New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-23
HAWAII IN THE HOUSE.
up JouNsoN's SENSATIONAL SPEECH
AGAINST ANNEXATION.
THE INDIANA MEMBERS REMARKS RECEIVED
r.,-,, GREAT APPLAUSE BY THE DEMOCRATS
AND MANY REPuBLIcANs-pEBATE ON

, rob op-Chairman Cannon OF the
Annropriations Committee made n clear ana nusl-
,essIke exclamation In COMMITTEE o' INC "noe
this afternoon OF the provisions OF 'he '"''ry oEn
,,r Tho chief feature OF tho gehera' ueoa'e'
r.hicb had been limited 10 to-day was discus
~, :. ,ha ,,en relating to the Commission 10 Mt
,end the Paris Exposition In 1900 Mt. cannon ae-
landed the committee from hsshu''s ","'' Wy
Nassrs William Alden Smith, Man"ilS' ','"Pso"
,rd o,bcrs who objected 10 the tact tnn' ''e Nu-
visory Commissioners were 10 act "''''''
neraton. ,,, occurrence ~
,.a Az vigorous speech OF three -qnarieTs Of an
ho,,r nv Mr. Johnson OF Indiana, III opPos'io" ~
the annexation OF Hawaii
Mr. JoHNsON's SPEECH.
,r robpson IN opening referred to the contest
I'm tho Senate over Hawaiian annexation ar"
the friends and supporters OF the ue"'y'
side and outside of the Senate were 'ui","7 -,
and Garth 10 secure It's adoption ana ,na'
don, Mckinley was ,aboring to change the COW
,,o,. ~ Senatorial opponents of the measure ne
,,u.sod tho recent visit OF President Dole ana
suggested that the Hawaiian NATION ui'N' Wv
United States had everything TO gam anu
10 lose He urged concentration Oh Poi"
tcntlon on the issue and the disabuse OF 'he '''I'
., ,,o neo,e OF erroneous impressions a"o Ms
serted that once put to the test ELMER III =" -
a,o or tho House the American people "ou'' "o
,,,ct N discover the danger involved ana 80 '''
denim H. 1T will be buried SAID ne oe'o"" ~
possbility even of an ultimate resnrrcc''o"' |,F
plausc1 | am opposed TO the annexation " :"
rou" no continued because I believe the people
of Hawaii are opposed to IT, am ho' ~ oe
fused by this special plea that the rea'
NJ tho neople OF the Sandwich Islands Is only 10 o'
obtained from the views OF those VINO assume
govern them That, sir is the merest 'ec''"'',','
There is no room here for the apphca'o' VI INV
narrow doctrine Of estoppel 40.
| - q Hawai-
n de facto or a de jure government. ne u'oial
,ha, Il misrepresented the people OF Hawaii whose
rights II was ready TO give away. Wheh II ""'
charged in 1893 at the time when the repu"i'0
ceeded the monarchy that the revolution was Az
cd nv the interposition Of American citizens' u'r
not believe 1t was true" said MI Johnson "',
denied # vigorously at the time, but the p',sist
encv with which this treaty OF annexation Il oe.e
pressed gives color to the accusation theh f''ue
and which I then so earnestly denounced
NJ Iobnson gave some OF the reasons whlcn I'M
PEELED him to opposition to annexation o"e W.
the Ignorance Of the population or hawai- "'"
long had Il been. he asked since we had passeu
IN, % Loor M, the ignorance Of the Old Norld
ard we now propose TO annex territory III "hir''
Ignorance was the rule. not the exception We
had passed a Chinese exclusion act ~" " 90"
nroposed to annex territory which con'alhcu I" "a"
Chinese population. He did not favor the holu'"S
~ territory under the shadow Of tho American HaF'
/ "A
- o,,iou,,v hut II would not do for free country
which derived its power from the consent Oh ''ie
governed It would be unwise ana shor'-s'sn'e"'
he said IL We should cut loose from all 'he '''u'
tions Of the past and rashly embark OF 'lle VI"
known sea Of territorial aggrandzement we hao
confined our expansion to contiguous TERRITORY III
,ho occu,s,.ion OF Florida Louisiana and Texas
In 1s53 under Filmore's presidency we had peer
wise enough and sensible enough to REJECT '"eSe
very islands. We had also rejected the proie' ..
