Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-15
NATIVES OF HAWAII
Majority Probably Indifferent About
Annexation.
Do NOT REALIZE THEIR DESTINY
Senator Morgan's Effective Address
to Gathering.
A NJ E &c AS INTER EST
A Nj RIO AS INTEREST
of The Evening Star.

ans upon the subject Of annexation TO the
United States The meeting was held in
the old stone church at Kawaiahao. which
was well filed Some five hundred natives
ana from one hundred and fifty to two hum
dred whites were present. Many. probably
most, of the leading natives and half-whites
were there. Scarcely any of the govern
ment officials were in the audience, the
government holding entirely aloof The
senator spoke for nearly two hours, includ-
ing the interpreting into Hawaiian. Several
long passages were read from Aloxander's
Hawaiian History, describing repeated eff
forts to cede the islands to the United
States. made by Ksmehameha III, when il;
great peril from England and France. The
| closest attention was paid by the very in
| telligent audience of Hawaiians.
The senator's manner was Unexpectedly
quiet, deeply impressive, and carried a
sense of weight. He spoke expressly as an
influential member of the Senate, with a
message to the Hawaiians, whom it was
expected to include into the honorable
American citizenship. He declared Hawaii
| to be already an American country, and
not European, and in being admitted to the
| Union. thereby coming home into full
possession of its own. 1t had already
attained the highest form of government
| that of republic. and was now thereby
| fitted to be received into the glorious al
| lance of the Union. The speaker dwelt
upon the imminent perils to its .ndepend-
| ence which Hawaii had formerly eXpe-
| renced, and which had been averted oil ly
| by the powerful interposition of the United
States against Britain and France. to whom
| nearly all the other groups of Oceanica had
| now sucdimbed.
! These perils were by no means passed.
| New dangers were developing with chang
| ing conditions in the Pacific. Impressive
allusion was made to the near and immi-
nent danger of these islands being over
wEelmed by the threatened landslide of
| Japanese immigration. Unless that peril
! was speedily averted it would be TOO late
| The United States had little to gain or lose
| by what happened to $1,000 or more people
| of Hawaii, who wsIe nothing in COMPARE
| son 10 the eighty million Americans. But
| their welfare was dear to Americans, after
| all the benefits they had enjoyed from
America, and the high American civiliza-
willingly see them destroyed by Asiatic in
! huence.
( The senator strongly emphasized enc
point. to the manifest pleasure of the au-
dience. He pointed cut that all citizens of
| Hawaii would, upon annexation, at once be-
| come citizens of the United States. with all
the rights. privileges and franchises OIL
| such citizens. Every native Hawaiian
white American, and could vote upon the
| same conditions in any state of the Union
| This was exceedingly gratifying to the ma
| tives present, who have been most dill
gently and successfully taught by the enc
| mics of annexation, both white and native.
| that they would be only ringers" and
would lose all right to vote. Mr.. Morgan's
unqualified assurances gave deep and evil
| dent satisfaction to the people, and must
| go very far fully to assure their minds upon
| upon this vital question, about which they
have been SO sorely misled.
Natives and Annexation.
For a long time past, and especially since
| the treaty of annexation was sent to the
United States Senate, clamor has been
kept up, that the ratification of such treaty
should be submitted to the decision of a
plebiscite of the native people Of Hawaii.
1t is claimed that the natives are the origi-
nal and true owners of the country. and to
| ALLEVIATE its sovereignty without their con-
sent Is rank robbery. In lack OF other
| pleas against annexation, this cry is loudly
kept up. It is said, probably with some
truth, that protests against annexation have
| been circulated and signed by large num-
berS of natives and part natives, with the
intention of sending them to the President
and the Senate. Without any means of def
mite knowledge, it may be considered quite
probbale that under the influence of false
ard hostile representation, and appeals to
prejudice. a majority of the native voters
might be persuaded to sign such protest.
What weight then should such a protest
have? should answer, none at all. While
majority of the native voters possess
enough of intelligence and character safely
to participate in the choice of competent
representatives IN the legislature. such a
question as the sovereignty of these islands
and their ultimate destiny is one wholly
beyond the capacity of most of them, how
ever intimately 1t may concern them. 1t
is one to be decided by the voices of the
capable and influential, and not by the
weaker and more ignorant elements of So
ciety here. Those influential elements of
the population, the owners Of property,
those who conduct the business Of the is
lands, are substantially unit in desiring
annexation to the United States. because
they have SUFFICIENT knowledge and breadth
of view to clearly discern the fact that a
continued attempt at independence Is beset
with imminent perils while in annexation
lie stability and security. This fact the
ordinary Hawaiian does not prove able to
appreciate.
1 think it is a well ascertained fact. and
safe to assert that the great majority of
the 10000 pure Hawaiians are In a mental
state of great Indifference whether to be
annexed or not. They are apathetic upon
the subject. They have, by experience,
found Americans friendly and serviceable,
and peculiarly so that class Of Americans
who predominant in the present govern
nent. and are urgent for annexation as
being for the highest good of all. They
have Icing had confidence in these good
men, and are not disposed actively to OPP
pose the measures which they advocate
Among the part whites there is undoubted-
~ a strong and very prevalent opposition
" Tue measure, LOT tuc reason that 10
tends to make Hawaii a white mans coun-
try. and a white mans government in
which the weaker and less capable Poly-
nesians will hold the places of less honor
and consideration.
These people do not consider the fact
that in any case the superior race win
rule and will do so the more effectualy and
exclusively under an independent govern
ment. If part Of the United States, DO
iiticai equality will be guaranteed, and
there can be no monopoly of power at
tempted or maintained. Unless under a
protecting power, a strong government
must necessarily be maintained, and the
weaker classes can have no voice. and will
De remanded to an inferior position But
tr1s Is line Of thought which does not pre-
sent itself to the minds of the part-vhites
In their jealousy of the whites and often
bitter feeling against their social SUPER
forfty of position. The pure natives have
always submitted to degree Of social in
feriorfty, which none make them feel more
than the part-whites themselves, Hence
they have none of that bitterness of teal
ousy which too often animates the latter
AS the years go on. the growing refinement
and true culture Of this class viii naEs
their social standing better and viii miti-
gate or even ThollS remove the present
ir,cftQn. Our magnificent system of public
schools and of higher and frafngpc .oh,,l.