The age-herald., 1897-12-12

If we refuse to annex Hawaii, cur Christian duty 10 those people should compel US to advise anu assist them to become a British colony. No oth T. nation, besides the United States, can or wifi do as much for Hawai- as the government of Great Britain; but their absorption by that power would cost us the loss of. our Asiatic trads, our com mercial subordination in the Pacific ocean, as it is in the Atlantic, the dis severance of our coastwisa trade between California and Alaska; the exposure of our entire Pacific coast to tue mercy of British fleets; the unnatur Il apan- donment of our own people in Hawaii, and the violation of al our pledges to the Hawaiians that we would stand by them in every trial and protect them against the cupJdity of all nations.
 "Our Americans there and their child ren born in Hawaii deserve a proud place in our regard and in the confidence and gratitude of the Hawaians.
 "No equal number of Americans, who comprise any distinct community, ex- cept the citizens of Hawaii, in the traits that make up the highest character of American citizenship and no better gov-
  they and their native associates have given to Hawaii. 1t IS often asserted that these Americans in II lwGli have appropriated to themselves the lands m the islands at little or no cost. and nave grown rich ii harvesting taxes rem the people. The wrong done generous and self-denyilig people by such stale- ments is enslloly with ont excuse.
 "No native Hawaiian, unless he was titled chief, owned an acre Of land Tn these islands, until, by the earnest as- sistance of the Am ,r,cdus. the cid ttd- eral land syst gun was broken dow n Gnc A title in fee simple was gwen tn lhe head of every family, inc 'u!ing me ianI on which he was located by ms leaerul lord. eor
 "No g:eater or more beneficent rltor- nation was ever accomplished m any country, and bt was the Work or Vne American missionaries. The crown lands, which were reserved as pubic property of the goyernment, and not of the klns, have been declaled to be inalienable, by statute and some of the most Vallapie of rhem hays been leased to sugar plant ters and others. Some of these leases have expired and others are apout 10 terminate. The government Of the re puhlic is insisting on giving thS flgn
 
 soon as the leases expire, to native peopis who are citizens ,
 Many thosands of acres of land in the public domain, adapted TO cofee cu-l- ure and to fruit, gran and ca.tie grow = ing remain to be disposed Of under a system of laws most carefully and WIS ly provided, so that they will become hoInes for actual settlers who aEe farmers ana orchard It is this conservative laild policy of the republic that has ralsed up enemies to that form or goVerHlfsi.' and to annexation.
 ,erboS,A rn.leontents are afraid that they cannot induce congress to open the lands to the oWnei ship Of monopo.le les Wno wish to acquire large holdings al low cost. The land in the Hawaiian lslanos is of great intrinsic value, and they VIII form the inducement to the support or any sort of feeble and corrupt Goysrn- ment which they can control ur' Il -they are in the ownership of few men, TO accomplish such purpo-es, and for no good to the people, many Of them nave been induced to refuss to qua nly as kyotsrs. by taking an oath of allegiance to the republtc, as the constitution re- ouires, and, at the same time, to make a loud clamor, as to coercion, because or this disfranchisement.
 "The night thsy claim Is to destroy the republic by voting for the restoration of the monarchy, and tfn=ir advisors urge them to th.s course by appeals to their nride of race They endeavor to csn- trol the ignorant people with view to increasing their inf1usnce with the rul- ing monarch when regal govern IT. mt IS restored. When that is secured the owfl- ership of the islands will virtually ps ss into the hands of men whose enrichmen t will be sudden and great, and the.r pur- pose is clear, to deprive the government to that end, under the false pretense that thy are trying ito protect the native people of he full blood.
 .sThese are the m:n who have raised the false clamor that the leading men of the republic are "an oligarchy, wht'se whole purpose is to rob the native Ha- waifans of thatr lands. we'll knowing that those serfs and feudatories of the chiefs would never have owaed any land except through the persist mt efforts Of these men whose motives they m2lign. This alleged olgarchy and th'sir fathers have introduced and conducted to great success, the schools for the educat on elf the people until all the natives of fine school age can read and write the Fnglish language as well as thair na- tive tongue.
 "Other public Improvements, such as highways, railroads, churches, asylums, hospitals colleges and school houses, furnish the people every convenience and assistance of a high civilization in a styre of comfort and er. gance, such as Is seen in such institutions in the best communities in the Unttsd States. The cost of these great public improvem ants is defrayed from low rates of customs drs.es on imports and very Mgbr taxes on persons and property. The revenues exceed the current expen-ses If the gov ernmer,t, ard the people of HIa waii. after they have provided for the vSmfort sble living of all the people. among swhom there is no hunger, or no mendicancy, expor: more in value, of their produc- tons, per capita, than any psopie in the world.
 "Our early statesmen were not mis- taken when they a rang'sd our national policy for the annexa ton of Hawaii as soon as the people there were prepafed fo- our ci izenship. They fnstit-t t q the plan of annex tion, to which only a sim gle nation has intimated an ob5ectio,, which was only conditional. and has ceas- d. Everg act of our government by treaty or leaislation, has tended to p-o- mote and secure annexation. and every declaration and pledge WE have made has been distinctly addressed to the proposition that we would not permit the annexation of theve islands to my other country, and that we would inter