The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-08-09
PUT YOURSELF IN HIS
PLACE.

Put yourself in his place +" must
be the motto of the annexationist
for the next few months. We can
satisfy ourselves upon the advan-
tages of annexation. We can satisfy
the bulk of thinkers here upon the
point even the strongest supporters
of the Royalist cause have come
over to the annexation side. The
small clique that still clings to the
lost cause got cold comfort from a
very prominent royalist few weeks
ago, when they asked his advice
about the circulating petition for
the ex-Queen's restoration, and
were told to have nothing to do
with such scheme and the petitions
presented at the White House the
other day were signatures that had
been obtained three years ago. But
that is all we'll known in Washing
ton. Annexation presents itself as
so self-evidently an advantage to
all parties in the State that it is
looked forward to here with salts
faction, greater or less, according
to the political stripe of the thinker;
but the thinker does see in the solu-
ton of difficulties which seem other
wise insoluble
But our attention must not be
kept to the islands. Those who
argue the annexation cause must
argue for it, and see it from the
American standpoint, not the Ha-
waiian. 1t is Uncle Sam and his
people that we must convince, and
not ourselves. And it is thus that
the motto" put yourself in his
place becomes applicable. We
must see annexa ion through Amer
lean eyes, not through our own.
We must show that there are sub
stantial reasons, and not merely
sentimental ones, that should weigh
with the United States in the sub
ject of annexation. This is the
nineteenth, not the eleventh CEN
fury. The world has bravely gotten
over running after an idea or SEN
timent as it did when it went
a-crusading.
Now, in this work, everyone can
help. Many years ago there was a
very excellent little book written
entitled "Ten Times One are Ten. Z
1t showed what one person could
do by converting ten of his ac-
quaintances to his ideas. Did each
of those ten set forth the argument
as ably the number would be one
hundred; at the next conversion
there would be 1000, the next
10000, the next 100, 900, and so
on. 1t was Utopian idea, but
there was much truth at the bottom
of the notion. A little state, with
the power of the printing press in
its hands, can influence very much
larger field than its own borders.
1t is safe to say that no letter
goes from here that may not spread
the argument in favor of annexa-
ton. When it is desired to form
public opinion, it is not among the
great and powerful that work has
to be done there is no home so
humble that will not have it's influ-
ence upon the general thought.
1t may be argued that our news
papers have small circulation
abroad it is true that directly they
have, indirectly their circulation
reaches very large numbers. The
ideas advanced in these columns
alone have returned to us from
Seattle, from Sacramento, from
Michigan, from Nebraska, from
New York, from Washington, from
Boston, and the ideas of the con-
temporaries of The Star have as
wide circulation, no doubt. With
so large field for our work, our
Arguments should be made as con-
vincing as possible. Satisfied as
to the ultimate end, we must strive
10 make that end triumph, and
not victory by the mere "skin of
our teeth" The Washington Star
says "a treaty has been signed,
and annexation will be sure to fol-
low "a foregone conclusion, ac-
cording to The Star, by the way !;
but we must be untiring in our
efforts and show that, however
be ne6cial annexation may be to the
inhal itants of these islands, annex
alton is just as beneficial to the
United States. That the United
States needs the islands under her