81 Thomas and under the Administration Oh
General Grant Congress had voted down propo-
.iton TO purchase San Domingo Only once han we
| dcnarted from our rule-in the purchas" or AasKh
from Russia-and only the future coud oe'e'"''Ho
whether that had been n wise move.
THINKS IT WOULD BE BAD PREChpENl'
poss.ssion OF extraneous territory meant con-
slant source OF irritation The history o. t'e
world proved this. II was urged that the s""u"''"
r,,,ds MORO the key to the Pacific Their strategic
importance was emphasized. as II guns mounted
n,ore could command the Nicaragua Canai ana 'he
| pacific Coast thousands OF miles away. Inc annex
alton OF Hawaii would establish bad precedent
which we would be urged TO follow AT an cary nay
| The appetite grew by what II fed upon lo-u"!
! the crv was Give us Hawaii; tomorrow IL "ouiu
! he give us Cuba" and the next day. Give US
| Samoa" These appeals would all he justified by
! tho n,easant sophistries which appealed to vanity
ard cunidty until at last would hnd ourselves
irretrievably committed 10 a policy unnecessary 10
Tho material happiness OF our people hurryins
| along path which was strewn with the "IcoAs
| OF empires and OF nations tApplause)
| He did not deny. he said. that the acquisition OF
foreign territory had added to the prosperity OF
nations But history showed 1t to have been ulti-
rna,ely n sourse OF weakness Cupdity bred op-
preston It piled up taxes 1t stirred up strne' II
shed human blood, II was the nrst step TOWARD
dlsmemberment Let the Nations of the Old world
nursue this policy OF aggrandizement to their
hearts, content; let them saddle their peope with
| debt equip armies and navies and shed oceans o.
@ never sets upon her territory But let us re-
member that it never goes down upon ,'e n l1
her policy has created. Her people starye IN lnda;
| Let wars and rumors OF war BRING anxiety 10 the
faces OF her colonists. but let the Hover OF hep
colonies which broke away ron heT u r tS
! one hundred years ago, and when Dy pursuing 'ne
opposite policy has ou'srpped heT op1d hC
others seek and its horrors. let us Soothe our
p Iories no less renowned than war We in the
infancy OF our resources. the morning o. 9. Ios
our matchiess country The internal reforms which
our country demands present ned broad enough
ballot the crushing Of the rings and trusts which
plumber people without stint; the restriction OF
standard of value and the reform OF our banking
laws AFFORD work for us to DO
SOUNDING AN ALARM"
Let us not be known and execrated az the rois
tering DULLES Of the Western hemisphere. Ou
country is all powerful. The world comedies ou
strength While am proud OF Navy" con
tinued Mr. Johnson. impresslvely 81 sometimes
think that the powerful battle-ships we have bull
have bred feelings Of intolerance and insolence. !
L. not more true that pethoric treasury breeds
public plumber than that a wel-equpped army an'
navy rashly lead to friction and war Let on
equipment insure peace, rather than provoke war
| (ApplaiiseD While IL may seem that these remarks
are y: emlture and that have taken too firm
grip on the forelock OF time. II IL my purpose e
sound the alarm, that the House and the countr.
mnv understand the character Of the proposition
pending In the Senate. My information is that tn
treaty will fail in the Senate. but IL Will be sup
planted by a Joint resolution providing for the an
ncXnt!on OF the islands. | do not doubt It's pas
sage by the Senate. and that II VIII come here. J
the Senate falls do its duty. let us. fresh from
the people exercise our high prerogative and sen'
| IL To its doom. ApplauseD trust II Will not b
made = party measure. With exalted patriotism