Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-16
FACTS Agree for Hawaiian Annexation.

tives is altogether different from that
recently presented by Mr.. Loren
Thurston, formerly. Hawaiis minister
to this country. In printed argument
in favor of annexation which had
liberal circulation throughout the
country s. especially in the newspaper
Offices, replying to the objective Of the
opponents of annexation that the Ha-
waiian native were not fit for Ameri-
can citizenship, Mr.. Thurston asserted
that millions of Americans were not
up to the Hawaiian standard; that
there is less illiteracy in Hawaii than
in Massachusetts,; that English is
taught in all of the public schools, and
is the language of the country; that
the laws customs and business rela-
tons were all American; that no terri
tory has ever been annexed which was
so thoroughly AmericaniZed as Ha-
wall is today These two pictures
show to what straits the annexation
lists are puteto answer the arguments
against their scheme, and how they
have to juggle with the facts to meet
them"
Rather this shows to what straits
posing that Mr. Thurston was abiding
to the native Hawaiians instead of TO
the population of that country, OF
which the Hawaiians are not ma
jority as the Press farther along in its
article asserts, his statements in no
wise contradict those the Press alludes
to. Because the native Hawaiians.
about $4,000 in number, are INDECENT
and easy-going, susceptible Of influence
and tractable, lacking in the energy
and initiative necessary to maintain a
native government of high order in
no way disproves the statement that
they are not illiterate, that they have
good schools and that American GUS
toms have been adopted, also Ameri
can laws. On the contrary it supports
the theory, long since established by
fact, that American influence has long
predominated there in accordance with
the continued policy Of our gov
eminent to make it predominant there,
a policy, by the way, that Cleveland
and Bayard in the first administration
of the latter upheld. The influences Of
cur civilization have long prevailed in
Hawaii with excellent results. The
government was left to these Ha-
waiians until they demonstrated the
unwisdom of longer doing so. 1t is
now a question whether American in
fluence is to continue to govern Ha
wall, maintain schools, intelligence
and Christian influences or whether the
Asiatic element is to rule, whether we
are to retain the vantage we now have
there or are to lose it, as we seem des-
tined to under existing conditions.
The same influences which have
brought about the education of peo-
pie, fast disappearing from the land
they once occupied, although today
possessed of greater freedom and pro-
tected by better laws than usually falls
to the lot of those who are being sub
merged by the advance of civilization.
seek annexation to the United States.
That purpose is sanctioned and sup
ported by many of the leading Ha-
waiians. AS long ago as October -,
1894, the question of annexation was
the uppermost one in the election of
this island republic. The American
Union" was the name of the party
every candidate of it was elected. Since
that time there has been no evidence
that the majority of voters in Hawaii,
or for that matter the majority of
males in the population outside the
Chinese and japanese, who are not citi-
zens, are opposed to annexation. The
Hawaiian remonstrance before Con-
gress certainly does not show it. I'm
less additional names shall be pre-
scented later that remonstrance should
be regarded as an excellent argument
for annexation. That only $1,000 out
VI Tic fO,UVU HALVES licliI piSCo'
have been induced to demonstrate,
when one considers the ease of secur-
ing signers to anything even in our
civilized land, is indeed significant
All the more so is it when we recall
how the pride of those people could be
appealed to. They probably are not
altogether lacking in race pride. They
naturally would not dislike the idea
of 10000 Hawaiians controlling the
hundred or more thousand of people III
the islands. 1t cannot be surprising if
half of these 10000 had been made to
believe that this would be possible
But what of the other Hawaiians, men
women and children? Do they not
take any interest, in the question or are
they for annexation?
In view of these conditions it does
not seem surprising that the Press does
not continue to insist, both that the
Hawaiians are suffering a gross injus-
tice and the inhabitants of the terri.