The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-03-17

During a discussion of the abroga-
tion of the Reciprocity Treaty, held
July 2, 1894, Senator Perkins spoke as
follows in favor of Hawaii:
MIR. PERKINS.-NIr. President; have
| listened to the distinguished Senator
from Alabama (NIr. Morgan) with much
| interest and have CLEANED instruction
from his remarks. The sentiments that
| he has uttered are worthy of the patrio-
| tic American that he is, and chairman of
| our Committee in the United States Sen
| ate upon Foreign Relations.
The question under consideration before
| us is one of great moment, not only to
the WHOLE COUNTRY, but especially
RELATIONS with the Hawaiian Islands
are DIFFERENT FROM Any OTHER
| NATION. ON GODS FOOT-STOOL.
1t was the American missionary who
was the first pioneer on these islands of
the Pacific. He there raised the star
spangled banner. There he entered upon
his mission of good will and love TO man
He took those semibarbarous people from
their state. He built churches and
SchoolhouSeS and educated them. He
taught them the golden rule to do unto
others we would wish others to do
When the Senator from South Dakota
and the Senator from Nebraska speak
as they do of those people in the Islands Is
personal knowledge or acquaintance with
the people of the Hawaiian Islands or
L speak of my own personal knowledge,
from my associations with the people
upon the islands: / speak of our CONNER
cial and social relations with them; and
[ echo the words that have been SO beau
tifully expressed by the senior Senator
a class of people there, and large per-
centage of the population, who are equal
in education, in moral integrity, and
EVERYTHING that goes to make the
GOOD CITIZEN, to any other people
of whom 1 have any knowledge.
L would not trespass upon the senate
for more than a few minutes had there
cial relations with those islands. / think
I can demonstrate to my friend from
South Dakota that it has not been bad
bargain financially to us or to our peo-
ONE, PECUNIARILY SPEAKING, of
BENEFIT to OUR WHOLE COUNTRY,
and it will continue to be so until we
raise all the sugar that we require for
our own consumption.
Lest year we imported 39,OOO,0O0 pounds
of sugar from foreign countries; 1, for
one. would rather have business relations
with the Hawaiian Islands than with
China, and the Indies, and the Islands
Indian Ocean. 1t is to me EXCEED-
INGLY GRATIFYING when I think that
there is ONE PLACE OUTSIDE of an
AMERICAN, portland it is the only one
in the whole world-where the STARS
and STRIPES are seen MORE FIRE.
QUENTI:Y than the flags of OTHER
There is to be found the extraordinary
spectacle extraordinary in these days,
the peaks of more vessels than it is in
any other part of the world. 1t is the
one foreign spot where our flag is not
belittled into insignifcance and where the
Yankee sailor go ashore without
being crowded into a croner by the super
abundant tars of other nations.
l hailed the star-spangled banner when
I went into Honolulu, because it took
me back to my boyhood days when l
went TO foreign port and saw in the ports
of Liverpool. Havre, Bremen and other
European ports the old Stars and Stripes
waving at the peaks of our vessels there,
transporting the commerce Of the world.
But that is in the past England has
superseded us and she stands ready to
do so today in the Hawaiian Islands, and
would have done so, in my opinion, If 1t
had not been for the wide commercial
treaty that was made with these islands;
and T will demonstrate by figures that il
has been done to our advantage.
Mr.. President the Hawaiian Annual;
published in Honolulu, of unquesnoned
statistical authority states that the total
tonnage of vessels which entered the
Hswaan aa1 isla8ds M m guf@ fons tn of whieh 24
vessels of 173 191 tons, carried the Ameri-
can flag: "a vessels. of 54.361 tons carried
the British flag, and the balance was dls-
tributed among other nations
There seems to be proneness TO Tor
that in the comfy of nations mutual com
rnercial integrity should hold first place.
When we made the treaty with the Ha-
then appreciation Of the advantages
which would accrue to us from more
intimate and friendly relations with these
islands.
AS I understand it. in the original
treaty and in the amendments thereto
we were not actuated by any philanthro-
mic impulse: we were not granting a boon
to beggar: the proceedings were carried
out on the basis of reciprocity; we got
what we asked for, and did not scruple
to press our claims. 1t was a clear case
of quid pro quo. The treaty was formed
with the plain understanding that it was
to be TO the mutual benefit of both ma
tions Nor has this anticipation mis-
carried.
1t has been the custom to say. and
it has been repea ted here today by the
Senator from Nebraska and the Senator
from South Dakota and others, that in
our socalIed reciprocity trade with the
Hawaiian Islands il has been mostly
take with very little give, or rather that
we have added to our stock of purchased
material without correspondingly dis
posing of our home products; but, like
many other things which il has been the
custom to say, the facts do not alto