The herald., 1897-06-27
is that we get a fertile island growing

| is that we get fertile island growing
in tropical abundance everything
needed in America. AS a matter of fact,
Hawaii only produces in abundance one
article, and that is sugar, and so long
as she can grow it with pauper labor
and enter it free of duty, as she now
does, and will always do if she becomes
a state of the Union, she will crush out
all hope of producing beet sugar in Cali
fornia. The sugar plantations Of Ha-
waii, like those of Louisiana before the
war, are cultivated by slave labor, or
labor debaucheed by a poverty more
degrading than negro slaves ever knew.
While the treaty proposed denies the
right of Chinese to enter Hawaii, or to
come from Hawaii to the United States,
everyone knows that so soon as Hawaii
becomes state in the Union free access
will be given to her 20, 900 Chinese to pass
from state to state, and thus the struggle
against pauper labor will be intensified
at our own doors.
The leading argument advanced in
favor of annexation is that we must
annex Hawaii to keep some other nation
from taking possession of it.
The independence Of Hawaii was
acknowledged by the United States in
| 1920 and soon thereafter England
France and the other great nations of
| Europe did the same thing. In 1S43 an
! aggressive British naval officer Lord
George Paulet, for some offense sup
posed to have been committed by the
king of Hawaii landed upon the island
and took possession and ran up the
British flag over all the public build
ings, just as our minister Stevens, did
the flag of the United States on Feb
ruary I, 1898. When the British naval
| officer had taken possession of the
islands and suspended the functions Of
the king, the king asked the United
States to intercede with England for the
| restoration of the islands. This brought
| on a correspondence between Mr.. Web
ster, our secretary of state, and the
English government and the act of Lord
Paulet was disowned and at the same
time reciprocal acknowledgment was
then entered into between Lord Aber-
deem, representing England, and Lord
Aultaire, representing France, recog-
nizing the independence of the Sandwich
islands and binding themselves never
| to take possession, either directly or
EluulreCIly, VI uHueT lHe Title OF pro-
| tectorate, or under any other form, of
any part of the territory Of which they
are part"
This was a solemn treaty on the part
of England and France and Is binding
| today. After this treaty was signed
England ordered Lord Paulet to take
down every British flag on the islands
and to run up the flag of Hawaii and
| then salute it. If England had been
ruled by the lust of power like that
which moved Stevens and his cocoon
| spirators she would have been in pos
session of those islands today; so we
need have no fears from England OF
France.
The whole scheme of annexation is a
greed for empire and opens a new field
for the spoils of office under a carpet
bag regime. Annexation means the pay
ment of $4,0OO000 debt, immense cost
of territorial government, millions fol-
coast defenses Of the islands, an ex-
pensive navy to guard them, one more
congressman, two United States sena-
tors. hundreds of state or territorial Of
ficers to be drawn from the United
States, and mongrel population unfit
for citizenship, and all for the hope OF
further term Of the Republican party
] in power. J. SHIRLEY WARD.