Omaha daily bee., 1897-08-25
ANNEXATION OF HAWAII.
serious Objections Against the Pro-
posed Measure.
Hon. Car schurz in HotrorH weekly,

|
| Hon. Car SChurz in Harpcr's weekly.
| The shril cry which recently resounded
! over the land, thdt unless the American nag
! be raised in Hawaii at once the Japanese
! would swoop down and take the islands,
and that therefore there was not a moment
! to lose, has somewhat subsided Indeed, it
! is hard to see how that cry could be kept
up in the face Of the repeated aud author
! itative declarations OF the Japanese govern
ment that nothing could be further from
| their minds than such an intention, The
| Japanese minister in Mexico goes even so
| far as TO say that If Hawaii were presented
| to Japan as gift with the consent of
! everybody Japan would not take II. Nor
arc such utterauces on the part of Japanese
statesmen at all surprising, Japan has in
, troduced herself in the family Of civilized
! nations as a new power by a brilliant feat.
| But she became aware at once that she
! was not strong enough to keep all the
! fruits of her victory over China against the
| pretensions of other powers and that to
maintain herself in possession of those of
| them that were left to her she would have
! TO husband her resources with Circumspec
| tion. Her financial means are comparatively
small, and her naval and military arma-
| ments out of proportion costly. 1t would be
extremely unwise for her, under such
| circumstances, to scatter her forces in ad
| Nenturous enterprises that might involve her
in dangerous entanglements and collisions.
| Abstinence from any attempt at conquest
| that might disturb the peace of the Pacific
aud arouse the jealousy OF other powers is
| therefore her natural policy.
| But that, even if Japan does not intend to
take the Hawaiian Islands, she has the i'm
| pudence of uttering word OF protest
against our taking them, should, in the
| opinion of our jingoes, be promptly resented.
| what" they eXclaim, Japan proteat
| against anything we consider it our right
| to do! Now, whether it be otherwise bene-
| fetal to us or not, the honor of the Ameri-
can flag demands that we should do it at
once if merely to show that we will not be
| bullied by any other power" Is not this
naughty talk? To be sure, when we pro-
| pose to do a thing which consider
right and honorable and advantageous, the
| mere protest Of another power may not de
ter us from doing it. But when propose
| to do a thing of which it is still doubtful
| whether it be right and honorable and ad
| yantageous. should we then, in spite of such
doubt, consider ourselves in honor bound to
! do it, just because another power protests?
| Would not this be childish? Will not our
| honor well as interests be best pro-
tectod if we think and feel and talk and
| conduct ourselves as people that are of ma
| ture age? If we do we shall find that
| the question whether the annexation OF
| Hawaii is right and proper and advantageous
| to us should, after ALL be considered the
main question, and that the attempt to
| stampede the American people from sober
consideration of it into an irrevocable step
| of incalculable consequence by rabid cries
about foreign impudence is reckless dema-
| gogy.
AS to that main question, the chief point
of the Japanese protest should be well kept
| in mind. 1t is that in the scheme of an
rexation the treaty rights of the Japanese
living in Hawaii are not properly respected.
And here, again. the most important ques-
tion to whether should annex Hawaii,
is not what those treaty rights of the Japa-
nese are and how they might be secured
| but it is, how those Japanese happened to
| come there They did invade Hawaii
conquerors, nor adventurers, nor as or
dnary immigrants. They came there at the
! instance of the Hawaiian government, as
faborers whose help was very much needed.
The principal product of Hawaii-reports say
fourteen-ffteenths of the whole-is sugar.
| When planting began on large scale, the
labor problem becameSa very pressing one.
| Native labor was insufficient. Various eX-
periments in importing field-hands resulted
in failure. A large number of Portuguese
were imported, and also some hundreds of
Germans and Norwegians. When these got
the first experience of the work they were
| put to in that 'mcst beautiful of all eli
mates" they were so eXasperated that the
agent who had brought them there had to
run for his life. Thea the experiments of
| inducing white men to do the principal pro
| ductiye work in that country ceased and re-
course was had to Asiatics. 1t was mat
ter of necessity. A large number of Chinese
came, who--it is needless to inquire for what
reason--the other inhabitants of Hawaii dis
liked, although they proved excellent field
hands. Thea the Hawaiian government un-
der King Kaakaua entered into lahor con-
venton and treaty of amity and commerce
| with Japan, under which, in the course OF
years, about 10000 Japanese were imported,
25 900 of whom still there.
It Is not intended to discuss here the terms
| of that treaty, and how they were kept or
violated. The significant fact stands form
that the treaty was the outcome of the neces-
| sity to invite or import Asidtics to do the
| principal labor OF the country, because under
the existing climatic influences white men
| were utterly unable to do 1t. Here, then, we
| have to do with a country whose labOrlng
| force--that is the bulk Of whose population
consists and will necessarily always consist
| of people not belonging TO the whlte race.
| OF late project has been broached TO organ
| ize on a large scale the emigration OF negroes
from southern states to Hawaii. the
chief promoter of this scheL,e advocates 1t on
the ground that white men cannot work on
| the cane. rice coffee fields OF fawall, Whle
! the climate would be congenal TO the blacks,
and that a transfer OF large part OF our
| colored population would be beneficial to both
countries Behind this, doubt, is the
thought that substitution OF American ne
| groes for japanese and Chinese laboFers in
Hawaii would make the annexation of the
islands less Objectionable 20 the American
| people. Whether such a migration In mass
can be carried out and whether the some
what improyident negro would prove as salts
| factory d ~ lnt l'laHtclS III i'uNe't
| as the industrious and thrifty Japanese and
| Chinese. may be questioned, But even If the
substitution were successfully effected, the
| essential fact would still remain the same;
| that Hawaii Is country whose laboring
! force, that is, the bulk OF whose population
will not be OF the white race
Such a country with such population WILL
| II we annex Hawaii, become an active part
| OF our political system. 1t will in the
course of time inevitably be admitted as
state Of the union, on an equal footing with
! the other states The United States will
| have to guarantee to II a republican form
of government. Through its senator's and
| representatives and its electoral vote 1t WILL
| such as 1t q. exercise power In governing
| all OF lis. Is this desirable? 1t may be
said that we have already In some OF our
southern states similar conditions. and that
| we manage to get along with them. This
| Is to limited extent true. But howY In
the southern states there was always since
their settlement, at least a strong stock OF
white people. most of what we call Anglo
Saxon blood. And what has been the re-