The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-12-01

which the Government and the Clul
were organized?"
Lorrin A. Thurston was loudly called
upon for a speech, and he GRACEFUL!
responded. He said in part:
4 am not an officer or a member o.
the Annexation Club. but l was asked
TO come here and see what the members
were going to do. / am not altogether
familiar with your mode of action, be-
cause was not here when the Club wa:
organized. But understand the main
object OF the meeting is the calling at.
tention of the people to the necessity
for annexation: there is no more i'm
poTtant thing than that. / have heard
il said that the people of the Islands
are weakening on the annexation prop
osition. but / do not agree with the
people who say so. Circumstances are
such that there has not been the neces-
sity for our getting out on the street
corners and talking about it. The re-
cent change in the political situation
in the United States warrants our push
ing the measure from this time for
ward Ii there are persons who have
apparently grown lax in their desire
10 have the Islands annexed, it is the
duty of the members of the Club to
talk TO those people and get them
again interested.
There is one thing l am sorry TO
see. the fight between the editors of
the Star and the Advertiser. The ed
itors are both annexationists, and it
is poor policy for them to make faces
at each other and call names. If the
Annexation Club, the American Union
Club. or the American League want
10 push forward the claims of the peo-
pie for annexation, for Gods sake let
them go in and do it; don't let them
kick each others shins in their hurry
TO keep one another from doing it.
was not here when this club or the
others were organized, but l believe
they are all striving to the same end,
and the American League is an annex
alton club under another name. / do
not believe there is any waning in
the community regarding annexation,
for We are in greater need of it today
than wo ever were before. There are
a good many of you among the officers
and the various committees, and in the
reorganization you should use caution
and judgment as in any business prop
osition; get the best men you have
men you can depend upon for good,
hard work 1t may be that the bulk
Of the work should be done at the 9TH
er end Of the line, but there is some
to be done here, and as it is so long
since the Club met / think it would be
wise to call the roll and ascertain the
feeling. / was told before came here
tonight that eight of the officers have
left the country. There may be some
back sliders, ard il is the duty of the
Club TO ascertain who they are and
bring them back. Annexation is what
the Government was organized for, and
il is the pole star toward which we
are gliding, the same as in 1893" CAP
plause)
On a call of the Chairman for furth-
eT remarks, B. F. Dillingham; said in
part: Il do not think that | can say
anything that will add any weight to
what Mr.. Thurston has just said. But
/ wish TO express a thought regarding
the controversy between the papers.
II has been a mistake, in my opinion,
that there should have been a differ
ence between the editors of two papers,
whose policy is for annexation. There
is no questioning the truthfulness Of
the old saying, United we stand; divid-
ed we fall The matter of a name
in an affair of this kind amounts to
nothing, but we must have concerted
action, We must work for the end for
which the Club was organized and
which the Government is pledged to
annexation. 1t is barely possible that
some of the men who declared them
selves in 1898 in favor of annexation
have changed their minds. but in view
of the possible changes in our treaty
relations with the United States,
believe we should not only favor an
nexation, but work for it. / do no.
mean by this that the patriotism )f
the people of Hawaii is to be meas
ured by dollars and cents, but if We
know that a thing is for our good We
will strive TO obtain it"
Mr.. McStocker asked the indulgence
of the members that he might say
few words regarding the opposition to
the calling of the meeting.
when the Club was organizing there
was a great deal of work to be done
in order to enroll members. We work
ed day and night, in order to secure
names, and if the people who oppose
the call knew the extent of the work
they would not be so apt at using
harsh language toward the members
of the committee. AS to the annexa
tion scheme waning, gentleman from
Hawaii. who l invited to come here to-
night, could have told you how things
have changed there. A number of peo-
pie, he informs me, have modified their
views on this great question; men who
were heart and soul with us in 1898 and
1894 have weakened or gone over TO
the other side, and we will have to
do some PROSECUTING in order to get
them back into the fold. To do this
we must have harmony, for in organi-
Zation there is strength. / believe it
is necessary to revive the Club, for we
need workers. We all know of the
admirable work done by w. B. Oleson
when he was here and after he left, and
We are in need of just such workers
now. l am in favor of calling the
Club together and picking out the best
men in it to work for the cause of an
nexation; men in whom we have con-
fidence and who viii push the work
along"