The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-09-25

The Honolulu correspondent of tn,
Washington Star writes as follows OF
annexation:
Attention has lately been drawn t.
! certain utterances of James B. Castle
! in an interview with a reporter, and tc
the comments thereon of the San Fran,
cisco Chronicle. Mr.. Castle is Collector
/ General here and younger brother OF
our late Envoy TO Washington, w. R
4 Castle. He is reported TO have said that
a majority of our planters are opposed
to annexation, because of its expected
cutting of of the supply of Asiatic Ia
| borers. This statement of Mr.. Castle is
/ considered here TO be not quite accu-
rate. Ii is doubtless true that large
number of the planters, but not ma
/ jority, take that view. This is mostly
true of planters of British origin, and
of many Germans. Most American
planters are undoubtedly anxious for
annexation. There can be no doubt that
the prosperous condition of this Re
public has of late much weakened in
the minds of many people the urgent
sense of need for annexation which
was previously felt as being indispens-
able to stability of government. Many
feel that we are doing exceedingly well
without annexation, and may as well
continue Independent. Thinking men
are hardly deceived in this way.
a conclusion drawn by the Chronicle
from Mr.. Castles alleged admission is
certainly unsound; namely, that any
view of a majority of the sugar planters
would necessarily prevail, as being the
ruling class in these Islands. 1t is true
that the planters and agents, as men of
wealth, and with superior organization,
can and do greatly influence legislation.
There is, however, very large and
powerful class of the leading support
ers of the Republic who are antagon-
istic 10 any domination of the planters,
and who are resolutely in favor of an
nexation. Any outspoken opposition by
planters to annexation would at once
arouse the strongest hostility of this
great majority.
l am certain that our best and ablest
men do not regard as possibility" in
any sense return of Hawaii to mon
archy, with kaiulani as Queen" or
anybody else on the throne. For any
end of securing stability, monarchy
would be the most hopeless possible
resort. The only strength which il
could be imagined TO contribute to a
government would in its christening
the support of majority of the ma
tives. But their support could lend
no appreciate strength to any govern
-, IL 80
litical weight in the community, the
great body OF the natives count for
little more than do your school chill
dren, because of their general mental
weakness and childishness. The ideas
and policies of administration charac-
teriZing the natives are puerile, caprici-
GUS and wholly incompatible with the
necessities OF an active civilization and
commerce such as have taken posses
sion of this queen group of the Pacific.
The whites do and must dominate
here, because they alone possess the
capacity and disposition 10 conduct
civilized and capable administration of
government. They alone are endowed
with the necessary Intellectual and
moral instincts for such duties. These
whites certainly have not the remotest
earthly use for Kanaka king or
Queen on their own account. The stu
pidity, the willfulness, the caprices of
such parsonage would at once clog
all the machinery of government. AT
ter having once experienced the order.
the reasonableness, the quiet of civil
lied republican government, controlled
by the will of the best part of the peo-
pie, no one is going back to the old
/ regime. Were ii conceivable that our
! people, in a moment of faulty, should
set up a Kaiulani, they would speedily
/ hasten to relegate her again TO private
T life. Any attempt of that sort lends
no hope of stability in government
Restored monarchy would be the least
stable of all conceivable situations
+ But no one is going to attempt to gal.
I yanize into life that last years corpse
4 1t may be very conceivable that if an.
! nexation be finally refused blythe Unit
ed States we shall be impelled to turn
to Great Britain in pursuit of the pc,
litical stability which is so greatly de
sired, and TO accept colonial position
under Great Britain, with local self
government. This would indeed be yer!
distasteful to the predominating Am
erican portion of our people. But witt
the immense excess Of British steam
ers in the Pacific this would not be al
unnatural destiny for the Hawaiian
Islands The British amply subsidiz
their steamer lines The United State
) do not. Therefore British commerc
possesses the oceans. With the not dis
tant opening of the Nicaragua cana
; that commerce must immensely multi
ply in this ocean, and British com
mercial houses must greatly increas
|, in Honolulu. Without a very positiv
and decided policy on the part OF tn
United States, the Hawaiian Island
will naturally drift into British posses
sion. 1t seems safe TO predict that be
fore many years they must becom
either American or British. We are in
clined to believe that the somewha
positive expression about Hawaii i
the Republican platform voices the ser
, timent of a majority of the America
people. But if America is 10 "contrC
these Islands it is necessary that sh
should insure to US complete politics
e stability. We do not now possess il
e we must have it; if not from Americ;