The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-07

eTnHnent currency mas pTOOaDly Deen SAID Oy
Mr.. EcKELs. How weak and inconclusive
his argument is needs no further demon
stration.
A First-Hand View of the Advantages
OF Hawaiian Annexation.
An American citizen. Mr.. A c. JAMES,
who lately visited the Hawaiian islands,
gives an account of his impressions in the
North American Reriein. The conclusions
he reached are worth reciting, because he
was convinced against his will. having
been, before his ~sojourn in Honolulu,
strongly opposed to the annexation of Ha-
wall or of any other country.
What caused Mr.. JAMES to come away
an ardent annexationist The principal
reason adduced by him is the relationship
Of the islands to the protection of our
Pacific coast In the event of war with
Japan, or with any country possessed OF
naval power In the Pacific, Hawaii would
be the key to our Western coast, as truly
as Bermuda would be the key to our East
ern coast in the event of war with Eng
land. II we held Hawaii, which can
be easily fortified, our Western coast
would be safe against attack from any
country, with the exception of Great
Britain. Even in the contingency of wal
with her, b advantages derivable by us
from a detached coaling and supply station
are evident. 1t is acknowledged. even by
the opponents of annexation, that the
United States should and would not allow
q foreign power to obtain possession Of the
Hawaiian Islands; but, If this Is true, it
y-nrll ha a1.-a-o ~-zlE1 g. -. - k-l
them in case of war, while, without annex
alton, We should not be able to fortify
them. or to reap any of the advantages of
ownership in time of peace.
What are the advantages o~btainAble from
the islands in time of peacei Mr.. JAMES
answers this question by reminding US that
the Hawaiian group consists of eight in
habited and a few ~uninhabited islands,
lying within the tropics, at a distance from
San Francisco Of about 1000 miles. In the
aggregate, their area is nearly equal to that
OF Massachusetts,. Alphabetically. they
have scarcely, as yet, begun to be developed.
Situated in the most fruitful zone of
the earth and possessed of a climate
almost perfect. they are capable of produc-
ing all the sugar and coffee which this
country a consume, to say nothing of rice
and other tropical products. They would,
furthermore, provide US with three excel
lent harbors for commerce and ~coaling sta
tions, and would control the cable commu.
nication of the Western ocean, besides aid
ing our shipping by giving to American
vessels the carrying trade between the isl.
ands and the mainland.
Mr.. JAMES proceeds to discuss seriatim
the objections which have been made to
annexation, but, as We have previously
dealt with these at length, we now need
touch on them but briefly. As to the asser-
tion that annexation would be a radical
departure from the traditional policy Of
the Republic, this is overwhelmingly refut-
ed by the facts. We have successfully an.
nexed the Louisiana Territory, Florida,
Texas, the territory coded by Mexico in
ls4s, the territory included in the Gadsden
Purchase, and Alaska
As for Hawaiis not being contiguous, Cal
ifornia was far from being practically con.
tiguous in lS4S, and for some twenty years
afterward we could reach 1t only by the
Panama or Nicaragua routes, or by a still
more circuitOus voyage around Cape Horn.
Alaska, Of course, is not only not contigu.
I SAo 'AN PNA - va hAnb All "
distant from the nearest point of the rest
Of our national domain than is Hawaii
from San Francisco.
But, we are told, the natives awe not
been consulted. Were the natives of the
Louisiana Territory consulted when Presi.
dent JEFFERSON purchased that vast region
from N~APoLEoNS Were the natives OF
Florida consulted when we purchased il
from SpAinH Were the natives Of Califor
MIA and New Mexico consulted when W.
purchased those regions from Mexico
Were the natives of Alaska consult.
ed when we bought it from Russia
To what extent have the American
Indians been genuinely consulted dur
ing our march across the Continent
from the Atlantic 10 the PacifcR Mr.
JAMES directs attention TO the fact that the
natives Of Hawaii have proved themselve.
10 be incapable Of governing, and physically
untitled for the conditions of civilization
Numbering 100000 in the time of Capt
COOK, about a century and a quarter ago
they are now reduced to some 10000, anC
occupy much the same relation to the whit
population as do our Indians here. The
Importance OF their supposed opinions con
corning annexation has been greatly eX
aggerated, as was proved by the fail
ure TO organize a mass meeting in Homo
lulu for the purpose of proving that the ma
tive HRwaiians are actively opposed to an
nexarion- The native Hawaiians, like thu