The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-16

LII A4Nkak
The last O8 the e-oagrsa11oaal plcnie
party who have been down to Homo
lulu have now returned home. or are
on thir way. and have brought the
Hawaiian islands with them. They
still rest In the bosom OF the ocean,
somewhat disturbed BY the mighty vol
cano ut times. troubled by the leprous
faint among their people. but otherwise
quiet. beautiful and free.
1t II possible the visitors have per-
formed some diplomatic Incarnation
which shall presently result in q great
transformation cen and which win
widen the maps Of the United States
by over one-half to include these is
lands OF the sea- In fact, It Il all too
possible. They went there not SO much
to consider the feasibility OF annexa-
ton as to seek q to bring 1t about,
and IL there were any among them
who Ia some little doubt of the adj
visibility Of the measures that II was
proposed to carry out, there were In
Honolulu and on h steamship that
carried them there men OF FEASIBILITY
to deal with these honest and credit
able views.
1t might be well for the federal gov
to ask itself at this time, has
this country not got already more d.
verse and opposed races under its flag
than 1t can Heal with successfully?
Why should 1t seek to receive into cit
tzenship at one swoop $4,000 people who
are tainted with an awful and irradi-
cable disease. whose customs are alien
to those of this republic. who are idle
II MOI vicious, immoral II not criminal,
and at the same moment keep guard
at the ports Of h Atlantic coast SO
that no single Objectionable immigrant
h set foot on these shores?
Are these Europeans who are thus
debarred. refused admission to his
country solely. because they would
which is already OVERLOOKING? Not at
all. Those are reasons and important
ones, but there is q greater principle
in the background. 1t is hat they
have come in numbers too vast to be
assimilated in our republican life and
that their increasing presence is a
menace to the state.
Then why should these people of the
Sandwich Islands be brought into the
union? Their social life is as antagonis-
tic to ours as that Of that flood Of i'm
migration we are now stopping on the
eastern coast. They have a country, it
is true, that is rich with possibilities,
but it is far distant, exposed to attack
in case of war-indefensible, requiring
great outlay for administration pur-
pOses-and out of touch everywhere
with the genius Of the American peo-
pie.
Does any one think tina the great
colonial possessions of England are the
ource or the mainsray of her power?
Is so he is vastly in error. They are
the source of outlay, of trouble and
concern. There is no colony under the
English flag today that may lot with
out let or hindrance, or even remon-
STRANGE, hoist a national flag and de-
clare itself free and independent. The
colonies are loyal because the mother
country is a protectress in fact, hat
her policy is fixed by years Of prece-
dent, and by reason Of it the colonial
people know what to depend upon.
The people Of Hawaii can have no as
surance of steadfast support; they
must always feel that they will be but
nominalIy, not actually. Americans.
There is no commercial profit to be
looted for that is not ours already, or
that the legitimate efforts Of trade can
not secure. There is no strategic value
j. an island which if regarded as pro-
lection to tn; Pacific coast is !, 700 miles
from it. One might as we'll say the
island of st. Helena serves that end
for the Cape and South African colo
MES. It can be of no value as a coal
ing station. because there is no proba-
bility that great fleets will ever maneu-
yer there. Its annexation wOuld be
unjust to it's people and our own.