Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-25
THE COAST FAVORS TT
Dweilers ON Pacific Shores Not On
posed TO Hawaiian Annexation
From the San Francisco Chronicle

Dweilers ON Pacific Shores Not on
posed TO Hawaiian Annexation.
From the San Francisco Chronicle
Active efforts are being made to deceive
Cor gress into the belief that the people Of
this state and of the Pacific coast are NOT
IN favor of Hawaiian annexation. To that
end private interests are at work In the
name OF the public, but without authoriza-
tlon TO speak for anything besides them
selves. Men who want a puppet govern
nent in Hawaii, which they can move back
ana forth, as they did that of Kalakaua.
greatly TO their gain, are assuring con-
SreSSmen that the sentiment of rho coact is
against the treaty. Other men who were
headed off by the revolution of 1888 from
carrying out their scheme to turn the
ls!ahus INTO sugar barony where few
white piutoc1ats, owning all the soil and
tHlinS IL with nalf million coolies couid
control the sugar business of the western
states and crush beet sugar competition
are following suit. But these men do nor
represent the coast majority, nor even a
lar minority. They are self-seekers who
cnallenSe the general sentiment of The pa
enc states wnen they pretend to speak for
~ ana who mean to use any advantages
congress may give them to create a for
mldab.e trust.
10 ascertain the feeling of this coast
congress need do no more than consult the
bodles The California legisla iure when
sent Mr.. White TO the Senate passed an
annexation resolution. The chambers Of
commerce and boards Of trade of all the
important cities of the coast save one
nave Endorsed the annexation noIicv 60
slroEs was the pressure of the state upon
senator Perkins during the past summer
mat ne patrioucally laid aside prejudices Of
ms own against the treaty and let If he
known that in his representative cauacitv
ne mad no recourse but to favor it, AS to
the press, the Chronicle representing the
repuplcan party in the morning field of
San Francisco: the Examiner the local
democratic organ of the state; the Bulletin
and the Post are for annexation. with but
one newspaper, and that owned by Mr.
Spreckels, opposed. The proportion of pub
TIC journals Tor and against in this city is
applicable to the journals of the other Pa
cine states, and to the people themselves
We say without hesita ton that there could
be no doubt OF the passage of the Sherman
Hatch treaty by a two-thirds majority if
the result depended upon popular vote in
California. Oregon, Nevada and Washing
ton.
The reason why public opinion is so much
one way Is both commercial and defensive.
The trade OF Hawaii for the present year
VIII amount to about $2500O,00U, the great
er part of it being with this coast We
know that annexation would add immense
~ 10 us import features, with correspond
ing gain to our own exports for Hawaii
as field Of purely tropical production is
bound to depend upon the Pacific coast for
the most of what it eats and wears and for
every kind of manufactured article save
sugar; and with the growth of white popu-
lation there the demand must steadily in
crease. If annexation does not come the
white population, for reasons we shall pres
eLtly explain, must go backward. 1t is only
the hope of stable government under the
American flag which keeps the island
whites together now.
Hawaii must be lost to US commercially
tf.3n pa n ha ITraIn
so because it is the ambition of Japan to
COLOMBO the group, so as to make it trade
dependency; perhaps, also, by gaining the
franchise for her subjects, to pave the way
for japanese republic and a political de-
tendency. To escape this fate the island
government has shown that it would APP
peal to Great Britain to annex Hawaii to
her empire, offering a monopoly of trade if
need be, to obtain the boon. Could the
United States resist? There is no part of
the Monroe doctrine which permits us to
interfere with any attempt that a free gov
eminent may make 10 better its own condi-
ton by foreign bargain. We can oppose
seizure, but not willing cession. 1t is
none of our business what a nation does
with its own; and in the case we suggest
America could do no more than to stand
by and see its trade go to a rival.
This brings US to the question of defense.
Hawaii, with its two harDors its enclrcling
reef and preciptous shores, is natural
Gibraltar. Whoever holds it has the key to
the North Pacific; whoever fortifes it,
aside from ourselves, has the key to the
Pacific coast Japan could not make war
upon US with base at Yokohama, but with
Hawaii hers-and she would seize the group
tomorrow If war broke out-she could put
large fleet near our harbors and maintain
1t there, unless 1t should be beaten by our
own navy. Then, in the event of war with
England, our first military effort in the
west would be to capture Esquimalt. With
that in hand, what could England, unless
she held Hawaii do against US? She could
not maintain a fleet in these waters with
the nearest dock and coal pile at Auckland
or Hong-Kong; and SO, unless she could
take Hawaii. the war in the Pacific would
have to stop. But with the islands in hand
held like another Bermuda, the safe harbor
OF warships. the western coast could be
haired by powerful cruisers and battle
ships. outnumberng our own. To sum up
the defensive argument, the United States
needs Hawai- u Keep the group from fall
ing into the hands of future enemies and
being used against this coast.
There are other reasons why the public |
sentiment of the western states is for an
nexation. but they need not be recapitu-
lated here. Those we have given are para
mount, and they stand against all the as
saults made upon them by private interests
II the coasts wishes weigh in this grave |
matter. they will be accepted by Congress |
in lieu of all opposing pleas that are or |
may be urged In its name, and will be used |
to bring about and to justify the speedy |
annexation of the Hawaiian group.
--~O>-