The herald., 1897-06-27
this was all the shield she needed against

this was all the shield she needed against
the world. Mr.. Cleveland dismissed, Sir
Lionel West and sent him back to Eng
land for interfering in our local affairs,
and Mr. Stevens should have been
treated in the same way. But the deed
has been done and the republic of
Hawaii knocks for admission into the
sisterhood Of states in the American
union.
Without consulting the body Of the
people of Hawaii, without convention
to decide the question as to their form
of government, a request comes from
the usurping junta asking us to take the
islands under our wing.
The United States are not moved by
sentiment in their negotiations with
foreign governments. Years ago the
heart of America was stirred to it's depths
over the wars of Greece, and the dome OF
our national capital echoed to the lofti-
est strains of impassioned oratory, urg-
ing the United States to aid Greece in
her struggle against Turkey, and now
again the Turk is ravaging the plains
of Thessaly, and Greece, on bended knee
beckons with imploring hand to America
Cuba. the "gem of the Antilles" the
home of thousands Of Americans, from
her funeral pyre, lit by Spanish hate
waves her bleeding hands across the
gulf for deliverance from the barbarc
misrule of a decaying despotism, and yet
we have not the courage to even recog-
nize a state of belligerency between
Spain and Cuba. We ask, are not our
interests much larger in Cuba than
NHawaii? If we can approve coup d.
etat of few adventurous fillibusters
on the government Of Hawaii to pro-
tect it from the possible misrule of a
coming despotism, can we look coldly on
the efforts Of Cuba, to strike from the
limbs of her people the shackles of mon
archy?
1t has always been a cardinal doctrine
of our government to confine ourselves
to this continent. The quest of empire
has never been the creed Of our republic.
The founders of our republic had read
how Rome planted her colonies in Gaul,
subjugated Britain, dictated laws to the
Teutons in the forests of Germany, yet
was called back by internal disorders
to the Tiber and thus lost her foreign
empires. This effort for foreign empire
infatuated Napoleon and forthwith he
swept like an avenging angel from
Alpine submits down ON the plains OF
Italy, thence northward through Aus
tria, Prussia and the German states till
Russia struck him with sword of ice
and snow and hurled him back to France
and finally to his doom at Waterloo, and
yet today the map of European France is
ma Her than when he died
The scheme for the annexation Of
Hawaii is the result of the lust of empire
What are the arguments used for
annexation? 1t is answered that We
need Hawaii in case of a foreign wal
with some great naval power. This
argument is not tenable, for all the great
naval powers are beyond the Atlantic
and they would prefer to fight their bat
ties nearer home. If we owned Hawai-
we would have to protect, by an i'm
mense navy, and while defending it,
more than 2100 miles from our coast
strong navy would burn our cities and
lay waste our coast.
We could not rely on our naval squad
ron while guarding Hawaii to protect
our coast cities at the, same time. We
now own coaling station on one Of the
islands, fully equal to our demands. sc
lit is not necessary to own Hawaii in
order to protect the Pacific coast.
Another argument for the annexation