The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-22
HAwIn AND ANNExArIoN.


est in tie Hawaiian proposition but
nevertheless the advocates and opponents
TO annexation profoundly feel the re
sponsibilty Of their respective positions
and are plainly as much moved by
patriotic impulses ana considerations of
the national welfare as has been possible
TO any subject that has come before the
government for.action since the Civil War
The opponents TO annexation arc first,
that class part of whose political creed
il is TO oppose all territorial extension.
This same policy was exerted in objec-
tion To the acquisition of Louisiana and
of Florida. Had it prevailed the geog-
raphy of the United States today would
have been comparatively Insignificant.
longer a subject for controversy. of course.
| BY contrast to the acquisition of such ter
ritory upon the continent the Hawaiian
Islands aro perhaps an unimportant prop
osition for quarrolling over but, on the
other hand, the fact that they are remote
from us introduces a new factor into the
argument for letting them alone. On the
whole, however, we do not find that OBJ
lection along this line Is made feature
of much prominence In the discussion.
The fact seems to be generally recognized
that If the United States do not acquire
the Islands some other nation will, with
Japan as perhaps the next best claimant
and the arguments in remonstrance are
based almost entirely on utilitarian con-
sderations and not on tho anti-territorial
extension policy.
These remonstrances are, briefly that
the Islands have no great commercial
value for the United States; that the
mixed population will make the problem
Of their government difficult and that. to
introduce into our Republican population
lot of South Pacific natives, an Asiatic
immigrant class, serfs and lepers, is Of
itself, threatening to our peace and happi-
ness in numberless ways and places upon
the country an uncalled for and unwieldy
load, the carrying of which will be trou-
blesome and the consequences OF the ur-
| dertaking embarrassing.
1t would seem that a little study Of the
| subject would convince that neither the
consequences to the domestic peace nor
the possibility of international complica-
tions offer good reason for abandoning the
Hawaiian Islands TO another power when
we consider the demonstrated advantages
of annexation. The superficial fact is. that
the Islands are governed by American
joining their country to the home of their
fathers and tho land OF their own nativity
just as were, for instance, the founders OF
tho Texas Republic half century ago.
While the growth of Asiatic immi igration
may in time succeed in displacing a
government by Americans on the Ameri-
can plan, the fact will ever remain that
the progress and civilization of the Islands
is the work of Americans, led by the
missionaries who established AS fine a sys-
tenn OF public schools as we have ourselves
| and step 10y step have resolved the govern
mont from an improyident and immoral
administration of harbarians to methods
that prevail in civilized countries. Des-
| pite tho character of their population, then,
the Islands are far more an American
state already than anything else. They
will never again degenerate to barbarism
for the native population. except so far as
Christianity and civilization have claimed
a limited number of them, is politically
out of the probl9n, much as are our own
American Indians here at home The only
possibility Of political change lies in the
direction of placing the control in the
MINUS vi rum ouiiic Noubtiy
other than the United States, specifically
in all probability, tho japanese. And
assuming that there is any good ground
for acquiring the Islands by our govern
ment, now is essentially the day to do it
with tho greatest facility and the least
possibility of bringing about any inter
national complications or inviting the
opposition of any other nation. And the
news of the past few days seems to indi-
cate that the proposition of the admins.
tration meets only with approval abroad
as step in manifest destiny, Japan alone
seeking TO insure the preservation of her
treaty rights already engaged for.
We do not find that any question is