The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-07-19
SOME OPPOSITION.
COunt Okuma UnaltGrably Opposed
to Annexation.
INDEPENDENCE Is DESIRABLE
Hawaii's Position, of
Great Importance.
He Hints at Influence Secured by
Combination of Other
Countries.
Position of
Importance.

The Japan Mail of July 7th contains
the following translation of an inter-
view with Count Okuma in the Yomi-
uri Shimbun:
'It has been stated in some quarters
that the Foreign Office was surprised
and perturbed about the Hawaiian an
nexation question. Nothing OF the
kind Annexation has long been on the
tapis. 1t was brought forward by the
Republican party when Harrison was
President and that it would come up
again after McKinley's election went
without saying. The Japanese Govern
ment paid attention to the matter when
it opened negotiations with Hawaii
about the immigration complication,
and was therefore in no way disturbed,
but at once approached the Cabinet In
Washington on the subject. The fact
is that the annexation project has de-
rived much of it's force on the pres
ent occasion from the inroads that Jap
anese subjects have been making upon
many branches of trade hitherto car
ried on by American citizens in Ha>
waii. and from the fact that whereas
there are only some 5000 Americans in
the Islands, there are over 10000 Jap
anese In short the Japanese const1-
tute about One-fOurth OF the Whole
population, and their great and in
creasing numbers have inspired an ap-
prehension that they may ultimately
get possession of the Islands. The
dilemma in which the Hawaiian ad-
ministration finds itself with reference
to the immigration affair has conse-
ouently been seized as an occasion to
renew the agitation for annexation.
Another reason is that the United
States Government has revised its tar
iff, and proposes to put an import duty
of some $50 ton on Hawaiian sugar,
which has hitherto entered America
free of all impost The margin of
profit on the duty-free sugar is only
s23. Thence a duty of $50 is prohibi-
tive. That great duty is imposed in
order to protect about a hundred and
fifty thousand sugar manufacturers in
America, on whose account tens of mil
lions of people are to be obliged to pay
a high price for their sugar. 1t is an
absurd idea. The planters in Hawaii
see no way of escaping the duty ex-
cept by getting the Islands incorporat-
ed in the dominions of the United
States, and they are therefore, doing
everything in their power to compass
that end.
GAS for us, if we have approached
the American Government on receipt
of the news that the annexation treaty
was concluded, our reasons are simple.
Hawaii lies in the middle of the Pa
cific Ocean 2,100 miles from San Fran
cisco, 1900 miles from Canada and
5000 miles from Japan. 1t is place OF
call for ships travelling from the Occf-
dent to the Orient and to Australia.
and it will possess great importance
should the Nicaraguan and Panama
canals be cut. It's independence is con-
sequently most desirable, and as it's
inclusion in the territories of the Unit
ed States would materially affect the
interests of the powers in the Pacific,
we are constrained to oppose that con-
tingency as strenuously as possible.
Further annexation would injuri-
ously affect the rights and privileges
that Japan has acquired by treaty in
Hawaii. On these two grounds we have
approached the American Government
After Japan, England is most interest
ed in the matter, and it is scarcely
probable that she will keep silence.
Germany and France, too, are not un-
likely to make their voices heard
Apart from other countries, however,
Japan has approached the American
Government and the question arises,
what course will she adopt, should an
nexation become imminent? She will
oppose it to the end
-is-f 1n%
ing the annexation of Hawaii When
a question of foreign policy can not
be settled by one country alone, there