The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1897-01-06
Hawaiian Annexation,


The arrival of the ex-Queen of
Hawaii at San Francisco has revived
to some extent the tagging interest
in the question OF the annexation of
those island to the United State.
Nearly four years have passed since
President Harrison sent to the Sc
nate his treaty TO accomplish that
object. The treaty was not acted
upon by the Senate before Mr.. Cleve-
lands Inauguration and shortly after
his accession he withdrew it. There
was a good deal OF excitement about
the matter then and for nearly a
year afterwards. Gradually it passed
away, so that most people now
remember very little about it, except
that the Queens Government was
overthrow and republic set up in
its place which has gone on with
tranquility, has paid its own way,
and has not been disturbed by either
foreign aggression or internal con-
vulsion. All American interests
have been as fully protected as they
could have been if Hawaii had been
state in the Union and had voted
for Mckinley in the recent election.
One OF the current reports is that
the ex-Queen has come hther for
the purpose of advocating aDnexa.
ton; that the expenses OF her journey
are paid by the Hawaiian Government
and that she is to have pension of
$4,000 per year if she succeeds in
her mission. 1t is altogether likely
that this money would come out Of
the pocket of the American taxpayer,
together with a good many other
pensions disguised in one way or
another. The necessary expenses
belonging to the federal admins
tration OF the island would be larger
than those incurred in any except
the largest states OF the Union. We
should need naval outfit of con-
siderable size, together with fort
ification and public buildings; also
money for courts and other belong
ings of the national authority. We
should begin to do for the Hawaaiians
about one half of the work that they
now do for themselves and do very
we'll apparently, besides introducing
many expensive modern improve
ments that they now do without and
do not feel the need of.
There is nothing exciting about
the Hawaiian question now. II we
want the islands, we can have them;
il we do not, we can leave them
alone. We can decide the question
without passion and without
partisanship, for although the
Republicans did set out to annex
them in the beginning, and although
they put plank in their last national
platform on the subject of Hawaii
they came short of demanding anne
xation. This is the more remarkable
since the same platform did demand
the acquisition by purchase OF the
Danish West Indies, which nobody
now seems to want even as free
gift. The exact words OF the
Hawaiian clause in the platform are
these:
"The Hawaiian islands should bt
controlled by the United State, anc
no foreign Power should be per
mitted to interfere with them"
The fact is that the islands have beer
controlled by us for twenty. one years
partly by moral influences, partly
by the treaties of 1876 and 1887
The former, the so-called reciprocity
treaty, provided that Hawaii shoulc
not make any grant or concession o
ports or territory, or even of trade
reciprocity, TO any other country
The latter extended the duration o
the former aud gave us the exclusive
use OF Pearl River harbor in add
ton, with privilege of fortifying il