San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-07-08
A FORTRESS IN MID-PAc1F1c.

A FORTRESS IN MID-PACIFIC.
1t may strike some as an extrava-
gance to speak of the Hawaiian Is
lands as fertilization Il is the Gus
tom with many to think of them as
needing defense, and as so far distant
from our shores that their defense may
be difficult and costly. This would
be true If no change in population were
to follow annexation. 4 But within
a very short time probably more than
a hundred thousand enterprising and
able-bodied American men, full of self
reliance and the power OF organization
and skilled in the use of arms, will
have followed the flag to the island.
Unrivalled business opportunities in
vite them. Arare climate, and fertile
soil as yet scarcely touched by the
natives or the few planters employing
Asiatic labor, offer to American skill
and capital extraordinary chances.
The settlement of stalwart Americans
will speedily be able to defend the is
lands against any force which could
be secretly sent against them by any
power on earth. The mere lombard
ment of port would give no hold up
on the soil, and very soon modern
guns, torpedoes and torpedo boats
will make. the chief ports unhealthy
for any attacking fleet. sG1"fz 9
But the enormous strength of>thetpo-
sition lies in the fact that nd foreign
vessels can long remain SO far from a
friendly port for want Of supplies of
COAL The settlers able to resist any
4 10 6ire 20 oh pf
hold the territory, destroying any sup
plies of coal If unable to prevent their
seizure, so that invading vessels would
soon find themselves forced to retire
| for new supplies, lest they should be
placed by want of fuel at the mercy
/ of American ships. II there were an
effort to fit out an expedition strong
enough to land on the islands the fact
would at once become known in this
/ country, for 1t could not be concealed.
Nor could an expedition of such char
acter be fitted out anywhere in the
world so that the, United States with
| it's advantage Of several days in dis
lance and it's railroads converging at
San Francisco, could not have time
enough for effective resistance.
Roughly, 1t is 1850 miles from San
Francisco to Honolulu, 1900 from Van
couver, 3,440 from Yokohoma, and over
$500 from the nearest point in Austria
liza. The difference in time is of the
utmost Importance. With telegraph
wires covering the whole world as with
spiders web, and secret codes plac-
ing consular agents and American mer-
| chants everywhere within reach of
Washington in a few hours, the pre-
paration of an expedition designed to
effect landing on the Hawaiian is
lands could be anticipated days before
it could be set out. The rapid occu-
patton of the island by American set
tiers is the main fact which those for
get who suppose that social and polit-
ical problems of insuperable nature
render annexation dangerous. A total
present population of about one hun
bred thousand, nearly all Asiatic and
native, would speedily be rendered
lpowerless for harm by the immigration
which would certainly follow annexa-
ton. 1t is not as farm of about four
million arcres that the islands are es-
sential to this country. They will de-
fend the whole Pacific coast and Amer
lean commerce in the Pacific ocean as
these could be defended in no other
way. In the hands of any power
possibly hostile the islands would make
necessary an enormous expenditure for
fortifications and defense of the Pa
cific coast, while American commerce
in the Pacific ocean could never be we'll
defended.-N. Y. Tribune.