The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-18
The HnMniinn CRIB.

The annexation Of the Hawaiian IS
lands. says President Mckinley in his
message to the Senate transmitting the
annexation treaty. is in accordance with
the established policy Of this govern
ment." II is rather difficult to grasp just
what the President means. II is not easy
to find any precedent illustrating this
"esta blished policy" 1t is hard TO be
lieve that the President has reference
to the acquisition Of Texas and Louis
lana and Florida. There is no similarity
between these eases. and that of Ha-
wall Texas was annexed by act of con-
gress. it is true, and louisiana and Flor
ida were taken in by treaty. But neither
of them lay thousapds OF miles away
from the country. to which they were to
be annexed. In each case the territory
adjoined that Of the annexing govern
ment. In each ease the majority of the
people were to be benefited by the ex-
tension Of the jurisdiction Of the Amer
lean federal government. The people of
the territory proposed to be annexed
were, indeed, closely related by blood
and other bonds" The kinshlp of the
people was not a joke. It was necessary
to the integrity of the United States that
the territory should be annexed.
Hawaii, however, is twenty-one hun
dred miles away from the nearest Ameri-
can seaport, San Francisco. It is in no
sense essential to the integrity of the
United States The vast majority of its
people are Of alien races, and absolutely
without sympathy with American insti-
tutions. It's interests are in opposition to
those Of the majority of the American
states. 1t thrives upon coolie labor, and
is bossed by a corporal's guard of CAPT
talists and adventures. The only peo-
pie who want annexation are the sugar
barons and the office holders.
The republicans are springing the an
nexation question at this time in order
to furnish a blind behind which they may
crawl out of the sugar trust mire. This
however, is not the only reason they have
for desiring annexation. They want 9TH
er excuses for raiding the treasury, and
strengthening the army and the navy.
They want to make the central govern
ment, and its fighting arms, stronger.
They wish to concentrate power at
Washington, and increase the number of
offices. They wish to institute a ''vigor-
Gus foreign policy" in order to distract
attention from the robber tariff which
they are INJECTING upon the people of their
own country
So far from the annexation of distant
territory being the established policy
of this government, the reverse is the
fact. The Monroe doctrine contemplates
the integrity of existing governments, the
non-intervention by the United States in
the affairs of existing governments, and
the prevention of interference by foreign
governments in the affairs of existing
governments upon this side of the ocean.
The hlibustering attempt upon Hawaii
was defeated by the Cleveland admins
tration; no government has since at
tempted to grab the territory, and there
has been no threatening of or encroach-
ment upon American rights in the islands.
The sum and substance of it all is that
the sugar barons of the islands have seen
a possibility of their advantages under
the reciprocity treaty slipping away, and
have prevailed upon the friends in con-
gress of monopoly and special privileges
to do what they can to prevent any such
occurrence. The whole scheme is one of
extravagant men in congress and greedy
men out of congress.
-S-o-s