Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-27
RIGHT TO HAWAII.
The Question Of Annexation
Seems Forced Upon Us.
Views Of Ex-Secfetary Foster Words
that Garry Great Weight.
II We Do Not Get Hawaii Japan WIN Undeubt.
eddy % So.

Foster before the Geographical society Fri
day night. 1t Is considered very impor
tant, too, in q political scnse, because Mr.
Fosters position Is very high In this coun
try, and in this lecture he openly advocat
ed the annexation of Hawaii. As former
secretary Of state, as a former minister t.
Madrid, to St. Petersburg and the City o.
Mexico, as confidential adviser Of the statt
department, as negotiator of the treaty OF
peace between Japan and China and as
prospective ambassador from this nation
to Turkey Mr.. Fosters words carry great
| weight, and are attracting much attention
throughout the world.
Mr.. Foster spoke Of the changed rela.
lions of the Pacific ocean to the outside
world during the last generation Within
| our recollection the great empire of China
| was practically closed to foreign commerce.
japan was Theoretically sealed against the
outside world. Australia had hardly
emerged from a convict colony. Polynesia
was still in barbarism, and the whole coast
of northwest America contained but few
| thousand inhabitants.
The whirl:sig Of Time.
| sour day." said MIR. Foster in that
broad, genoralizing way which is so fas-
cipating, "has wrought great change
throughout the Pacific and its shores. The
Anglo-SaxonN has lcaped the carriers Of
| the Rocky mountains. A network OF rail
ways has followed in his train. Flour
| ishing cities have become the seats of
| mighty commerce. The ocean OF tine west
| Is covered with ships. Great states, both
American and British, have been called
into existence. Our country has added to
| its seacoast, stretching away toward the
| north pole many thousands of miles. Aus
tralia has Become a great empire. Poly
| nesia has become the theater of colonial
| competition between the three great ma
| tons of Europe. The fleets and armies OF
France and ENGLAND have opened up
China. Commodore Perry of our own
navy, by more peaceful methods, broke
| down the barriers in Japan, and the de-
velopment of that people has been tho
marvel of the world.
"Since the war with China new and dis
turhing influences are seen in the east, J"
continued Mr.. Foster. AZ remember that
General Grant, writing from Picking nearly
90 years ago, said the time would come
when the world would be complaining of
the too rapid advance OF the Chinese. Nor
must we forget the great advance which
Russia is making OF the Pacific in north
cast Asia. With an open water port and a
7 fortified naval station on Chinese territory,
and trapsasiatic railway reaching back
to military population of 00,000, 900. we
must reckon with another important Gle
,nent in the political and commercial con-
Germs of the Pacific"
Jaran's Eye on Hawaii.
After describing the islands and their
people and giving a rapid account Of their
remarkable history Mr.. Foster called the
attention of his audience to the predictions
made by distinguished Americans that if
the United States does not annex Hawaii
Japan or some other nation will. Among
those who have made this prediction are
Admirals Walker and Ammen and General
Schofield. Mr.. Foster pointed out the
rapid increase of the japanese population
in Hawaii in recent years and said it was
surely menace to the future of the is
lands. "The question of annexation is thus
forced upon us, said General Foster land
we must meet it. 1t is question which
cannot be postponed. If we do not take
Hawaii, Japan will"
Mr.. Foster quoted from innumerable |
political, naval and military, authorities to
show that it has become the established |
POLICY of this government not to permit the |
Hawaiian Islands to fall into the possess |
sion of any other power. sit is military
and political necessity that we have control |
of those islands. No mere technical uues- |
tons of procedure should be permitted to /
interfere with our action. In our past his /
tory we have never displayed any great Gu |
riositE as to the perfection of the title of |
owners from whom we have acquired ter /
ritory. We took Louisiana by purchase
from II monarch who had not only q cues.
sionable right to its transfer, but who had /
lsurpcd power by a revolution ard held it |
by force of arms. Florida came to us from
a sovereign who was ruling in defiance of
the constitution and against the wishes of |
his people, and was kept upon the throne
10y foreign Lowers. We acquired California
and all that vast region from Mexico
through ,eaty made with government
which had few months before seized gov
ernment by means of a pronunciamento,
and in 4 little while was driven from
power by another.
Touched by Our Civilization.
I'VE have an equitable right to Hawaii. /"
said Mr.. Foster. "Our citizens have con-
trlbuted millions upon millions of dollars
TO the development of the islands. We
have raised the country from barbarism.
We have given that people civilization, a
written language, schools, government
We taught their kings the very art of gov
eminent. We have given life and pros
perity to those islands. 1t is today virtu-
slly an American colony. The paramount
influence is American. Four times in its
PAST history has foreign flag fioated at :
the Russian, then the t
French, afterwartl tho British, and again !
the French. Any one of these powers !
would gladly assume sovereignty again, !
md to them is to be added as menace :
the rising power of Japan.
In my opinion, we should not admit
Hawaii as state, but as part of the ter
ritory OF the United States, to be organized II
in su,h way as congress may afterwarSi de- II
ferm.ne. When the annexation of Louisi- [
ana was first suggested, Mr. jefferson
thought it could be accomplished only by
) change Of the constitution, but he after
ward was glad to approve the treaty, and
nothing further WAS henri NJ tho .,o,,st; I