The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1897-11-10
Morgan Returns an Annexationist

senator Morgan, OF ALABAMA, mas
returned from his trip to Honolulu,
and he has come back an ardent
annexationist. Senator Morgan ex-
pressed himself as being unalterably
in favor OF annexation before he
went to the islands--like the Scotch
man, he was open to conviction, but
like the Scotchman again, he would
be glad to see the man who could
convince him.
But Senator Morgan has returned
as he went, in favor of annexation.
Some OF his remarks in press inter
views are instructive. To Chroni-
Gle reporter he said: II was not
able to find any real opposition to
annexation" On the evening before
Senator Morgan left, there was a
mass meeting held at Honolulu, in
Palace Square, attended by nearly
three thousand people, at which
meeting there was formulated
memorial to the President, to the
Congress, and to the people OF the
United States begging them not to
steal the Hawaiian peoples birth
right. Yet Senator Morgan was not
able to find any real opposition to
annexation.
Senator Morgan said that in adj
dressing the natives he told them:
"They would have the same rights
under the constitution that he has"
We would like to know how Senator
Morgan can make any such promise
Is he the people Of the United
States? 1t seems to US that it is a
debatable question what rights the
Hawaiians will have, even il they
are annexed. Ii they are annexed
as colony, they certainly will not
have the same rights as the citizens
of Arizona Territory; if they are
annexed as territory, they will not
have the same rights as the citizens
of California.
Senator Morgan says concerning
Pearl Harbor: "With an expendi-
ture Of 100000, one thousand ships
Of the line may be moored along the
shores in deep water" We have
not one thousand ships Of the line
yet, and we may not have for some
time, But il we had, would it not
be well to keep five hundred on our
own coastsa and allot only the other
five to Hawaii 1t would seem in.
judicious to send one thousand to
protect Hawaii, and leave none to
protect the American coast.
In an interview with an Examiner
reporter, Senator Morgan said "The
natives feared negro invasion from
this country 10 crowd them out OF
their work. These fears | removed"
The reason Senator Morgan remov-
ed these fears was this-he met with
such sudden and unexpected opposi-
tion from the South, when it was
suspected that negro laborers might
be taken to the Hawaiian Islands in
case of annexation, that he foresaw
this would kill the entire project.
So he has been careful to assure the
Southern planters that the negro
laborers there would not be disturb
ed, and equally careful to assure the
Hawaiian natives that they need
not fear any invasion of negroes
from this country. But how can
Senator Morgan make such pro-
misses truthfully9 IfHawaii becomes
part of the United States there is no
law by which the negroes of the
South can be prevented from work
ing in the cane fields of Hawaii 1t
would seriously interfere with the
labor conditions OF the Southern
States and it would cause an indus
trial upheaval in the islands. But
how could Senator Morgan prevent
it?
Senator Morgan closed his inter
view with the Examiner by saying:
England has great naval station
Esquimalt, in British Columbia.