The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-10-27
DANGEROUS TRUTH.

by the Hawaiian Senate. 1t quotes
largely from the report OF the pro-
ceedings, and the reasons given by
Senators for voting in favor of it.
1t quotes in full the resolutions of
the native anti-anneXatiOn meet
ing, and the reply of President
Dole to the native committee of
presentation.
1t publishes in the editorial
column, the entire speech OF Min
lister Damon, and quotes from the
Gazette, as ''the faithful organ of
the missionaries and of annexa-
ton" The point it makes against
the Government is, that Mr. Dam
on said Gin the adoption of the
clause of the report (referring to
the inability of the Government
to maintain itself permanently we
would be stultifying ourselves
and would be stating that eve are
unfit to become a part of the great
Republic across the sea-"
The Post wishes that all annex
ationists in America would read
what Mr.. Damon said, and what
the Gazette said about the senti-
mental feeling against annexation
bv those who would prefer to have
the Republic stand alone, if it
could do so.
The. American nation does not
care snap what the Post, or Min
lister Damon, or the Gazette says
on the subject, if it thinks of an
nexing us. At the same time,
Minister Damon will be painfully
impressed, just as we are, that Ian
guage is Intentionally misinter-
preted, by journals, both here and
in America, when they are edited
on the principle of ''going it blind
in advocating a cause. If you
were to ask the editor of the Post
land Nation), if Rev. Mr.. Steb-
bins is right when he says, speak
ing of the necessity of Revolutions
generally, that individual wrongs
become historic rights" he would
assent to it, until the principle was
applied to the Hawaiian revolu-
ton. Then he would stop, and if
you asked him why it did not APP
ply, he would make the old wom-
ans reply, because.
Of course the Post insists that
Minister Damon's speech is an anti
annexation argument. 1t also says
that the Acknowledgement and the
Minister of Foreign Affairs "spoke
in the same vein." It says that if
those Islands are really not able to
take care of themselves, why
should they be admitted to ma
ton, which is constructed on the
political theory that each commun-
itv can take care of itself! The
simple reply is, that neither in the
annexation of Florida, Louisiana,
Texas. California, nor Alaska was
hisparticular question ever serious
lv asked, or discussed, and the dis
cussion of it now seems to indicate
disposition ito fish for reasons. u
These warnings about the fright
full disaster to American institu-
lions, by territorial expansion, are
the very same warnings that were
uttered before the purchase or an
nexation of the vast territories we
have mentioned. As any one who
would now propose to restore those
territories to their former owners,
would show the need of commit
tee" over his person and effects, it
is to be presumed that any one
who now urges the same argument
is in bad way.
We believe that the annexation
cause stands the stronger and bet
ter for this utterance of the
''truth," if indeed anything said
and done here, has the slightest in
fuence on great people, who us
ually do their own thinking, and
have an awfully good eye for their
own interests