Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-21
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS

Judge Thomas ]. Mackey, for many year.
a distinguished lawyer and jurist Of Soutf
Carolina. and now of New York. is at tn.
Metropolitan, having come to Washing tor
to represent those representatives from
South Carolina whose seats are contested
Il am also here especially to urge demo
cratic congressman to support the annex
alton of Hawaii said he. ct am con-
| cerned about the matter as an American
| citizen. L believe that joint resolution
| fayorIng annexation will pass both houses
even should ratification be defeated in
| the Senate. The democrats claim that t.
| annex Hawaii means to extend our line Of
defense ard compel us to an increase OF
our navy to hold the island The republi
cans concede mistakenly that large in
crease in the navy will be required as
incident to annexation. This is all a mis-
take. If you lessen the effective force OF
| foreign navy, say that of Great Britain
1Gr operation against our Pacific coast
line it is clear that you have thereby pro-
pOrtionately increased your own power OF
defense of attack.
For example, the nearest British coal.
ing station to San Francisco is now 4IUt
miles away. The nearest French coaling
station is 4,501 miles away, while the near.
est Japanese is 5000 miles away. Hawaii
Is 2UGO miles from San Francisco Now
you perceive. that for either of those pow
ers TO operate against US on the coast OF
California they must supply themselves
with COAL steam being the motive power
of warships. for cruise of more than
1900 miles, going and coming. and no ex-
lstlng ship can carry a coal supply suffi-
cient for such an enterprise. On the con-
trary. il either of those powers held Ha-
waii it would be within five days steam
ing of San Francisco and might blot out
a mo
cific ocean. IT would transfer to us the
disadvantage tfat they are now under.
If We hold Hawaii we will have two bases
of operations on the Pacific and would
dominate that ocean.
LAS long ago as 1912, before the acqui-
sition of California had given us our vast
interests in the commerce of the Pacific,
Hugh S. Legare of South Carolina, then
Attorney General, and by many deemed
the most profound jurist, as well as the
greatest scholar who has ever held that
office. declared that our interests in Ha-
wall were sufficiently great to warrant us
IN declaring war against France. rather
than see 1t pass under rule of that or any
otner foreign power. The French were
then indicating a purpose to take posses
sion of those islands.
1t is uncomfortable to me that demo-
Gratis oppose the ratification of the
pending treaty, in view of the fact that
their party has been from it's organiza-
ton the champion of territorial acqusi-
ton, both by purchase and by conquests
as instanced in the acquisition of LOUISE
ana under Jefferson through purchase and
Its admission as u state twelve years later,
and the territory We wrested from Mexico,
out of which We have carved the states
of Utah. Montana, Colorado, Nevada and
the territories of New Mexico and Arizona
ITO establish my proposition that no
Increase in our naval strength will be re-
qured by the annexation of Hawaii,
would observe that, having two bases on
the Pacific coast we would need but a
strong fort at Honolulu, with a company
or artillerists and a regiment of infantry,
and another at Pearl Harbor and one or
two cruisers operating from that base
while the works already projected on the
Pacific coast would be sufficient with
out naval auxiliary to defend that line,
leaving us free to dominate the Pacific
with few cruisers on that ocean sailing
from San Francisco.
ANY naval expert familiar with the
conditions upon which sea power depends
within any given area will indorse my
views that by holding Hawaii we can
bring to bear from our present navy a
larger force on the Pacific and operate it
held that group of islands.
AT the same time l am anxious to see
the independence of Cuba recognized as
soon as We have completed our coast de-
Ienses, which Will take six months longer.
A complete system of coast defense would
require armament of 1900 guns and 26 900
artiilerists trained in the working of the
new system of heavy ordinance. Yet we
have not more than $3.50 guns mounted,
with a coast line of 12,0O miles in length
and We have not exceeding $500 artillerists
In our navy, and not 900 in the whole
country trained to work guns operated
under the present complex system for
coast defense"
Judge Mackey was CAPTAIN Of engineers
IN the confederate army. serving through
out the war, aud he has made study of
the question of coast defense.
Col. Richard G. Parsons of Cleveland who
is staying a the Arlington, is one of the
most picturesque Of Ohio's many distin-
guished characters. Twenty years ago he
represented the Cleveland district in Con-
sress for two terms Before that he had
been the your Sest man who ever presided
over the house of representatives of his
state legislature. It was before the war
that he served his people in this capacity,
and he was scarcely more than thirty years
old at the time. Salmon P Chase had left
the United States Senate and was serving
as governor of Ohio.
Chase formed strong friendship for the
young Cleveland statesman that was sew
cred only by his death. Older Washing
tonians and frequenters of the capital will
recall during the rebellion and the earIy
days of reconstruction when Parsons. as
the guest of Chase, was familiar figure
upon the streets and in official society.
Inen, AS now. he was noted for his polished
manners and speech and particularly for
his dress. which was faultless. So careful
was Colonel Parsons in the selection of
what he wore that he attracted the atten-
ton of President Lincoln, who spoke of
him one day to Chase, who was then Sec
rotary of the Treasury, as the best dress
ed man he ever saw" The last letter ever
written by Chase was addressed to Colonel
Parsons. The chief justice was at the home
of a near relative in New York being on
his way home from the east, whittier he
had gone in the hope of benefitng his
health. Tie letter was written about an
hour before he was stricken with the dis
ease that killed him. In it he spoke of his
love for Parsons and his family and he
closed by writing, kiss Richie for me"
This was reference to Colonel Parsons
son, Richard c. Parsons, jr., who was then
a toddler. This letter is preserved by Col
onel Parsons. and money could not buy it.
When Senator Hanna was the principal
owner of the old Cleveland Herald Colonel
Parsons was at one time it's editor, and
for many years there has existed close
affinity between the two. Colonel Parsons
mas for a number of years represented the
vessel interests of the great lakes, and to
his influence. perhaps. more than to any