The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1897-07-02
HAWAII.

The fact Of treaty being signed is evil
dence that the present administration is
favorable to the annexation of the
Hawaiian Republic. 1t now depends on
the senate to ratify that treaty. There is
some doubt as to whether the senate
will ratify, though there ought to be
none.
No more beautiful spot is onthe earth
than than the Hawaiian Islands; no place
has nature more blessed with climate
and productiveness. In no other place
OF so small an area can be found a great
er variety Or abundance of fruit, veget-
able and field crops. The temperature
always warm, rarely hot, never cold, is
governed by the waters of the ocean and
the steady moist and balmy trade winds
which blow over its surface. Storms are
rare and the cyclonic hurricanes so COM
mon to the islands of the West Indies
are unknown. All the islands are of vol
canic formation and on the largest island
still smokes one ofthe greatest volcanoes
OF the worlle. Owing to their formation,
the topog Sphy of each island is some-
what similar consisting of range of
mountains running through the central
portion. like back bone, and sloping
away in more or less sloping or precipi-
tous inclines down to the sea on either
side. -
In 1868, the writer stood half way up
the slope four or five miles back from the
city of Honolulu. and the picture seen
has fingered longer and clearer in men,
ory, than any other recollected in many
thousand miles of travel around and
about most of the continents and islands
of the sea.
We can only give brief word picture.
The vividness of the coloring would
have to be taken from the rainbow. AS
we stood on that slope some 1900 feet
above the sea, at our backs rose the pre-
cipitous, rugged, brown of the noun
tains, 1000 feet more, stretching far to
right and left, forming gigantic frame
and background for the picture in front.
Away to the city ran broad road slop-
ing down. On either side at some dist
ance from each other, were the farm
house villas, each built with light veran-
das and painted in bright colors. At
every house a windmill, set low but
with wide spread, Haunted its gaily
painted fans to the ever-blowing warm
and balmy breath of the trade wind. On
either side stretched out from the road
the plantations, mostly growing sugar
tcane then aln,ost ready for harvest In
the distance the red-tiled roofs of the
city shone against and over the white
washed walls they covered. Just be-
yond. the emerald-hued waters of the
harbor were dotted with ships at anchor
or with white sails spread to dry. Then
just beyond again was the coral reef, the
barrier, on which forever breaks the
great Pacific, and whose great blue bill
lows come rolling in from thousand
miles away, to be dashed into the light
est foam and spray on the mighty wall of
the millions of microscopic insects. AS
we said, we can only give few words to
this picture, but no pigments of the
painter, if at our command, could do
justice to the coloring given by nature to
this grand panorama. From the far-off
horizon where the sea and the sky COM
mingled, over the deep blue of the
ocean, the green of the plantations and
the deep brown of the mountains, there
was halo of light, transparency of
color, that alike bewildered and entranc-
ed us.
And as we stood there we talked of
the possibility of this fair picture becom-
in part of the United States, and there
was born the desire that some day, that
the flag we saw flying in the distance,
might be changed in just one respect.
Then it was similar to our flag except
that the ''Union" was like the English
Jack" with the cross of St. Andrew and
st. George. We wanted that "Union"
changed to blue ground, with white
stars, and that one of those stars should
stand for Hawaii; beautiful Hawaii,
Queen of the Pacific!
l. -.
A OLDHAM AT A nsT0N1