The record-union., 1897-10-26
Hawaiian Annexation.


| Eds. Record Union The annexa-
ton of the Hawaiian Islands is the all
| important question of the hour; the ed
vocates, pro and con, are putting
forth their best reasons. The annex
ionists portray in no exaggerated man
ner the fertility of soil, the Eden-like
climate, their contiguity to the United
| States, their possible productiveness
under the best cultivation and capacity
of sustaining a population of twenty
times their present numbers-not only
all of these, but a great addition of
physical and personal strength to this
American nation, all of which IS true
and will be realized as the Union adj
vances in age. One of the most per-
sistent opponents of annexation is and
always has been our United States
Senator, Stephen NJ White. His main
and only arguments of amy Importance
are that it will cost millions to fortify
the islands against invasion; that is,
in case of war these islands would be-
come the battle-ground of contendinS
foes. There, to believe his story, de-
cisive battles, naval and terrestrial,
would be fought between the United
States and their adversaries. Well,
| will the learned Stephen tell us who
are likely to be the dangerous foes that
we will be engaged in deadly conflict
with? I can't conceive or imagine who
they are even likely to be- Maybe he
| is dreaming of China, Corea and Ja-
pan. Certainly, we have nothing 10
/ fear from these Powers at present and
/ less in the future. His other great OBJ
! lection is, and it is participated in by
! his co-reasoners, that the natives, the
10000 Chinese and 10000 more or less
of Japs and Portuguese, would make a
very undesirable and uncongenial addi
| tion to American population. The
| Cali howls loudly upon this "objec
tionable" feature of the case-so much
so that if these people could be swept
from the islands by a tidal wave, epi
/ demic or got rid of in some way, annex
alton might possibly be tolerated. As
it is, these $4,000 island residents, for
| eign and native, would iTetTievably
ruin this great nation; that it would
open wide the door to the Asiatic
hordes that are ready and anxious to
flood this entire country. Now, I would
suppose that the 10000 Chinese, as
alluded to by this statesman and the
Call" would live forever and would
! breed of their own kind with the ra-
pidity of bedbugs Such is not the
case, but mere bugaboo story to work
upon the credulity of ignorant people
| We all know that in this country there
are at least twenty-five male Chinese
| TO one female. Any one can see this
/ by visiting or taking the census of any
! Chinatown. The same rule applies to
the Japanese. Therefore if our immi-
/ grafton laws should be rigidly enforced
/ in the Hawaiian Islands after annex
/ alton two or three decades would see
| this Objectionable class reduced to
minimum. Now, by the way of paren-
| thesis, / wish to add a word upon re-
striet1on of immigration Formerly all
| immigrants were obliged to pay a tax
/ OF oe cents upon landing without dis
/ elimination; it was later raised by an
/ Act of Congress to 81 Now. would it
/ not be good political economy to raise
1 this tax to $50 or $780, and allow all,
/ lndiscriminately of race, nation or color
to come in on complying with the law?
/ l think 1t Well worth the trial for ten
/ years or So That would solve the i'm
/ migration problem in q saIutary man
| ner. 1t has been a great misfortune
| to California that this obstructionist
/ stephen attained to the high position
! of United States Senator. He never
could have been elected before nor
since his election, and but for the per-
/ fidy Of one Populist another would have
/ filed his place. This is the hour of
my triumph, and to my enemies re-
venge. To Democratic principles 1 was
! educated-this party I love so well. =
so he said on his election. Soon he Will
be forever retired from his Senatorial
| trust-unsung, unhonorad and forgot
/ ten. As a politician he has been
miserable failure. If his wishes could
have been effected not a single protect
| ed industry of this State or any other
could survive; he would make barren
/ its beautiful valleys Of vineyards and
orchards; fill them with thist1es and
weeds; then, TO cap the climax, shout
himself hoarse with JOY over the desc
| lation that he and his clan had made.
| For he stamped beneath his feet the
protective law upon which every indus
try of California gricultural, horti-
cultural and manufacture-dep for
its solvency and prosperity. In all ages
| there have lived men of extreme con-
servattve ideas, POLITICAL religious and
social. They have, in their egotisn,
arrived at the goal Of perfection. Like
some insects. they weave around them