The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-12-11
DECEMBER II.
THE PROSPECT.

Senator VIM. E. Chandler gave
to the Worlds correspondent in
Washington, on November 10Th,
his forecast of the action of Con
gress during the present session.
The Senator is. it is we'll known,
one of the wheel horses in the an
nexatiOn movement. We presume
the report is correct, although we
have abundant reason to believe
that the World garbles Hawaiian
correspondence.
Senator Chandler said: II place
first the question of Cuba; second
NAVAL and it's annexation. On
both of these subjects / hope for
action. / am a warm advocate of
the annexation of Hawaii. There
is a majority of both Houses in
favor of it. 1t is not certain that
there is twO-thirds vote in the
Senate, so possibly the treaty may
not be ratified. If it cannot be, [
am in favor of annexing by joint
resolution" The Senator makes
this significant remark referring
to the acquisition of Hawaii and
several of the West Indies Isl
ands. whether there is repre-
sentative government in these few
places which we may acquire is OF
no more Importance than it is that
there is no representative govern.
ment in the District of Columbia .
Senator Proctor of Vermont is
more sanguine than Senator
Chandler, for he states in an inter
view with the correspondent OF
the Philadelphia Ledger, that he
believes the treaty will be ratified
at once. One of our evening con
tempOraries has a better knowl
edge than either of these Sena
tors, on what the action of the
Senate will be, and any of our
readers who really must have
"positive information" which is a
scarce article in Washington.
should refer to it's columns.
But whatever these Senators
may say, it seems to be certain
that the great silent centripetal
forces are at work, which are
bringing Hawaii, as we'll as other
nations, first within the sphere of
American influence and finally
within it's jurisdiction and laws.
The papers of the Middle and
Eastern States renewed their dis
cussions of the treaty, as the Con
gressiOnal term approached.
While the treaty matter is not
neglected, the Cuban question, as
Senator Chandler says, seems to
take the first place in public
thought. This is natural enough
Almost within sight of the Ameri
can people, a barbarOus war
made hideOus with revolving
cruelties. if the accounts are cor
rect. is in existence. The Ameri
can people are impatient. They
are conscious of the power they
hold, to establish Cuban indie
pendence. But war with Spain
means the suffering and ruin OF
many people in America whose in
come and labor depends upon the
foreign trade. War means, il
these days, the inevitable suffer
ing of large masses of innocent
people. When they suffer, the
money power suffers also, an(
President Mckinley knows it wei
enough. He knows too, that the
Europeans would like to see wal
with Spain, and "the starch takeI
out" of the Americans by the Grip
ping of their commerce..
How far this matter may affect
our affairs during the present SEES
sion. no one can now say. But al
the present hour. it is quite prob
able that keen observers in Wash
ington have mOistened their fin.
gers, held then up in the political
winds, and know whether we are
out of the "dOldrums" and the
right wind is blowing.
Mr.. Charles NJ. Pepper publish