The times., 1897-12-17
FRIDAY DECEMBER i, 1897.
Enaland's Pacific Menace.


d we ufaE .helieve current ramor, there
are ramler Of teace-lociug gentlemen
in The senate and House who fear that
cur acquisition OF Hawaii might force Us
90 increase our Navy.
EE-S-5-etary Foster Tethink has shown
concIusively that, il we should reject tie
urgent lttHuu OF the Ha avaiiaus fo7 IN
nezalin- boy that very act we would
1acate TIE policy regarding Hawaii which
We lia So Ela ntaincd for half a century, and
Tetract aud mnHfy all the declarations
heretofore made bv our Congress and nc
cessive Presidents that we could Lot
tolerate Tie absorption OF the Islands boy
any foreign power.
Great britain, in coalition with the IA
tiaus of Western Europe, VIII not allow
us To -guu the offer Of Hawaii aal tI,en
sas thar, while re VIII not take the
key nr tie Pacific. no other natiou shall.
The Monroe doctrine is not international
law enough. and We have not tie force
ma i-ur-" 20 make Is So. sufficiently TO
compel England, France, Germany and
Austria 90 respect our sentiments and
ambitions ir respect of Hawaii in case
ve DO not seize the golden Opportunity
of annexation. Tt is notorious that the
little group of LsUlar patches an tie
great ocean is unable to stand alone that
It's teemiag resources ana its comma -Iiug
position d. relation TO The futlr .faIe
Of tie world by way Of the Nicaragua
Canal make it desirable To and desired by
our commercial rivals. That they VIII
aEoW u- To- surrender our chance Of pro-
urietor>Hir and then invoke the Monroe
doctrine. on dog-iu-tEe maager principles,
Is too ridiculous for serious consideration.
on the other hand, it is hut too plain that
a European coalition is operating through
a powerful hobby IN Washington 70 Iefeat
annexation, and, il that can De accom-
plishea. seize the Hawaiian Islands and
laugh m us AMI our "doctrine.'
our myertebrate friends ana fellow
citizens perhaps have not thought n the
question from tits point OF lew; but they
need to, and that quickly. EawaH viii
have TO look out for It's own protection. II
we refuse its overtures we VIII be estopped
from obseetirg 10 its application 10 Great
Britain, for instance, and that viii be
made and accepted in less than stxtydays
after we reject the free gift Of domination
over Pacific commerce, protection of our
Pacific coast and the opportunity yso sierend
the hopeIror American canal betv cen The
oceans.
Then where shall we be? With Great
BrBsin u.euacingour shores and-enderingit
impossible for us 10 control tie in,er3aeanic
avenue of commerce across Central Amer
lea, we wiz have the old tradition Of our
Monroe doctrine, to le sure, iu; we shall
be compelledto abandon and forget it lr 10
fight for it. Now we can acquire the
islands, with all the wealth they include
with all the advantages OF position, nfIu-
ence and power with which they wouid
eDdow rs, and practically without cost
OF fight OF friction with any foreign
power. Bat If we are insane enough 70
leave them 20 their rate our american l.ol-
icy will become the laughing stock Of Eu-
rope, and We VIII have TO 90 to war or ac-
knowledge ourselves for all time a urovin-
ciaI aggregation Of unimportaHt settlers
IN North America, without any interests
or rights that the great powers OF the Garth
are bound to, Ur viii respect.