The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-10-13
REASONS FoR ANNEXATION.


X Minister Thuraton Tells why Hawaii
should Become Portion Of Uncle sam.s
Domain.
Washington, Oct IL - Lorin A.
rhurston, ex-minister from Hawaii,
has issued Handbook on the Annex
ltion of Hawaii.
The book consists of a statement of
he reasons in favor of annexation;
brief description of Hawaii, its people,
government, laws, commerce, finances,
educational system and resources; an
enumeration of 30 objections that have
been made to annexation and reply
to each and an exhaustive summary of
all the facts relating to the island.
In specifying the reasonsfor annex
alton Mr.. Thurston says: 1T will pre-
vent the establishment of an alien and
possibly hostile stronghold in posi-
tion commanding the Pacific coast and
the commerce of the north Pacific and
secure to the United States the strate-
gical control of the north Pacific,
thereby protecting its Pacific coast and
commerce from attack.
IAN of the great powers lie or have
coaling stations within steaming dis.
tance of the Atlantic coast of the Uni
ted States No nation possesses coal
ing station near enough to the Pacific
coast to be available as base of oper-
alton against it The Pacific is so wide
that war ships cannot cross and oper-
ate on the Pacific coast without coaling.
"a country in possession of Hawaii
would have base of supply and re-
pair within four or five days steamin G
of any part of the Pacific coast and be
standing menace to it and its CON-
merce. By simply keeping other ma
tions out of Hawaii the United States
will secure almost absolute immunity
from naval attack on the Pacific coast.
upon the opening of the Nicaragua
or Panama canal, practically all of the
shipping bound for Asia making use
thereof, will stop at Honolulu for coal
and supplies"
Other reasons given by Mr.. Thurston
are as follows: "The conditions are
uch that the United States must act
ow to preserve the results of its past
policy and to prevent the dominancy
in Hawaii of a foreign people. 1t is nc
onger a question of whether Hawai
shall be controlled by the native
Hawaiian, or by some foreign people
but the question is What foreign peo
Pile shall control Hawaii Those in
imical to American interests may OBJ
tain control in Hawaii and terminate
all special privileges now held by the
United States and transfer them Il
rival nations"
Mr.. Thurston refers to heavy Jap
anese immigration to Hawaii and adds
Regardless of the declarations of tn,
Japanese government, Hawaii ha'
against the will and efforts of its gov
ernment and people, drifted Japan
wards during the past two years, ant
unless radical action is taken to stay
the process there can be but one logica
result, viz: The ultimate supremacy
of the Japanese in Hawaii. This will
be accomplished in the teeth of the
American policy of exclusion of for
eign control and with no tangible overt
act on the part of the japanese gov
ernment
"The controversy with Japan is thu
preliminary skirmish in the great com
ing struggle between the civilization
of the east and west The issue il
Hawaii is whether, in that inevitable
struggle, Asia or America shall hav'
the vantage ground of the control o
the naval key of the Pacific, the com
mercial crossroads of the Pacific.
"All that is now holding Hawai-
from retrograding into an Asiatic out
post is a handful of resolute and deter
mined men. But there is limit t.
their strengh, and if help is to come il
time it must come soon. Annexation
will settle the issue and maintain
American control in Hawaii and moth
| inc else will q"