The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1897-11-04
MUST ANNEX HAWAII.
POLICY AGREED UPON BY ALL
POLITICAL PARTIES,
Treaties from Marcy to McKinley-we
Need the Gibraltar of the Pacific
Prompt Action Urged Upon tho
Senate.


promptly ratify the Hawaiian Annex
alton Treaty next December.
For fifty years past the policy Of the
United States has been to exclude 9TH
er nations from the political control of
Hawaii. Secretary of State Webster
said:
Il trust the French will not take
possession (of Hawaii; but IL they
do, they will be dislodged, il my advice
is taken, IL the whole power Of the
government Is required to do it,
Since the days when Secretary Of
State Webster uttered these words, and
President Pierce and Secretary of State
Marcy negotiated treaty Of annexa-
ton, down TO the date of the negotia-
ton OF the present treaty of annexa-
ton by President Mckinley and Secre-
tary Sherman-during this long inter-
val We have seen Democrats, Wings,
Republicans, Populists, Gold Standard
men and the friends of free silver, re-
gardless of party, all advocating Amer
lean control IN Hawaii. Nor is there
any indication OF divergence from this
truly national policy. 1t was, in fact,
emphasized by the Republican party in
their national platform at st. Louis in
1896, in the following words:
The Hawaiian Islands should be
controlled by the United States, and no
foreign power should be permitted to
| interfere with them
This was the true Dem Jcratic doc
trine before the Republican party ex-
listed. 1t is distinctly an American
and not a party policy. 1t is a policy
that has been championed by Pierce,
| by Marcy, by Johnson, by Grant, by
Arthur, by Seward, by Fish and by
Blaine. Today this policy is advocated
| by Gold Democrats like ]. r. Proctor
and Thomas f. Bayart; by Silver
Democrats like Senator Morgan of AL
| ALBANIA and Senator RawEns OF Utah;
by Gold Republicans like Senator'S
Frye, Lodge, Davis and Thurston; by
Silver Republicans like Senator Teller;
by Populists like Senator Stewart of
Nevada and Senator Allen of Nebras-
ka; by Senator Kyle the Independent.
1t is advocated by such radically antag
| onistic newspapers as the Herald,
Tribune" Sun and Journal of
| New York. 1t is advocated by such men
as ex-Secretary Foster, General Scho-
field. Admirals Beikrap and Walker,
and by Captain Mahan. 1t is a COM
mon ground upon which all can come
! together, beca-sc Hawaiian annexation
is a policy as broadly national az the
Monroe doctrine.
The reasons for the adoption Of this
policy are self-evident. Hawaii Is the
equator, that is near enough to the
Pacific coast to be used as base Of ma
val operations against us. A foreign
power, in possession of Hawaii, would
be within four days steaming distance
| Of San Francisco. Shut out from Ha-
wall, foreign nations would be forced
| back the entire width Of the Pacific, a
distance prohibitive Of effective naval
operation. because battleships cannot
carry coal enough to steam that dis
lance
A foreign power in possession Of
Hawaii would compel the elaborate for
tifcat.on of every port on the Pacific
Coast in order to afford protection to
| our people and property out there
With all foreign powers excluded from
Hawaii, our people and property on the
Pacific Coast would be comparatively
free from foreign danger. If We do not
annex Hawaii some other country will,
and it is more economical for us to
fortify one point in Hawaii than twen-
" points in California. Washington
and Oregon.
We need Hawaii far more than Ha-
wall needs us. We need 1t as England
needs Gibraltar, not so much for its
territory nor it's commerce. but for its
location. We need it, not for agrees
sion, but for the protection of the in
terests that We have there and for the
protection of our people and property
upon the Pacific Coast.
Another, and subordinate, reason
in favor of annexation Is because Ha-
wall lies in the direct track of all
Pacific trade. With one eXcep-
ton, all of the seven different steam
ship lines that cross the Pacific stop
at Honolulu. All the China and Japan
trade, TO and from the Nicaragua ca
nal, will subsequently do the same.
Hawaii has been rightly termed the
commercial crossroads" as wei! as the
strategic key" of the Pacific.
Hawaii, although but partially de-
veloped, is rich and prosperous coun-
try. 1t already consumes more OF our
United States products than any other
country bordering upon the Pacific.
Under annexation We shall not only
protect this trade. but we will multiply