The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1895-02-19
THE ANNEXATION POLICY.
(Boston Herald.)


the Indifference OF the present adj
ministration to Hawaiian matters.
He says that he wants to have the
islands annexed to the United States,
and on that account is obviously de.
srous that the United States should
put itself and keep itself in evidence
at Honolulu all the time. So far as
the present government is concerned,
not q scintila OF evidence has been
given that it is not abundantly able
to defend it,elf. 1t represents, as
we have repeatedly said, the larger
part Of the wealth, intelligence and
enterprise OF the community. IL is
distinctively the rule of an aristo-
cratic few, who certainly would
prove false to their American train
ing il they were not able to hold in
check and govern in an autocratic
manner relatively poor, semi-ignor-
ant and discordant multitude Of
men.
This little group OF Americans
who have gone to Hawaii and who
have taken possession Of the land,
the business and the government OF
the islands, are in no need of having
the warships OF the United STATE
seut there to help them against the
native or immigrant inhabitants,
nor j. there the least danger
though for political purposes Sena-
tor Lodge and others pretend that
there is - that England, France,
Germany or Russia will interfere
and end-avor to take control. The
only possible danger 10 the future
will be from japan, and the Japa-
nese are at present altogether too
much preoccupied with the war they
are engaged in waging against China
to make it at all probable that they
would arouse the hostility Of the
United States, as well as England
and France, by an entirely gratui-
tous interference in Hawaii.
But il it is shown that Hawaii,
with its independent government es-
tablished and maintained by coloniz.
ing Americans, can support itself
without trouble, particularly il its
Independence is guaranteed by the
United States, it will then become
entirely useless TO urge the plan of
annexng the Archipelago as a means
Of preventing foreign powers from
taking possession Of it. For this
reason-that is, to prevent such an
outcome--Senator Lodge and others
are DESTROYS that American warships
should be permanently stationed at
Honolulu, aud We dare say he would
not object If force of United States
troops was landed and permanently
quartered upon the islands. 1t is
simply laud-grabbing policy that
Senator Lodge is interested in pro-
noting, and he does not wish the
administration to throw any obsta-
Giles across the way OF the easy evo-
luton of this scheme.
To our mind such a change OF
policy on the part OF the United
States Government would be seri-
ously detrimental to our national
interests. II we can annex Hawaii
We could also, with equal justice,
annex Nicaragua or one Of the states
Of South America, If system OF
American colonization is made pre-
cedent to the act. But apart from
this question OF the policy of thus
indefinitely extending the bounda-
ries OF our country, there is the fur
ther question of taking in a section
containing mixed population I'M
fitted for republican form of gov
eminent. Ii Hawaii was annexed
there is no reason that can be shown
why the political rights that are
now freely granted to the negroes
in the South, no matter how igno-
rant they may be, should be denied
to the Hawaiians who have been
taught to read and write, and so far
as these tests are concerned are
vastly the superiors OF the colored
population south of Mason aud
Dixon's line.
For Mr.. Lodge and his friends to
get into a state OF fine indignation
because the political rights OF the
negroes are denied, and at the same
time to establish system OF govern
ment for Hawaii that denies these
political rights to the natives OF the
islands, would be, we should sup
pose, too illogical position for even
a Republican politician to assume.
For ourselves we very much prefer
not to increase the burdens that are
already thrown upon our system Of
popular suffrage, and we should hold
the annexation OF Hawaii to be OBJ
jectionable in almost every respect.
II Senator Lodge wishes to enlarge