Evening star., 1895-04-27

Britain, who must keep the bulk of her
warships in the Atlantic and Mediterran-
| can. and who might, therefore, be much
| more easily met by an equal force defend
| ing your Pacific coast. Even with the
| Nicaragua canal to facilitate the transfer
| OF your laval forces from the Atlantic to
| the Pacific, it would require more than
| double your present navy to keep ships
| enough in reach of San Francisco and
Puget Sound to defend those ports against
| probable attacks from great Pacific naval
| power like Japan, holding a naval station
in these islands. With the help of the
canal, and yourselves occupying these
| islands, quite moderate navy will con-
| tinCe ample for the defense of your Pacific
coast. Whatever naval power holds Ha-
wall has tremendous leverage for at
| tack or defense in the North Pacific. No
power is more wide awake to this than
Japan. with her alert statesmen and ac-
corpiiShed adm:ralS.
The United States need not fatter them
selves that in her present aggressive en-
thusiasm Japan will lose any time in seiZ-
| irg this great point of vantage, while such
an opportunity as the present seems to
exist in the apparent Washington policy of
| neglect of the Hawaiian Islands
1t Is highly improbable that Japan would
attempt to seize Hawaii any more than
England would in the face of a distinct as
sertion by the United States of its propri-
etary relation to this country. 1t is the
absence of such assertion that creates the
danger, and gives Japan the tempting op-
portunity to do what would make her gov
ernment very popular with the people.
Whateyer Japan does will probably be done
very soon; our government is in a critical
position, and liable to be speedily called to
confront a terrific emergency, and the
prospect of being enslaved by an Asatic
power.
May Look to England.
In the absence Of that interposition from
the United States which this noble Ameri-
can colony has a sacred right to expect,
there is only one other resource, and 1t is
one which could be depended on, beyond a
doubt. That is. to invoke the protection of
Great Britain. To surrender ourselves to
British control would be bitter alterna-
tive. But there is not white man in these
islands, and probably not a Hawaiian, who
would not raise both hands for becoming a
British possession in order to escape the
threatened Asiatic slavery. Unless there is
decided change in the attitude now eX-
listing toward us at Washington, it is not in
the least improbable that within the next
six months the government of this republic
may find itself forced by Japanese aggreS-
sion to adopt the alternative of surrender
ing Itself into the hands of Great Britain,
and hoisting the British flag over these is
lands.
Under the conditions supposed of Japan
csc aggression and American inertnesS. no
one will suppose that England would wait
to be asked twice to raise her flag over
Honolulu. She never coveted the posses
sion OF any country mere eagerly than she
now covets the Hawaiian Islands. She
needs them to- complete her chain of sta
tions between her Dominion of Canada and
Hawaii to give her the dominion of the
North Pacific. She wants 1t to give her
the strategic command of the whole Pacific
coast from Alaska to Panama, and to save
British Columbia from being menaced by
Hawaii in the hands of any other power.
AS soon tco, the Nicaragua canal is
opened Hawaii will be the resort of vast
fleets of British steamers crossing the Pa
wish, h. ID,,s%;
over their great way station, and will be
unhappy to see any other flag in that posi-
ton. Every patriotic Britisher is sound on
the subject Of future British possession
of Hawaii. If America does not repel jap
anese aggression here England will do it
with force and promptitude.
1t is most likely that all the above will
be pooh-poched at by your Washington
magnates an effort to get up japanese
and British scare in the interest of anneXa-
ton. Two years ago We had two japanese
cruisers in port, either of them more than
match for the u S. S. Boston. United
States Minister John L. Stevens believed
that they harbored designs against this
country. He raised the American flag. ere
ating an American protectorate. and foiled
them. Such was the reason he assigned.
He was discredited and the stars and
stripes were pulled down. Cause for the
same apprehension now recurs with greater
force. win the same prejudice discredit it
again? All that can be done from here is
to send You the warning.
Pacific Mission.
The missionary auxiliary steamer the
Morning Star, returned this week from her
annual nine months cruise among the
American missions in the island groups of
Micronesia, lying from 1000 to 5000 miles
west of us. As you perhaps know, all of
those islands have been appropriated by
European powers. Great Britain has taken
the Gilbert OF kingsmill Islands, which
vest Of us. These are quite sterile islets
or atolls, covered with cocoanut and pan
danus only, with 10000 haIf-conyerted'
savages, to whom British restraint is a
great mercy.
Germany has taken the larger group of
the Marshall atolls, lying northwest Of the
Gilberts. with a rather larger number of
inhabitants, who have more rain crd
plenty of breadfruit. In both these groups
our missionaries had labored successfully
for twenty-five years, before European au-
thcrity came. and was welcomed by them
as supplying a much-needed governmental
control and social order. The British have
been altogether friendly. The Germans
have been jealous, and thrown some OBJ
sionaries In the Marshalls. OF late, low
ever, they have been more friendly.
Still larger and more important missions
are in the Caroline Islands, to the west,
which are higher and more fertile The
Carolines We're assigned to the Spaniards
some ten years ago. They proceeded to
occupy the most important island, Po-na-
pc. with soldiers, Capuchin priests and a
governor. Their violence to the natives
provoked retaliation. Cur missionaries
were accused Of fomenting this, although
they had labored to the utmost as peace
makers. They We're finally expelled, and
their houses and property DESTROYED.
AS Spain had engaged to protect the
American missionaries and leave them un-
molested in their work. the present admin
istration have exacted and obtained pecun-
iary damages from Spain. 1t was under
stood that the missionaries were also to
be allowed to return and resume their
work, as the natives are extremely anxious
that they should do But this is not per
mitted. On her late cruise the Morning
Star was forbidden to hold any Intercourse
with the inhabitants of Po-na-pe. Only the
master was taken ashore to see the Span
ish governor in the steam pinnace belong
ing to the latter. Prince Henry Nanpei,
the native Protestant leader, went off and
hovered around the ship in his canoe, but
was not allowed to communicate with her.
Nanpei is a highly civilized and f1ne-look-
ing man, who has visited the United States.
and speaks and writes excellent English.
He has unbounded influence with the ma
tives, and is paid a good salary by the
governor. 1t was a severe trial to him
to be thus forbidden intercourse with his