The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-06-23
A CLEAR OUTLOOK
Annexation IT is All Over But
the Shouting"
RESOLUTION IN THE SENATE
To the President in a Week-Reed's s
With Spain and Some Results.

The closing days of this week and
the first half of next mark the closing
Of the final and determinative debate
on the question of Annexation of these
Islands to the United States. This
is the word brought by Jas. B. Castle,
retiring Secretary Of the Hawaiian
Legation at Washington. Mr.. Castle
is back home after an absence and an
earnest and valuable service of eight
months.
So soon as the joint resolution de-
claring this group a part of the domain
of the United States had been adopted
by the House of Representatives it
was dispatched to the upper branch
of Congress. There was at once re-
ference to the Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee and return to that
body with recommendation for favor
able action. Discussion opened on
Friday last and has been in progress
almost one week. Debate cannot con-
tinue longer than ten days or fort
there will be a vote within a week from
today. Of the color of the ballot there
can be no question. 1t does not ap-
near. after due consideration and even
conjecture more than half speculative
that any power on earth can intervene
to postpone a vote or to defeat the
resolution. A conservative eastern
paper has figured that there will be at
the beginning of consideration fifty
nine affirmative votes and that the
cause will gain strength as facts are
understood and the war with Spain
progresses. Dewey has done this. He
made a great conversion. Without the
war the joint resolution would have
had a rough road.
The feature of this great controversy
now drawing to termination is the
complete defeat of Speaker Reed by
the administration. 1t is well known
that in the matter of shaping legisla-
ton the man who presides over the
House at Washington has a power even
greater and more far-reaching than
that of the President himself Mr..
Reed has been doggedIy conservative
to the degree of Unreasonfng and un-
wise stubbornness. Mr.. Reed had set
his personality against the spirit OF
the times and the thought of the day
and at the cIashfng of the issue found
his position untenable.
There was not at Washington when
Mr.. Castle left much talk of the make
up of the commission of five that will
supervise the setting up of the new
Government or the change of Govern
ment in Hawaii. If the three men to
represent the United States are select
ed from Washington or rather the
Senate, Morgan and Kyle would be
two Of the majority. The man of this
country already mentioned as one of
the minority of the commission is
Associate Justice Frear of the Supreme
Bench.
Both Minister Hatch and L. A.
Thurston will take the first possible
steamer for the Islands upon the pas
sage of the joint resolution OF Annex
alton by the Senate. There will not be
another appointment of Secretary OF
Legation. It is expected that the Ha-
waiian Legation at Washington will
be a thing of the past in week. Min
lister Hatch, to use an old but good
phrase, has been 'the right man in
the right place" according to the
popular and official verdict. Neither
the value nor the worth Of the work
that has been accomplished by Mr..
Thurston can be measured. It is well
known here that the men who have
/ been on guard for the Islands at Wash
iington during the past year have
privately sacrificed great deal.
Mr.. Castle found yesterday that