Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-11-05
CHASING II RAT.
II the whole power Of the Government
Is required to do IT,"

II the whole power Of the Government
is required to do it."
Since the days when Secretary of
State Webster uttered these words, aud
President Pierce and Secretary of State
Marcy negotiated a treaty Of annexn-
ton, down to the date Of the negotia-
ton Of the present treaty Of annexa-
tion by President Mckinley and Secrc-
tary Sherman-during this long inter.
val we have eel Democrats, Wings,
Republicans, Populists, Gold Standard
men and the friends Of free silver, re-
CARELESS of party, all advocating Amer
lean control in Hawaii. Nor is there
now any indication of divergence from
this truly national policy. 1t was, lii
fact. emphasized by the Republican
party in their national platform at st.
Louis in 1896. in the following words:
"The Hawaiian Islands should be
controlled by the United States, and no
foreign power should be permitted to
interfere with them"
This was the true Democratic doc
trine befor> the Republican party ex-
listed. 1t is distinctly an American and
not a party policy. 1t is a policy that
has been championed by Pierce, by
Marcy, by johnson, by Grant, by Ar
thur, by Seward, by Fish and by Blaine.
To-day this policy is advocated by gold
Democrats like j. r. Proctor and Thos.
r. Bayard; by silver Democrats like
Senator Morgan of Alabama and Sena-
tor Rawlins Of Utah; by gold Republic
cans like Senators Frye, Lodge, Davis
and Thurston; by silver Republicans
like Senator Teller; by Populists like
Senator Stewart of Nevada and Senator
Allen Of Nebraska;.by Senator Kyle,
the independent. 1t is advocated by
such radically antagonistic newspapers
as the Herald, Tribune, Sun and Jour-
nal Of New York. 1t is advocated Ivy
such men as ~ex-Secretary Foster, Gen.
Schofield, Admirals Belknap and Walk
or, and by Capt. Mahan. It is a COM
mon ground upon which all can come
together because Hawaiian annexation
is q policy as broadly national us the
Monroe doctrine.
The reasons for the adoption of this
policy r s%elf-evident. Hawaii is the
only spot in the Pacific Ocean, north
Of the equator, that is near enough to
the Pacific coast to be used as a base
Of naval operations againsN us. A for
eign power, in possession of Hawaii,
would be within four days steaming
distance Of San Francisco. Shut out
from Hawaii, foreign nations would be
forced back the entire width of the
Pacific, a distance prohibitive of effect.
i've naval operation because battle.
ships cannot carry coal enough to
steam that distance.
A foreign power in possession of
Hawaii would compel the elaborate for
tif1cation of every port ON the Pacific
coast in order to afford protection to
our people and property out there. With
all foreign powers excluded from
Hawaii, people and property on the
Pacific coast would be comparatively
free from foreign danger. If we do
not me Hawaii some other country
will, and it is more economical for us to
fortify Il point in Hawaii than twen-
ty points in California, Washington
and Oregon.
We need Hawaii far more than Ha.
wall needs us. We need it as England
needs Gibraltar, not SO much for its
territory nor its commerce, but for its
locatio' We need 1t, not for agrees
sion, but for the protection of the in
terests that we have there and for the
protection of our people and property
upon the Pacific coast.
Another, and a subordinate, reason in.
savor of annexation Is because Hawaii
lies In the direct track Of all trans-Pa.
cidc trade. With exception, all Of
the seven different steamship lines that