
deavored to annex islands situated
at that distance, in a word the self
same Hawaiian archipelago that has
now been offered to us again. That
effort was made, too, by genuine
Demo- ratio administration, and the
head of the Department OF State
was a very superior man as well as
a genuine and typical Democrat
William l.. Marcy.
In dispatch to Mr.. Gregg, our
representative at Honolulu, Secre-
tary Marcy, with an eagerness
which Mr.. Cleveland would prob
ably consider repehensible, went
out to meet the proposal of annexa-
ton half way:
! The information contained in your
| last despatch, No. 10, dated the 17th OF
! February, renders it highly probable
| that the ruling powers of that Govern
ment, will have presented to you, as our
diplomatic agent, an offer of the sover-
80 Of l.r IN
States. The President has deemed it
proper that you should be furnished
with instructions for the guidance of
your conduct in such an emergency.
/ With this despatch you will be furnished
with full power to treat with the
present authorities of the Hawaiian
Government for the transfer of the
Sandwich Islands to the United States.
Mr.. Marcy then proceeded to
say that no intimation had been
given to the Government as to the
conditions upon which the offer
would be made by Hawaii, and
this puts his alacrity i'll welcoming
it i'll still stronger contrast with
what we see to-day. He expressed
the hope however, that something
more than a mere protectorate is
being contemplated" since that
would create heavy and responsible
duties, without the assurance o.
compromising advantages:
II understand that the measure pro
posed by the people, and that in which
the present rulers are disposed to con
cur, is annexation, as distinguished from
projections: and that it is their intention
that these islands shall become part OF
our territories. and be under the contro
of this Government, as fully as any
other Of its territorial possessions"
After reiterating this point of a
complete transfer of sovereignty,
. with annexation, Mr.. Marcy pro
posed to comr ensate "the present
rulers and chiefs for the surrender
of their political rights, and sug'
gested annuities of 800, 900 fol
that purpose.
1t is a we'll known fact that
, under this encouragement, Mr.
Gregg negotiated a treaty of an
nexation. 1t contained, however
two provisions which Our Govern
ment would not accept. One was
that Hawaii should Immediately be
made a State of the Union instead
of a Territory only, and the othel
that the King should receive $500,
600 in annuities instead OF 500,
900. We can well understand thai
in those days the former objection
was vital. Hawaii was no,
then fit to be State
The resident foreign popu.
lation was very small, the re
sources of the Islands had moi
been developed, and in every way
it was far inferior to the Hawaii o
to-day. Besides, the slavery ques
ton was all important then, and tc
admit Hawaii as a State would have
been to start the old controversy
: whether she should be slave or free
The project was even then attacked
on the ground that sooner or late
it would add slave State to thu
Union. In the midst of the nego
tiations, about the middle of De
cember, 1854, the King died. Th'
heir apparent, who looked forward
to the pleasures of reigning rathe
than to the burdens that haC
weighed upon his predecessor, be
came Kamehameha ", and thi:
put an end to the annexation pro
, ject,
1t will be observed, therefore
that not only was our Government
ready and eager to annex Hawaii
| OH proper conditions, but it made
nothing of the fact that the archi
pelago was two thousand mile.
, away. What Mr.. CLEVELAND
imagines to be "unbroken Ameri
can tradition" against such an an
nexation did not exist for Mr.
Marcy. But to get the full neasur,
of the contrast between 1884 ant
1894, the Hawaii of forty year!
ago must be set off against the Ha
waii of to-day. AS far away il
miles she was vastly farther il
: time. There was no railroad thei
. across this continent and tn,
triumphs of modern steamships il
the Pacific were unknown. Gu
line of settlements on that seaboarC
gave little token of the presen
| magnificent development. TIL,
English and Germans had not thei
gathered up into their possession
all available Pacific islands, thu
8 making Hawaii doubly importan
to us as a strategic and Commercial