The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-08
But Says There Is Doubt About secur-
ing the Necessary sixty Votes to
Ratify the Agreement.
Mr.. MORGAN CHANGES FRONT
HE NOW WANTS CONGRESS TO ANNEX
DIRECT by LEGISLATION.
Text of His Proposition-Anoth Po-
litical and Financial Debate in
the Lower House.

w ASHINGION, Feb. 1.-Senator Teller,
of Colorado. occupied the entire four hours
of to-day's executive session in the Senate
in discussing the Hawaiian annexation
treaty. During the course of his speech.
Mr. Teller took occasion to say that he
should have been glad to discuss the treaty
in open session, and to this remark he add
ed the opinion that the time had almost
come when the question of annexation
should be debated on a bin looking to leg
isiation by both houses Of Congress rather
than on the basis Of the treaty While he
thought there might be a bare possibility
of securing the sixty. votes necessary to rat
ify the treaty, he conceded that under the
present circumstances this was exceedingly
doubtful, and he thought the sooner this
fact should be recognized and a change of
front made the better it would be from all
points of view. There were some Interrupt
tons at this point, and it was suggested by
some senators, after the close of the execu-
tive session, that the committee on foreign
relations would consider the advisability of
making this change of policy at its next
meeting, to be held on Wednesday Of this
week. The statement was, however, made
by Senator Davis, chairman of the commit
tee on foreign relations, that there had been
no intention of attaching the treaty to one
of the appropriation bills as an amendment,
as had been stated was the case in some of
the newspapers. He made this statement i'll
reply to a question put by Senator White.
of California. 90 nsf
Senator Teller advocated the ratification
of the treaty, basing his reasons for this po-
sition upon the grounds that the annexation
of the islands was in the interest of our
commerce and in line with our national pol
icy for the past half century. He devoted
himself very largely to replying to the OBJ
lection that had been raised to acquiring
the islands because of the domination of the
native race He undertook to show that
there was no foundation for this criticism
or if there was such foundation now it need
not, he said, long continue to be an essen
tial factor of the situation. He based this
statement upon fgtires which he produced
to show that the natives or Kanakas were
rapidly dying off, as a result of their CO.
mingling with outside races. He contended
that the islanders could not long remain to
dispute the supremacy of some of their race
and what race that should be would depend
largely upon the present action of the
United States Senate. IF we should elect to
make the islands a part of the United
states the American people would at once
become the controlling element in Hawaii
but If we should fail to take advantage of
the opportunity now offered some other peo-
pie would. in all probability, assume the
position of control which naturally and ira
ditionally belongs to the United States. TAX
ing UP this line of the argument, he said
that ever since the days of Webster and
Marcy a majority of the people of this coun-
try had believed that the Hawaiian islands
should and would some day become an in
tegral part of the United States With the
nerce struggle that was about TO begin in
the Orient for the possession of new terri
tory among the European powers, it was
indeed a short-sighted man. he stated who
would contend that Hawaii, occupying so
important a location as it does in the middle
of the great Pacific ocean, would be left
untouched by some of the degrading ma
tons of the old world Under the present
circumstances it was absurd for this gov
eminent to try to maintain a system of con-
troll without taking actual possession.
Senator Teller controverted the position of
Senators Pettigrew and White that Ameri-
cans could not live in the Hawaiian islands.
He quoted weather statistics to show that
the temperature on the island coasts ranges
from OF to - during the year, which, he
said, was far from beng an oppressivey
hot climate. Farther inland it was still
cooler, and on the mountains frosts We're
not infrequent. If the white man of this
country should not be impressed with the
islands Mr.. Teller thought they would
make an ideal location for the colored peo-
pie of the United States who might de-
sire to leave the present territory of this
country and who would find congenial en-
pl0yment IN the sugar plantations and cOf-
fee fields of Hawaii
Mr.. Teller also discussed the contention
that the Hawaiian group was not on the
most direct line Of travel between the west
ern hemisphere and China and Japan. Any
vessel which might come around the horn
or across the Isthmus of Panama, in case
of the construction of a canal. would al
most certainly take these islands in on it's
way to Yokohama, Shanghai or any other
far Eastern port Furthermore, the islands
were a great convenience as coaling and
general supply point to vessels plying the
Pacific ocean
Taking up the. question of the necessity
for the defense of the islands and of the
maintenance of large fleet in their waters
in case Of annexation, he said that this
was q mere bugaboo and was without foun-
dation in fact. All that would be necessary
would be to fortify Pearl Harbor for the
protection of coal and military stores in
times of hostility. With all Of our stores
of this character located at one spot, as
they could easily be and that particular
there would be no need to guard other
portions of the islands. for it was not to
be supposed that any hostile nation would
for mere sentiment send a fleet thousands
of miles across the waters in order to at
tack and destroy any defenselesS communi-
ties there simply because they were subject
to the government of the United States.
Mr.. Teller went extensively into the history
of the islands from 1890 to 1850 TO show that
both Englishmen and Frenchmen had forced
treaties of cession out of the rulers of the
islands. Senator Teller was frequently in
terrupted during the delivery of his speech
by Senators White, Pettigrew, Gear and
Others