The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-13
THE ANNEXATION QUESTION
SENATOR DAVIS CLOSES HIS SPEECH
 IN FAVOR OF IT.

Probable Effect of Nicaraguan Canal on
 Occupation of Islands by Some Foreign
 Power-Strategic Features-Japan's Ob-
 jection RidicuIed-Senator Aliens Reply
 for Opposition.
 Washington, Jan. 1.-Senator Davis continued and completed his speech in the executive session of the senate to- day on the Hawaiian treaty and was followed by Senator Allen of Nebraska, who spoke in opposition. MT. Davis speech to-day was devoted largely to presentation of the strategic features of annexation. He displayed a chart showing the location Of Hawaii relative to this country and to Asia. One point brought out with considerable elabora- tion was the probable effect of the Mi caraguan canal on the occupation of the islands by some foreign power. He showed that Hawaii was in a straight line between the western terminus of the canal and Japan and China.
 The nation, he said, which controlled Hawaii would control that great gate way of commerce as the guns planted upon Hawaii would be pointed directly at the mouth of the canal. He also spoke of the importance of controlling Pearl harbor, now owned by the United States saying that the nation which maintained possession of this harbor would hold the key to the military situ- ,,ti~ .,, tI, rlnu f4n Tn read extracts from engineers and others in confirmation of this statement and to show that the harbor could be easily defended. He also explained the neces- sity for controlling Hawaii as a base of supplies in case of hostilities. He ridiculed the objection made by Japan that annexation of Hawaii to the Uni Il States would work violation of Japan ese treaty rights in the islands.
 He said that all rights would be pro- tected. He called attention to the ap- parent cordial relations existing be- tween China and Japan as manifested by Japan's offer to lend Ter fleet to England for operation in Chinese wa ters, where he said the greatest naval demonstration of history was about to be made. He did not Indicate a belief that immediate war would be the result of the European competition over Chi hese territory. He said that the flags of Great Britain, France, Germany and Russia are floating side by side in the Oriental waters, neither power being apparently anxious to disturb the other so long as there was a prospect of each power getting as much as the others were taking.
 He referred to the improvement of the commercial outlook between the United States and China and instanced the fact that one Minnesota firm had exported half million dollars worth of flour to that country. When Senator Davis took his seat he was congratulated by all l most every senator present upon the | floor. Both Senators Hoar and Mason | remarked that it was pity that the l rules of executive sessions prevented the publication of the entire speech Senator Allen followed with a speech 1 in opposition to the treaty. He called attention to the. distance of Hawaii | from our shores, referred to the necessi- | ty we would be under in defending the
 
 | ger contraband of war and contended | that the United States were in far | greater danger from the British estab- | lishment at Esquimalt than it could possibly be because of the location of any foreign power in Hawaii.
 He also deprecated the idea of assimi- lating such a population as that of Ha- waii, saying that almost half of it was composed of Chinese and Japanese. | He contended that the annexation of the islands would open the doors for a violation of Our laws for the exclusion of Chinese holding that they could find admission through Hawaii. He said, al so, that it would be impossible to pre- vent Hawaii's becoming state at some | future day and declared that her peo- | pie were not of character calculated to send acceptable senators to Wash | ington.
 There was apparent to-day a disposi- tion on the part of some senators who announce themselves undecided as to what course to pursue on the Hawaiian question to mix it with the Cuban prob lem. They are friends of Cuba and they | desire to have the administration take a more pronounced position in the interest of Cuba in return for their assistance on the Hawaiian treaty.