The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1897-01-06
ANNEX ALTON.
The New York Nation Makes Some
Comments in Connection with
the Queens Visit.


Hawaii at San francisco has revived
to some extent the tagging interest
in the question Of the annexation Of
those islands to the United States.
Nearly four years have passed since
President Harrison sent to the
Sen ate his treaty to accomplish that
object, The treaty was not acted
upon by the Senate before Mr..
Cleveland's Inauguration, and short
ly after his accession he withdrew
it. There was good deal OF excite
ment about the matter then and for
nearly year afterwards. Gradual
it passed away, so that most people
people now remember very little
about it, except that the Queens
Government was overthrown and
republic set up in it's place which
has gone on with tranquility, has
paid its own way, and has not been
disturbed by either foreign aggres-
sion or internal commissions. All
American interests have been as
fully protected as they could have
been if Hawaii had been State in
the Union aud had voted for
Mckinley in the recent election.
One OF the current reports is that
the ex-Queen has come hither for
the purpose Of advocating annex
alton, that the expenses Of her
journey are paid by the Hawaiian
Government, aud that is TO have
pension of $4,000 per year if she
succeeds in her mission.
Although the Republicans set out
to annex the islands 10 the begin
ming, and although they put plank
in their last national platform on
the subject OF Hawaii, they came
short OF demanding annexation.
This is the more remarkable since
the same platform did demand the
acquisition by purchase of the
Danish West Indies, which nobody
now seems to want even as free
gift. The exact words of the Ha-
waiian clause in the platform are
these:
"The Hawaiian Islands should be
controlled by the United States, and
no foreign Power should be permit
ted 10 interfere with them"
The fact ia chat the islands have
been controlled by us for twenty
years, partly by moral influences,
partly by treaties of 1875 and 1887.
The former, the so-called reciprocity
treaty, provided hat Hawaii should
not make any grant or concession OF
ports or territory, or even of trade
reciprocity, to any other country.
The latter extended the duration of
the former, and gave us the exclu-
sive use of Pearl River harbor in adj
dition, with the privilege OF fortify-
ing it if we should choose to do SO.
These treaties are as binding on the
present Government as they we're
= on that Of the Queen, and are in no
danger of being abrogated. Nor
has any foreign Power shown the
smallest desire or intention to inter
fere with the islands. The CONTROL
a which is all that tho Republican
? platform demads, is absolute now
1t could not be made more 80 by
annexation. But the control oil
Hawaii over us would begin with
annexation, because she would then
A have demands on our Treasury, and
: would, after no very long period
send one Representative and two
: Senators to our Congress, She
would begin to enact, in our hall o.
l. legislation, the same part that il
i now enacted by Idaho, Nevada, anc
g Utah, with constituency composed
e largely OF Japanese, Chinese alc
Portuguese, who would OF course
participate in our Presidential cleo
r tions at the same time. Moreover
who is to answer for the movements
d of these interesting type OF citizens
after they come inY Being alread.
ri nart and marcel Of Hawaii the viii