Evening star., 1896-12-17
Reasons Why the Island Republic
Should Be Annexed,
NATIVE CONSENT NOT TO Be ASKED
The Whites Govern and Control
the Future Of Hawaii.
ORR EN- TAI IMMIGRATION
Special Correspondence Of The Evening s.ar.

\
! HONOLULU. November "a. 1885,
The local opposition to annexation. lee
by British influences, is now massng its
forces upon the position that bef ore the
United States can annex Hawaii it is
absolutely necessary to obtain the consen,
of the native Hawaiians to that measure
1t is their last hope. in this way to appeal
| to the democratic conscience of America
| that 1t is contrary to- American principles
| to annex an unwilling people. AS i,efore
| reported In this correspondence, Mr. Jonn
| w. Foster, while en- route for Honolulu
| encountered this plea In San Francisco
| carefully formulated by the Cana dian Ash
! ford. Mr.. Foster gave consideration to
| that point. while in Honolulu. and is un-
I'doubtedly armed with clear views in re-
| gard to 1t.
After maintaining long silence upon the
| subject on the 21st the Evening Bulletin
| of Honolulu came out with a careful argu-
| ment to show that the consent of the ma.
tives must be secured before anything car
be done. The Bulletin is edited by very
worthy and capable Canadian. 1t was
strongly royalist for two years after the
| revolution, but latterly has been neutral
| or even qualified supporter of the re.
| public. The editors good sense has cvi.
| IDENTIFY convinced him long since that native
| rule In Hawaii is thoroughly impractic able
| and that the country must be run by white
| brains. Nevertheless, as a patriotic Britis b.
er. he views with little complacency the
| prospect of annexation to the states. He
| writes as follows:
There must necessarily be two parties
| to any contract for the annexation of he
| Hawaiian Islands to the United States
| Those parties are the people of the United
States and the people of Hawaii The PARTY
| of the second part Is the people of Hawaii
| as a who1e-rot any class or faction OIL
| combination of classes or factions, but q
plain ruling majority of all residents, such
| as would be eligible candidates for citi-
zership of the United States, If living In
| that country today, or living here a the
| time this country should be annexed
The willingness of the Hawaiian
| to become an American voter is a question
that will have to be solved before Hawaii
is admitted to the Union. Gove.'nma mi
without he consent of the governed Is
against the principles of the Declaration
| of Independence. Now the controlling ma.
jority of the foreign population is com
mitted to annexation through the con
| stitution of the republic which il has
maintained under no small difficulty. I"
| The main force of any renewed -ctivi.y CT
this side should be directed toward con
| ciliating the native Hawaiians. and con
| vincing them that it is for their best in.
terests that they fall into line with the
manifest destiny of their country, which
| for two generations has been regarded 10y
| intelligent observers outside and inside tC
| be incorporation into the great Union
| While 1t is absurd to expect or even sup.
! pose that the rulers of this republic should
| submit Its existence to a plebiscte oil
popular vote without political test in sd.
| vance, yet it may be taken as certain thai
| when it comes to the decision of anne xa.
ton. the whole people of Hawaii will be
| required to pass upon the questi )n.
| The practice of other great countries
! in the acquisition of territory is no criter.
ion by which to estimate probable Aneri-
| can policy in this regard. There are prin
;,,1a -.
liberty and constitution. applicable to oul
| case, which are not likely to be violated
| in this matter. The various purchases OF
territory by the United States. which may
| be cited in opposition to the present arg l.
| ment, beside the question. In no case
| of such purchase did the United States
| take forcible sovereignty over a large po-
litical community that had enjoyed self
| government
| Work of Peace.
| Beginning with the last points presented
| in the above argument, it may be replied
| that the United States not asked TO
| take forcible possession. The government
| which is now thoroughly in control of the
| islands will welcome the United States to
| assume the sovereignty and raise the flag
| without force and with no sembiance OF
| resistance to be overcome. The only op-
! position will be a sentimental one, stirred
| Up by British meters among an inert
populaca Of natives who constitute only
| cne-third Of the population. The great ma :
jority Of the ruling white population. who
| resistessly control the government, will
earnestly welcome the American SOW
| ereignty.
| Nor can the present population of Hawaii
| properly be termed large political COM
| munity." 1t is composed of 10000 natives
| and half whites. 25.o0O whites and $4,000
| Asatics. The last not a part of the
| political community, through ignorance of
| the English and Hawaiian tongues having
share in the cnndncf Of Hoir
! The natives are an inert and rapidly dimin-
| tshing factor. The political life of the is
| lands, like its business life, inheres in the
| whites. These 25.OOO whites form only the
| lation, numbering hundreds of thousands,
| who are soon to multiply upon us and
| possess the group. The United States are
not called upon to deal with a large and
| established political community, but with
| this small beginning of the coming PEOPLE
! of Hawaii
This takes back to the point first
| made, that the people of HAWAII must
| be a party to the contract for annexati ton.
Here is the very question to be settled,
Who are the real people of Hawaii? Are
| they the decadent and dwindling race Of
| aboriginal Hawaiians. who still Hnger in
| the land. feeble and inefficient people,
pushed aside from active life by the
swarmng Asiatics and the vigorous
| whites? Or are they not rather the fresh.
active. brainy white race, who have by
their skill and energy created the great
wealth and the thriving commerce of the
| islands. who own what they have thus
| created. and who are manifestly the heirs
| OF the future of Hawaii rather than he
weak native race? Though still in a nu-
merical minority, the 25.0OO whites are the
existing representatives of the coming peo-
| pie who are certain in the next generate
to outnumber all other races in Hawaii
What the, natives represent in antagonism
to the whites Is dead past, for which
there is no future. One hundred and
twenty-five years ago these beautiful islands
were crowded with warning tribes of near
ly naked semi-savages at least 4O0,OOO in
number. Touched by the blighting contact
of the white discoveries, they withered
away. Barely one-tenth remain Of the pos
terity of the old prolific race. They are
incapable of replenishing the population of
the islands. They incapable of de-
veloping the resources of the country, or of
taking any but the most subordinate part
in conducting Its business. Their claim
to be the people whose voice is to settle the
future political destiny of the country GER
tainly may well be challenged.
Whites Must Govern.
By reason Of their superior capacity and
force the whites of Hawaii have become
the real people of Hawaii. The master and
officers of a ship are necessarily the men