Evening star., 1898-06-15
Mr.. BERRY'S SPEECH
A Democrats Reasons for Hawaiian
Annexation.
WHY THE SUGAR TRUST Is OPPOSED
Progress of Education in the
Islands.
IMMORTALITY AND DISEASE

One of the notable speeches in favor of
Hawaiian annexation delivered in the
House was made today by Representative
Berry Of Kentucky, a member of the COM
mittee on foreign affairs. Mr.. Berry is a
democrat. His speech was long and
efficient presentation of the arguments in
favor Of annexation. In the course of his
remarks he gave some interesting informa-
tion about the attitude of the sugar trust,
explaining what is back of the opposition
to annexation.
The Sugar Trusts Reason.
THE high grades of sugar. refined sugar.
coming from Honolulu to the United States
pay a duty. said Mr.. Berry. Every par
ticle of sugar that grades above 81 per
cent Genes in with a duty. 1t is shipped
directly to the United States. 1t is almost
as white refined sugar, and of a most
delightful flavor.
That is the reason the sugar trust is
against annexation, because If annexation
cen be defeated it is s3G0O.OO0 a year in
their Iockets. Another reason is that the
younger Spreckles owns 10000 acres of the
best land of the Hawaiian Islands. a mag
nificent plantation and it is cultivated by
contract labor brought from China AMI
japan. Spreckles kr ows that whenever the
American flag goes up over Hawaii the
DI
that contract labor must come to an end.
That is one reason for the opposition to
annexation which is very easily explained.
1t does not take very many words.
Education in Hawaii.
Il listened with attention yesterday to
discussion of this question by my distir-
guished friend from Georgia. Listening to
his argument as well as that of my friend
from Indiana (Mr Johnson), one would
suppose that the Hawaiians a lot of
heathens. 1 want to say that education is
more universal in the Hawaiian Islands
than it is in the state of Georgia. There is
not child in those islands ten yezrs o1
age who cannot read and write. | question
whether single cotton state can boast OF
the same thing. In the Hawaiian Islands
s14 head is set apart for the education of
children. The country is dotted ever with
school houses. The city of Honolulu mas
magnificent kindergartens and primary
schools, and an elegant college with nag
nificent grounds, embracing fifteen acres
an edfice built of stone. which would be
credit to any state of this Union. The
people there are honest. You can s;ee3 IN
Honolulu with your doors wide open. They
are not the savaSes which some Of our
friends here would have US believe-reaoy
to cut any PERSONS throat whenever they
get chance. If brought here for the pur-
pose of representing that country they
would not scare our Speaker as my friend
from Missouri CMr. Clark seams to I'M
agine- They are not that type of people.
'As to the military necessity of these
islands. whose opinion are we to take? Are
we going to take that of some of these
young gentlemen who never heard he guns
thunder in the last war;
Mr.. Clardy-"If the gentleman a moment
ago referred to me, he will allow me to
say that my remark had reference to the
Chinese in that countryside contract labor
OF the country-constituting very large
majority of the people"
Berrv-'I IN IN ha
man that the Cinnamon and the Japanese
are not naturaliZed citizens of that coun-
try and under its constitution cannot be-
and when the flag of our country goes over
Hawaii no Chinaman and no japanese of
that country can come to the United
States"
Mr.. Clardy--If those islands are an
people become citizens?"
Mr.. Berry-"No. they cannot become cIti-
zens under the laws of the United States"
Mr.. Clardy-''Ther the fourteenth amsnd-
ment does not mean anythlng?'
Mr.. Berry-"The Chinaman when he gets
together few hundred dollars will go back
to die in the happy land of the sun from
which he came. There are not many of
them there as there today in the city
of San Francisco"
"On this question Of military necessity 1
am glad to see that map displayed there,
because think 1t is the best argument that
can be made on this floor. WHY sir nv
friend from Arkansas CMr. Dinsmore) has
become great navigator. In spite of the
fact that there are hundreds of men, en-
bracing some of the brightest minds of this
country, devoting themselves to the ex-
pioration of the t-ackless ocean, and in
spite OF the fact that such men have been
endeavoring for hundreds of years to find
out the best, the most expeditions, the
safest lines of ocean travel, we have dis
covered an Arkansas congressman who
ahead of all these navigators, has found a
ne" route better than any previous one,
from America eastward to California.
I'VE have heard about the immoral forms
of amusement practced in Honolulu. Why
sir. was ona of the visiting statesmen of
whom the gentleman from Arizona (AIr.
smith, talked. 1 saw the hula-hula dance
in the city of Honolulu; and have no hesi-
tation in saying that / can go to a theater
in the city of Washington and see a much
more Indecent performance than the hula
hula dance in Honolulu"
member-"How do you knoW?'
Mr.. Berry-"Because 1 have been there
and saw a woman plant herself on a trapeze
and garment by garment undress herself,
while congressman sitting about were get
ting very nervous with apprehension"
Qaughter).
LeprOsy of Hawaii.
Now another great bugaboo which /
want to answer is the statement In regard
to leprosy. Why. gentlemen. you admit
into this country all the Swedes who want
to come here, and they make some of our
ttst citizens. They are workers in iron,
good mechanics. etc You admit them free
ly, yet there is five times as much leprosy
in Sweden as there is in Hawaii.
1T has been stated here-and the stare
ment shows how little some gentlemen
know about this matter-that an island has
been devoted to the treatment of leprosy.
What is the fact? They have simply cut
off little patch of land. about 1900 acres,
with mountains just behind it and a wall
running down each side, making 1t like a
penitentiary with the broad Pacific ocean
around it. And there the leprosy patients
are sequesterad. They are fed by the gov
ernment; they are attended by good physi-
clans, and there is a good moral outlook for
them In every particular.
"Leprosy is gradually dying out WHY.
when Capt. Cook discovered those islands
there were supposed to be 300 600 natives
on them. And yet in the last few years
they have dwindled down at the rate of
3 or per cent year. The race Is gradu-
ally dying out. Now. what do you people
want?
Feeling of the Natives
you say there ought to be a vote. Why.
gentlsmen, there is not Kanaka that
talked with Oh the island who had anything
but a sentiment about this old monarchy.