The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-11-23
c. y. POND GIVES SOME COGENT
REASONS FOR IT.
Americans Customs, Laws. Business
and Form of Government-Nalue of
Commercial Interests.


prepared by c. ~ Pond, of Oberlin. |
Ohio. for the Eastern press, and !
which has by this time seen the light
there, gives a strong set of reasons as
to why the Islands should be annex
ed. Mr.. Pond was out here in 1890,
and spent some time in carefully stu
| dying the social and political condi-
tons i'm the Islands. In 1893 in an
article to the Congregationalist he
| foreshadowed the revolution of that
year. and as the article issued from
the press the Claudne arrived in San
Francisco with the commissioners. Mr..
Pond has constantly kept i'm touch
with the Islands and his article will
! have great weight in the States. The
article is headed
! WHY WE SHOULD ANNEX HAWAII
We should annex the Hawaiian Is
lands because they are really Ameri-
can in customs. business, society, lah-
! guage. law, government. education
and religion. American vessels out
number all others in Honolulu harbor
and the Hawaiian track of trade 10
San Francisco is the only sailing route
in the world absolutely dominated by
the American flag. The people OBJ
serve Washington's birthday and sol
diers' Decoration day. The Hawaiian
republic was formed upon American
| ideals. under American leaders. and
promulgated upon the American ami
versary, the Fourth of July. 1t was
expressly formed in expectation of po-
| litical union with the United StaIes
and looks longingly to that union as
the only means of assuring the well
fare of its people.
We should annex Hawaii because
the arrangement now existing is eN-
pensive for us in peace and hazardous
in war. Simply to protect American
interests against possible contingent
cies even in peace has required the
constant presence of one or more
ships of war with hundreds of officers
and men, which large expense would
be avoided if the Islands openly and
avowedly belonged to the United
States. And during war the possess
sion of those Islands by an enemy or
even by a neutral power would hazard
tremendous losses like those incurred
in our last war when blockade run
ming from and to Nassau. Bahama Is
lands. enabled confederate armies TO
prolong the struggle, thus costing us
scores of thousands of lives and mil
lions of money.
Our commercial interests demand
annexation because the import and
export trade of those islands last wear
aggregated over twenty-five million
dollars. of which Americans took
, twenty millions. and this large trace
we can expand and hold if we hold
the islands, but not if we lose them.
The permanent continuance of nomi-
nal independence under American pro-
lection is impossible There is not
in the Pacific ocean square mile OF
land worth taking and holding which
remains Independent. The drift tow
ard continental annexation is newt
= able and irresistible. Already Hawaii
. has at different times been appro-
priated once each by England and
Russia and twice by France. The log
ic of events foreshadows their incor-
poration either with the United
States. England or Japan. While
5 nominally Independent little Hawaii is
powerless to exclude the power of in
coming Japanese, whose number.
i alone, if unchecked, will overwheln
D the tiny republic. The recent protest
: of Japan heard at Washington plainly
intimates that the Asiatic Empir,
o feels her power. But when Hawaii
r from being herself helpless republic
O of one-tenth of one million people, be
I comes a part of the Great Republic %
O seventy millions, she will be safe ant
2 so will our commercial and other In
n terests that depend upon her
a The safety of the American citizens
: in other parts of the world demand,
= annexation because our navy is power
n .lt
l. supply, and Honolulu is absolutely
the only port in an immense Pacific
= region where vessels can buy barre
e of flour or ton of coal.
r Even the undesirable elements II
= Hawaii are an argument for annex
l. alton because when we have full con
l. troll we can firmly maintain the segre
cation of lepers and exclusion of Asi
l. atics. Annexation will not, in space
bring those classes a mile nearer ou
continent, but will enable us the NOR
.e surely to keep them away, wherea
p without annexation any change in Ha
J. waiian administration, or the domi
nence of any other power, would ex
pose us to the danger of those classe
being loose within easy reach of on
shores.
& rican, demands annexation. Hawaiian
It precedent demands it because thos
4. Islands have long looked to us 70
It defence and safety which hereafte
n we can guarantee only with full uni
n on. Such union has formerly bee
freely offered by the Hawaiian king
and chiefs for this very purpose
American precedent sanctions tn
y measure because we have repeated
S annexed territory, both continenta
n and insular. OF the latter we hav
70 received the Aeutian Islands wit
J. Alaska, thirteen guano islands in tn
r caribbean Sea- fifty-seven in the PA
IS cific, and also in the Pacific, as a ma
a val station thousand miles west q
Hawaii, Midway Island, which we nc
s. quired in 1867. All these annexation
Continued on Page Five.)