The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-10-16
NEBULOUS IDEAS.

What does the anti anne xationist
offer to the public? He would pull
down, but he never builds. He is
a>sort of nihilistic creature. He
would get rid of all the safe guards
that the annexationists have labori-
ously and carefully built up and
would set Hawaii upon the Sea of
the future without pilot or rudder,
and with trust to luck" mental
attitude which is childlike in its
faith, but which has no practical
outlook, except the very certain one
of ruin, to which the anti-annex-
ationist wilfully blinds his eyes.
The annexationist has a definite
end in view. He wants to put the
Islands under the wing of a nation
that is powerful enough to protect
them, to assure to them the COM
mercial prosperity, which can only
come from strong, stable govern
ment, to do away with, once and
for all, the fear of the ever present
and the ever menacing Asiatic
wave, whose shadow on the TIRES
hold of Hawaii must barnish all
thoughts of continual safety, of
continual prosperity, OF a continual
Christian government III Christian
land. The anneXationist wishes to
save the native race from annihila-
ton and he wishes to keep the
civilization of the West Oh this out
post in the Pacific. He proposes to
do this by having the flag of the
United States hoisted over the
Executive Building, and by having
the prestige of the United States
Government thrown as an aegis
over the land, and the guns of the
United States cruisers backing that
flag and supporting that prestige in
very capable and forcible manner.
That is what the annexationist is
working for, prosperity and safety,
and that is the manner III which he
proposes to obtain it, His ideas
are clear cut, his plans patent tor
ali to see.
But the anti-anncXationist is
thoroughly nebulous, he is all in the
clouds. He raves against annex
alton, he calls the annexationists
vituperative names-which pleases
himself and his dupes, but which
does not hurt the anneXationist-he
says that we shall have too much
competition and thus will be driven
to the wall, and that the laborer' S
wages will be higher-which must
appear as very dreadful consum-
nation to the laboring mamie
ignores the existence of the Asiatic
shadow, and he says our CONNER
ciol prosperity will be doomed. But
he does not for a moment come
forward and say what other course
there is Tor this country except
annexation. He says if my efforts
against annexation succeed we will
have to get along somehow. u
He has honesty TO confess that
without annexation there will be
great commercial depression, but
we will get out of it somehow -
he confesses that if the view taken
of the Japanese, and Of the condi-
tons in Japan is correct, then Japan
is great danger, but that can be
avoided somehow" He says it is
better to have six friends than one,
though he is not very clear in his
mind as to how the six friends are
going to help Hawaii, probably in
the manner in which The Powers
helped Greece, by allowing Turkey
to thrash her soundly, and then
take charge of her fiscal arrange
ments till she has paid up a grind
ing indemnity, or the manner in
which The Powers helped Denmark
when Prussia quietly walked of
with two of her most fertile pro.
vinces. Verify the six friends are nc
better than no friend at all, for they
won't even help us somehow"
What we want is one friend, moi
six, one friend whose interest it is
to help us over our difficulties
whose interest it is to further oul
prosperity, whose duty it is to
protect us from aggression. We
can have that friends assistance j
we 1--we in his house, and are a par
of his household, and the sooner we
are part of Uncle Sans household
the better for us.