The San Francisco call., 1897-12-19


BOSTON, Dec. 1S.-At a special
meeting and dinner of the Massa-
chusetts Reform Club tonight at
Young's Hotel the subject for discus
sion was the Annexation of Hawaii -
The speakers were Colonel Horace NJ
Fisher, DR.. A. c. Coolidge of Harvard
University, Rev. George L. Clancy,
Captain julius A Palmer and Hon.
Moorefield Story (the president of the
club. The following resolution, pro-
posed by Moorefield Story at the last
meeting of the club and referred by a
vote of the club to the executive COM
mittee for report, was adopted by an
almost unanimous vote:
Resolved, That in the opinion of this
club the annexation of the Hawaiian
Islands is unjust and unwise; unjust
because 1t deprives a weaker people of
their independence without their con-
sent, and violation of the great prin-
ciple that government should rest on
the consent of the governed; unwise.
because it brings this nation an unde-
sirable population dwelling so far from
our shores that we cannot safely govs
ern them as a province, and of such a.
character that they should not be al
lowed to govern themselves by their
admission as a State"
An amendment to this resolution. Of
fered by Dana Estes, that instead of
annexation the club favor the national
ization of the island their independ-
ence being guaranteed by agreement of
the United States and principal Euro
pean nations, was lost
Captain Palmer declared that he
should say nothing in regard to the
slurs upon Queen Liliuokalani's per-
sonal life or political action, although
probably no one else was better able
to speak of them. Referring to what
Secretary Foster had said against an
nexation. the captain declared that
the Secretary was not a competent wit
ness, having conspired with Min
lister Stevens to keep from the
public the real facts in the case. He
said the Japanese did not want the
island, and that if the United States
took them they could not keep the
Japs out, since this nation has no ex-
clusion treaty against Japan. He said
only a few days ago he had received a
letter from a resident of the island
saying, I'VE never knew political
despotism until the present Govern
ment came in"
He inquired why the people in Bos-
ton did not take as much interest in
the Azores, and closed by saying: "The
islands are not and never can be a
good thing for us. You are dealing
with people who have put their foot
on the neck of Kings-people who will
never say no, people who are danger
Gus, who have been traitors once,
twice, and will be traitors again."
Mr. Story said: The single fact in
the case is that in the islands. out of
10000 people, there are 5000 Americans.
OF those 100 are women and quite a
number children, so that we find that
about 1000 men propose to dispose for
ever of the future of 10000 people
without consulting them, and we, here
in the United States, are asked to say
we think this is right. / cannot see
that il is right, no matter how attract
i've the islands are. Can we of the
United States afford to sully it's fair
fame by making the Hawaiian Islands
another Naboths vineyard?"
ASTORIA, Dec. 1S-Captain Gar
rock of the British ship Ethelbert.
which arrived late last night, twenty
one days from Honolulu, reports a fair
passage half the voyage and then a
succession of gales. He is chartered to
load wheat and flour for South Africa.
He says that in the islands nothing is
talked Of but annexation, to which the
natives are much opposed.