Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-11-19
ANSExArIoN OF HAWAII.

Senator Morgan of Alabama is an
enthusiastic advocate Of the anneNH-
ton of the Hawaiian republic by the
United states. He has repeatedly
given to the press his views upon this
subject, and according to an interview
with him which appears in the press
dispatches today. his recent visit to
the islands has increased the zeal with
which he urges Unce Sam to gather
them in. The strategic and CONNER
oial reasons advanced 10y him in sup
port of his position are undeniably
cogent, and It Is asserted that poll of
the United States Senate shows that
Senator Morgan has on his side
strong majority Of that body, and that
the annexation treaty win be promptly
ratified.
The people Of Utah feel peculiar
interest in this subject on account of
the fact that several thousand natives
of the Sandwich islands are Latter
day Saints; but they have been pre-
vented in the past from gathering with
the main body of the Church by local
laws which forbade their migration to
foreign countries. Should annexation
be contaminated. as now seems most
probable, the natives of the Sandwich
islands will become American citizens,
and will. of course, be at liberty to
migrate to any part of Uncle SANS
domlnions they may desire, so far as
legal restrictions are concerned. BY
special permission. few native Ha-
waiians. some years ago, came TO Titan
to settle permanently, but it would not
necessarily follow, as q consequence of
the annexation of their country to this,
that any considerable number Of the
Latter-day Saints among the native
population would migrate to Utah I'M
mediately.
The probability of the early clothing
of the Hawaiian nation with the rights
of American citizenship, by such n
sweeping process as annexation, re-
calls some interesting proceedings
that took place in the district court in
this city, some eight or ten years
ago. One of the Hawaiians above re-
serred 20. who had come to Utah with
n view to making 1t his home, applied
for naturalization. The incident cree
ated considerable stir in local legal
and political circles, and number OF
attorneys appeared as friends of the
court and aired their opinions respect
ing the eligibility of Il native Hawaiian
to become a citizen of the United
States.
The result was a ruling by the court
that the natives OF the Sandwich Is
lands belong to one Of the races Rhicl
were excluded, by act Of Congress
from the privilege Of naturalization
as American citizens. This ruling, II
an indirect manner, related to tao au'
thenticlty Of the Book of Mormon as
historical record, in a legal sense
though that book did not actually
figure in the proceedings, They sug
gested. however, an interesting posi-
billty in this line. II it had beer
proven that the Hawailans were :
branch of the Hebraic race, as they
are according to evidence contained il
that work, the court could not legally
have deprived them of naturalization
Senator Morgan speaks favorably o
the natives as prospective American
citizens, and undoubtedly they ar
vastly preferable as such to horde
that have come TO our shores from tn
slums OF Europe and been clothed will
the franchise. They are far in ad
vance, intellectually and morally O
the Chinese and japanese, and conl,
be much more easily assimilated b,
the people and institutions OF thi
country.