The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-05-14
Travellers VIEW
AT. GOOdhue Talks to the Spring.
field Republican.
MAKES A PLEA FOR ANNEXATION
Says Japanese Colonial
ton is Rapid.
Hawaii Would Be Valuable
ACQUISITION to Any
Country.
MAKES A PLEA FOR ANNEXATION

Charles L. Goodhue, who has just re-
turned from a six-weeks' trip TO Ho-
nolulu, says the Springfield Repub-
lican. is considerably impressed by the
encroachments of the Japanese, and
bv the obvious fear of the people in
Honolulu that Japan is planning to
annex the Islands. He does not think
that this fear is assumed for the sake
of hurrying the United States into an
nexation, as some have supposed, and
he believes that we ought to get posses
sion OF the Islands while they are to be
had freely, instead of waiting till they
cannot be had without fighting for
them. The objections to their annex
alton he considers very slight in COM
parisOn with the advantages. In the
case of Cuba, which he has visited half
a dozen times, he thinks that annex
alton would be unwise, because of the
character of the population, a Latin
race speaking a foreign tongue. But in
the Sandwich Islands the dominating
white population is largely American.
English is the language of business,
and American gold and silver coin is
the chief currency. The inhabitants
come of good stock, a large part be-
ing descendants of missionary famil-
les. With Anglo-SaXon sense of order,
they have established an excellent gov
eminent, the city of Honolulu, with a
population of over 20, 600. is excellently
administered, with efficient police, fine
streets. good gas and electric lighting.
and the best of water works, of which
Mr.. GOOdhue is an expert critic. In
short. the Islands are already in a con-
dition to be annexed without difficulty,
and in his opinion if it is TO be done
at all, it must be done without too
great delay.
To show the zeal with which the
japanese are colonizing the Islands,
Mr.. Goodhue mentions that just before
ne arrived in Honolulu large number
of Japanese immigrants had been de-
tected while evading the immigration
laws and shipped back, rousing strong
animosity among the large and grow
ing japanese population, who at once
appealed to Japan for redress. By the
Hawaiian laws each immigrant is re-
quired 10 show $50 on landing as proof
that he is not a pauper The transpor-
LatiOn company makes business of
furnishing immigrants with the needed
money as a loan, taking it back as
soon as the immigrants are safely land
cd. When the fraud was discovered
a careful investigation was made, and
all that could be detected We're sent
back TO their native land. 1t was on &C
count of this difficulty that the jap
anese Government sent a warship to
Honolulu. TO which the United States
responded by sending the Philadelphia
The dispatches explaining the situation
came on the same steamer with Mr.
Goodhue and the Philadelphia was
Immediately ordered to the scene.
The Hawaiian Government. as he
points out. is quite at the mercy of the
first aggressor. There are no forts
ships of war or cannon, and any ma.
ton could control it with a single man.
of-war. II is not surprising. in view Of
the threatening behavior of Japan
that the Islands should desire to get
under the wing OF a powerful nation
II is felt in Honolulu that Japan is
casting cOVetous eyes on the Islands
to its east, with view to controlling
and monopolizing the Pacific One in.
dication of this is the strong effort
that is being made TO get the carrying
trade between the Orient and the
United states. The great new Japan.
csc line II steamers which is to ply be-
tween San Francisco. and China ant
Japan. beginning in May, 1898, is like
ly TO have things its own way. It viii
probably absorb the Pacific Mail ant
the Huntington chartered ships, in
volying the abandonment Of the Who'll,
steam-carrying trade of the Pacific BY
American ships. The subsidy Offered
by the Japanese Government for tn,
extension OF this maritime trade is s.
great pc TO make competition difficult
mo American or English STEAMSHIP
company can keen to the ocean in com
petition with it, said Capt. W. F. Mer
ry, secretary of the San Francisco
Chamber of Commerce. recently. Witt
such magnificent projects in view, til
importance of the Hawaiian Islands a
the halfway house of the Pacific cal
readily be imagined