The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-10-26

vessels using the Bermudas as d oaso
of operations in the war OF 1917, .. "
Confederate cruisers, obtaining unon
supplies in the West Indies durins
our civil war. A better ILLUSTRATORS
still Is the case of the SHENANDOAH
which destroyed. in one weeks time
in 1865. the entire whaling fleet OF the
Pacific. valued at s3.000.Ooo. In GU,
possession, the Hawaiian Islands wouiu
become not only the center OF our IA
cific Ocean commerce, but also the
Headquarters of our Pacific naval
squadron. :.
NO novel colonial policy will result
from the acquisition OF the Islands.
They will be annexed during the COM
ing winer with no more friction OF
change in our domestic or foreign pol
lev than resulted from the occupation
of California, or the purchase OF Alas
ka. Their present constitution. pat
termed closely after our own, may De
continued in effect, with only sucn
notifications as their loss or soVer-
eighty and the paramount authority
of the United States will necessitate,
and they be left free to advance III
wealth. population and inteiiigehce
until such time as. in the judgment oI
Congress. they are ready to become
State. Utah had population more
than double that of Hawaii before she
attained statehood.
Even if we can retain Pearl Har-
Dor without anneXation-and our peo-
ple will never knowingly consent 10
abandon tive shall still be obliged to
improve and fortify it. and is 1t not
less expensive. and far less likely 10
lead TO international complications,
and in every way better to annex the
Islands entire? We are not entering
| upon any dangerous experiment; we
are not about to annex some large,
populous, alien country like Brazil or
Mexico. or even Cuba: we are simply
! coming into our natural inheritance
! territory little smaller than Massa-
chusetts. where the English language
is spoken. where Thanksgiving and
| the Fourth of July are celebrated.
where the most advanced American
ideas are incorporated in the consu-
| tuition and the laws. and where no
citizen of the United States will ever
| feel stranger from the day 1t is an
nexed.s
Our traditional policy toward the
| Hawaiian Islands has simply been to
maintain a virtual protectorate until
the apple should become ripe" to
use Secretary Bayard's expression.
and then to annex them"
Mr.. NJ. H. Myrick, in arguing against
annexation, quoted President Madi-
son, who said: Nothing should ever
be acquired which would require q
navy to defend it."
| Mr.. Myrick continued: 1--WE now
have no extra continental territory.
We need none Every foot of our ter
ritory, except Alaska, can be reached
by our own highways.
| 1--WE have enough land already. II
we want Cuban tobacco, we have the
money to buy it; If we want Hawaiian
sugar, we will buy it; If we want any
thing of foreign growth. whether 1t
be bananas or princes, we will buy
them and pay our money for them"
To him there were two objections to
annexation; the kind of people to be
taken, and the question of citizenship.
He quoted census statistics to show
what, to his mind, was an undesirable
population. He had grave doubts that
the inhabitants would ever assimilate
we'll He called the attention of his
audience to the coal strikes, and asked
if the United States should increase
the mixture of the population. In his
opinion, before even entertaining the
idea of annexation the United States
should insist that the Island Govern
men settle all disputes with other
nations-Japan and others. We want
no entangling alliances; then, expel
! all foreigners, such as Chinese and
| Japanese, whom we do not regard as
desirable citizens here; then, submit to
the vote of the bona-fide residents
| alternatives, Americans, British,
Norwegians, Germans. French, wheth-
er they would desire annexation with
us; this should be done before we even
! entertain treaty.
81 regard this subject other than in
a commercial way. Commerce is valu-
able-but secondary only. Without
nationality there can be no commerce. -