The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-02-25
THE PROPOSED ANNEXATION OF
A SLAVE COUNTRY.

The government Of Hawaii Is making
| ready to apply early to Mr.. Mckinley :
administration to carry out the anncxa-
ton policy inaugurated by Mr.. Harrisons
administration, and niDped in the bud by
Mr.. Cleveland's administration.
President Dole has dispatched his at
torncy general 10 Washington, author
lied to arrange terms with Mr.. McKin-
| ley for the annexation Of the Sandwich
Island to the United States. The repub-
lican party are committed to the plan of
annexation and we suppose will be made
more earnest in the effort on account of
their general opposition to the policy of
a democratic administration. We sup
pose that it is useless ''to kick against
the pricks,' but in addition to the nu-
mcrous reasons The Statesman has here
toforc given, difference in character and
want of homogcnity of the population
of that country and the people of this,
We are reminded of another serious OBJ
lection that should animate the rcpubi-
can party to oppose annexation, if they
are true to their historic traditions.
In recent number of the Evening
Bulletin, daily paper published in Hon
sugar planters of the island TO abolish
the contract labor system and adopt
what it's advocates term "a profit shar-
ing system" Mr.. Mckinley ana the re-
MI hliaun nrtu ntuht 10 h, Of h.,
fact that the contract labor SYSTEM"
universal on those islands, in point of
fact is absolute slavery, with the exception
of the word slavery, bnt quite as much
is a kind of slavery with fewer features
of humanity in it than was part of
southern slavery before the war. The
people Of the southern states took care of
the old and worn out slaves, but the
sugar planters of Hawaii wear out their
slaves under the contract system and
then turn them loose in old age TO take
care Of themselves.
We, therefore, in contemplating the
annexation of the Hawaiian Islands,
should not only consider the wide differ
cncc in the population of the two coun-
tries in ideas of government, in education
and social as well as political, but we
must consider whether or not il il wise
again TO introduce any system of slavery
which our people so unanimously have
4 brnvrn of W. ,A,lI
that the soil of this country, if we make
Hawaii part of it, is not pressed by
the foot of a single slave or its atmOs-
phcre tainted with the breath and groans
of human slaves.
II is true the article to which we refer
in Honolulu paper shows that an effort
has been inauguratcd to change the sys-
TEN of labor. but that effort is confined
was in this country many years before
the slaves were emancipated, but there
Is no more evidence that the planters of
the Sandwish Islands are any more will
existing there, which is slavery in its
worst form, than the planters of the
southern states were willing before the
war to cmancpatc their slaves. The |
article we refer to is tentative altogether, |
md bears evidence within itself that the |
'hangc would receive strong opposition |
rom the Hawaiian cultivntorS of sugar,
which is the staple industry of the
stands.
We all know how strong n hold slave
abor takes on an agricultural community,
specially in hot climate, and it would
NJ jumping to n very unreasonable con-
fusion to assume that the planters on
he Hawaiian Islands would be willing
or the sake of annexation to the United
states to give up all the advantages they
crivc from the system of contract labor
low employed and agree to share their
ro6ts with their former cmploycs-take
hem into partnership with them, az it
we're. Mr. Ilarrison's administration
ushcd into this matter without proper
consideration. We trust Mr.. McKinlcy's
administration will go slowly and con-
idcr this question of contract labor,
'hich is certainly inconsistent with our
Avs. MS well as other incongruitics that
RI sclf-cvidcnt.