The San Francisco call., 1897-10-04
PLIGHT OF THE ANNEXATIONIST.

HE CALL desires to oondole with the ogarchy present
in power in the Hawaiian Islands. Although regard for
the best interests of the United States has placed this
paper in position anagonsc to that of the handful of ad
venures who have taken and hold focbe possession
the Government of Hawaii yet do wish these
gentlemen of fullest appreciation of the difficulties of the
position in which they find themselves.
The present situation In the islands peculiar and which
more nearly those in power untenable.
of foreigners whom greed made brave seized the Government
of Hawaii. The unsuspctng good nature the generosity
the hospitality of the natives we'll the significant pres
of United States troops, made their task comparatively
easy The flbusters had the islands. The question
how to keep them. rigid military ogarchy
shed the natives dsfranchsed and and political
boycott pronounced against all men, white brown black
who should presume to differ in opinion with the small ruling
minority.
1t is rather an un-Amercan programme to which those
stanch Americans the annexaonists are committed Yet
compelled to admit that given unscupuous greed
wealth and power the rest follows naturally. 1t easy
realize the libusters point of view. He saw an oppo
tunity for gain and seized it. he thought all of the future
was with optimistic belief that time would aid him
overcoming the natives absurd prejudice against being robbed
and deprived of liberty So with all the mpovdent in
his own good fortune that is characteristic of the adventure
he rested his unstable scheme of though
had been founded upon realythe of the gov
erned he marched unsuspectng on blinded by his vanity
and his seShns to The fact that the sides of his onward
road oonverged instead of remaining parallel
is for this almost childish simplicity that one however
great be his condemnation of the methods the
headed despot of Hawaii pies him. 1t would be cruel to
doubt the annexaonistS unsehsh devotion his inter-
ess Yet in his desperation, he is about jump from the
ryngpan which has become unbearaby hot into the fire
which must be hotter In the of annexation the
franchisemen of the native Hawaiian naturally follows Give
the native voice in the Government and what the
to which he will put his novel wishing wand The ousng of
OF he he with
hatred that is like a slow, smoIdeng fire.
One cannot withhold his pity for the gamblers in Govern
ments for considering the weapons their command what
failure they have made of a Four years have passed. and
with the exception of public dest which has grown
rate of million year, the Men Who Would Be King' have
accomplished nothing. The natives unchangeabe con-
verts few, is whispered there disaecton
the elect Day by day their horizon becomes
and more limited their hope of esCapeeScape with dignity
from undgnied posonescape from the consequences
their shortsighted selfshness, becomes weaker.
Is it to be wondered at that knowing their political exs-
tence be only question of days. that feeling topheavy
governmental organization tremble beneath the weight
of their and supdies they should seek to place their
burden broader shoudesf only shrink from
the consequences of ones blunders The Hawaiian
ohgarchy has graped at the live wire of peoples liberties
their struggles to let 90 truly ptiabe The ogarchys
chestnus scorchng-Hepi Hep Can the United States
disregard such appeal Soon kernels will be
all burned and blackened To the aid of brave business
men of the South Seas who stole naion yet strong
thieves enough to keep what they seized Surely Uncle
must to the rescue become receiver of
stolen goods even that Mesurs the adventures may not
suemay not lose that which they wrought seadasty
so ounnlngly, so unscrupuousyl
Verify it not for THE CALLS profound conviction
that the United States would be rreparaby injured by
assuming control those turbulent tawny little islands; if
were not for the bitter injustice such assumption would
be to the natives whose land Hawaii sout of sheer ptv for
the desperate position % these uess South Sea andprates
this paper would be tempted to advocate annexation.
For to be frank THE CALL confesses unable to see
other outlet to the blind alley into which the cupdty of
these unfortunate flbusters has driven them.
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