The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-10-09
PRICE FIVE CENTS.

IOTe ana surviving TO dictate terms To
the maratime powers. So long as Ha-
waii remains independent she will be
free from all the trials that beset the
world. l want you to imagine. IL you
can. that the United States may some
day be involved in war, and that, In
the event of annexation, we, as an un-
protected and far-off portion of United
States territory, will also be involved.
| want to say that 1t would be far bet
ter for Hawaii to remain Independent
neutral. l have great respect for many
annexationists. / want that UNDER
stood. l have less respect for others.
l believe annexation to be mistake.
l have been told by annexationists
that, without annexation, there will be
no Reciprocity Treaty. / know the ad-
vantages Of the Reciprocity Treaty and
these cannot be whistled down the
wind. l do not believe 1t follows that
If annexation fails we shall lose the
advantages of reciprocal trade. We
have no assurances that, In the event
Of annexation we will have the advan-
tages that have accrued under the
Reciprocity Treaty. The United States
of America has instituted what It calls
this line are now pending with France.
According to the importance of our
trade will be the benefits granted us
by the United States. We will give and
they will return. What have we seen
in these four short years? The Reel
procity Treaty, with its free sugar, un-
der Mckinley; sugar at cent and q
fraction duty under the Wilson bill:
sugar at 2 cents and over under the
Dingley. bill. want to say that do
not believe that it is right for us to
borrow trouble in the matter. Annex
alton will change the whole fiscal re-
lations Of the country. want you to
understand that increased taxation
must come in the event of annexation.
want to speak with admiration of the
men who have stood for annexation
and who have stood a tax of thousands
of dollars to further annexation.
want you to bear me out that from
Lanai to Kauai the people are crying
out under the heavy taxation of the
best Government these Islands ever
saw
Il want to say to you that annexa-
tion will revolutionize the whole labor
system of the Hawaiian Islands. It
will be said that should be one of the
first to favor such a move. We must
have just and humane system Of un-
derstoOd contract labor. / want to say
to you that annexation means the
sharpest kind of competition. Men
will come here and undertake the me-
chanical arts. / want you to under
stand that every clerk behind the
counter and every one working for
monthly wage, field laborers excepted,
will feel this competition keenly. I
want you to understand that the scale
of wages in San Francisco will be the
scale of wages in Hawaii. / want to
say one more thing: The fortunate
men in the labor market will be the
field laborers. He will have protec-
ton, for we are given to understand
that in case of annexation no more
Asiatics will be allowed in the coun-
try. Just as surely as skilled labor is
lessened, just so sure will field labor be
increased. / am leading up to this, be-
canse people looking for annexation
say it will be best for the sugar inter-
ests. Now, believe in those interests,
but / am not ready to grant every
thing in the world to them. / have
wondered, and sometimes thought,
what annexation would do is not all
ventilated We should think what will
become of us when we have to shoulder
the burden of tariff, such as the Ding
ley tariff The same tariff is denounced
alike by protectionists, fair traders
and free traders. Most of the articles
from England, France, Germany, Chi
ma and Japan will be increased to you,
on account of that tariff / very much
fear the question of annexation has
not been considered as it ought to be.
When the Senate of the Republic of
Hawaii met last month it took a very
short time to ratify the Treaty of An
nexation. Nothing was said of the ad-
vantages or disadvantages. l want to
say to you that as Hawaiian, / am
indignant at the action which took
place here on the 18th of January, 1893.
AS an offspring Of American parents /
am ashamed of that action. | believe
that all that has followed that fatal
day-all that has been laid upon us
during the last four years-was be-
cause of false step taken on that
day. 1t seems to me that all that has
been undertaken by the present Gov