Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1897-10-22
WILL 1T BE In DECEMBER I?
Annexation Enthusiasts Should Remem-
Der That Large Bodies Move Slowly.
II Took Nearly Six Years Work in Congress
to Make Kansas a State and Seven
Years for Nebraska.

1elude themselves with the
idea that the United States
Senate will pass the an
treaty in the first days
of December would do we'll to
pause and consider before they
try to inculcate others with the
same delusions.
At the outset it may be granted
that the treaty might be ratified
in day or'two should any great
political exigency require it. In
the case of war with Spain for
instance, the United States would
probably not even wait Tor the
meeting of Congress to ratify any
treaty but simply annex the ISL
ands by proclamation, fortify
them and use them as a base of
supplies for the Pacific fleet as
we'll rs a base of operations
against the Philippines. The
United States would simply take
the islands because she wanted
them as a war measure, as all
her great military and naval au-
thorities have insisted for years
that she must do in case of war.
But suppose no such exigency
arises. Large bodies proverbi-
ally move slowly and the Senate
of the United States has a we'll
earned reputation for being one of
the slowest of the slow. Take the
action of the Senate in passing
the recent tariff law as al exam
pie. With all the power welded
by President Mckinley and his
Cabinet, backed up by the infu-
ence of Speaker Reed and the
whole Republican party, the
United States Senate could not be
hurried into passing a measure of
the greatest national Importance
in less than three months-a
measure which affected directly
every man, woman and child in
the country. How will it be with
the question of the annexation of
Hawaii, matter in which
the bulk of the population
of the United States will
not be affected one iota aud ouly
one section interested commercial.
ly? The United States Senate
will not be hurried aud it cappot
be bulldosed. 1t will take its own
time to consider the annexation
treaty, as it has always done to
consider any measure brought
before it.
Is it reasonable with the pro
nounced opposition of Senator
White and others, who will use
every means in their; power of
delaying action on the treaty,
ev' n If they cannot finally defeat
it, that the Senate eau be induced
to take up such an important
matter before the Christmas recess
is held2 1t is wellknown that the
rules Of the Senate give more
scope for dilatory tactics than
almost any similar body in exis-
tence, aud is it reasonable to sup.
pose that such shrewd parliament
arians as Senator White and the
other anti, annexation Senators
will not avail themselves of those
rules and their opportunities for
delaying action to the utmostp
1t should not be forgotten that
when the Senate convenes on the
first Monday in December, the
annexation treaty will be before it
in shape for action for the very
first time. 1t has never 30 far got
beyond the committee stage, and
a simple majority vote might re
fer it again to the committee,
where it might linger till the next
session. There are so many
eventualities that might occur in
the progress of the debate on the
motion to adopt the treaty that
one is impelied to ask the Decem.
ber enthusiasts on what their
position is based, what foreknow.
ledge of events have they
which leads them to sup
pose for a moment that the
Senate will abandon the precedent
of deliberation which has charac-
terized it for the past century and
a quarter and act hastily in the
Hawaiian case. Are not theil
hopes based entirely on state
ments made by few pronounced