The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-06-22
ANNEXATION OF THE HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS.

Mr.. Mckinley is carrying out the pol
icy of Grover Cleveland in more ways
than enc. On last Wednesday the
President sent the Hawaiian treaty to
the Secretary, accompanied by q mes.
sage in favor of the ratification OF the
annexation of all the islands uncondi-
tionally. From this it seems that Nc
has the same infatuation for Queen Lii
that made Cleveland famous.
The treaty was signed by Secretary
Of State Sherman for the United States,
and by Messrs, Hatch, Thurston and
Kinney for Hawaii. The Hawaiian
representatives had brought along a
gold pen, and in compliance with their
request the signatures were all written
with that pen.
The first article of the treaty reads
as follows:
"The government of the Hawaiian
Islands hereby cedes, from the date of
the exchange of the notifications of
this treaty absolute and without re,
serve, to the United States forever all
rights of sovereignty or whatsoever
kind in and yer the Hawaiian Islands
and their dependencies, renouncing in
favor of the United States every SOW
ereign right of which, as an independent
nation, it is now possessed; and hence.
forth said Hawaiian Islands shall be
come and be an integral part of the
territory of the United States.
1.-The Hawaiian G government cedes
to the United States the absolute own
ership of the public buildings, ports,
herbors, Notifications, military and
naval equipments and all other gov
eminent property. 1t is specifically
provided, however, that the existing
land laws of the United States shall
not apply to the public lands Of Hawaii,
but that special laws shall be made
from time to time for their disposition,
the proceeds or any sales of these
lands to be applied to educational pur-
poses in the islands.
The islands are for the present to
constitute a territory of the United
States, their local laws remaing in force
until new ones are enacted. A local
legislature is provided for, but the veto
power is vested entirely in the Presi
dent of the United States. A com,
mission Of five persons, consisting of
three Americans and two Hawaiians,
to be nominated by the President and
confirmed by the Senate, is provided
for the purpose of formulating the
mode of government for the islands.
The treaties of the United States
with other countries are substituted for
the treaties of Hawaii with the same
countries in controlling the interna-
tional relations of the islands. Further
immigration Of Chinese laborers to the
islands is prohibited and the laws re.
stricting Chinese immigration to the
United States are made to apply to the
prevention of Chinese removing from
Hawaii to this country.
This country agrees to assume the
debt of the island republic to the ex-
tent of 81, 600, coo.
The five commissioners provided for
in the treaty are expected to make re-
Communications to congress as to new
laws, and also az regards the form Of
government. The present form of To-
cal government is to continue in the
islands for the present, except that the
President of the United Safes, is to
have immediate veto power over the
acts of the Hawaiian legislative as
sembly."
There is a division of optimism at
Washington in regard to this matter.
Many Senators favor it., but a large
huber object. The Populists oppose it
mainly on the ground that it is a big
scheme to enable the American sharp
ers to get control of the Islands and
rob the natives, which has already
been done to a large extent. Then, too,
there is obj csion on the ground that
such a mongrel population is not a de
sirable accession to our country. The
islands are rich and very productive.
To those who are rusty on geography,
we will state that the islands are in the
Pacific ocean, west of the coast of Ore
gon and Washington.
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