The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-23
THE HOOS|[R ORATOR
Johnson, Of Indiana, Electrified the
House Yesterday.
OPPOSITION TO HAWAII
STRONG LANGUAGE AGAINST
SUPPORTERS OF TREATY.
Latter Turning Heaven and Earth to
Secure Its Adoption = Mckinley
Laboring to Change Convictions
of Senatorial Opponents = Jerry
Simpson On Millionaires.

deal of political speech-making, and II
vas also signalized by the firing of the
first gun in opposition to Hawaiian an
ncxation.
Mr.. Johnson CRep., Ind.). delivered a
speech that electrified the house, and
the galleries. in denunciation of what
he termed an attempt to cut loose from
the traditional policy of the house, and
further TN scheme of colonization
| that had proved the ruin of empires
and of nations.
Mr.. Johnson, in opening, referred to
the contest now in the senate over Ha-
waiian annexation, and said the friends
and supporters of the treaty, both in
| side and outside of the senate, were
| turning heaven and earth to secure its
adoption, and that President Mckinley
was laboring to change the convictions
of senatorial opponents of the measure.
! He discussed the recent visit of Presi-
! dent Dole, and suggested that the Ha-
waiian nation, unlike the United States,
had everything to gain and nothing TO
| lose. He urged concentration of popu-
lar attention on the issue, and the dis
| abuse of the minds of the people of er-
roneous impressions, and asserted that
cnce put to the test, either in the senate
or the house, the American people
would be quick to discover the danger
be buried" he said, beyond the DOS
| sibility even of an ultimate resurrec-
ton" (Applause.)
HAWAIIANS OPPOSED TO IT.
81 am opposed to the annexation of
Hawaii" ne continued. because 1 be-
lieve the people of Hawaii are opposed
to it, 1 am not to be confused by this
special plea that the real sentiment of
the people of the Sandwich Islands is
only to be obtained from the views of
those who assumed to govern them.
That, sir, is the merest technicality.
There is no room here for the apD-sca-
ton of the narrow do trine of estoppsl."
Whether the present government of
Hawaii was a de facto or de jure gov
eminent, he declared that it misreDre-
Sented the people of Hawaii, whose
rights it was ready TO proffer away.
When it was charged, in 1888, at the
time when the republic succeeded the
monarchy, that the revolution was aid
ed by the interposition of American
citizens, / did not believe il was true,
said Mr.. johnson, and denied it very
vigorously at the time, but the per-
sistency with which this treaty of an
nexation is being pressed, gives color
to the accusation then made, and which
then so earnestly denounced.
IGNORANCE OF. ISLANDERS.
Mr.. Johnson, continuing, gave some
of the reasons which impelled him to
opposition to annexatiOn-one was the
ignorance of the population of Hawaii.
How long had 1t been, he asked, since
we had passed a bill to keep out the
ignorance of the old world, that we now
propose to annex territory in which ig-
norance was the rule, not the excep-
ton. We had passed the Chinese ex-
cIusion act; now it was proposed to an
mex territory which contained a large
Chinese population. He did not favor
the holding of territory under the
shadow of the American flag. A Colon
ial policy might be adopted for the ma
lions of antiquity, but it would not do
for a free country which derived its
powers from the consent of the govern
ed. 1t would be unwise and short-sisht-
ed he said. If we should cut loose from
all the tradit ons of The past, AMI rashly
embark on the unknown sea of terri
tcrial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We had con-
fined our expansion to contiguous ter
ritory in the acquisition of Florida,
Louisiana and Texas. In 1858. under
F'illmore's presidency. we had been wise
enough and sensible enough. to reject
these very Islands. We had also re-
jected the proffer of the mob of St.
Thomas, and under the administration
of General Grant congress had voted
down a proposition to purchase San
Domingo. Only once had we departed
from our rule-in the purchase of
Alaska from Russia-and only the flu
ture could determine whether that had
been a wise move.
Possession of territory meant a con-
slant source of irritation. The history
of the world proved this. 1t was urged
that the Sandwich islands were the key
to the Pacific Its strategic importance
xtrac &c cd
there could command the Nicaragua |
canal and the Pacific coast. thousands /
of miles away. The annexation of Ha- /
waii would esta blsh the bad precedent. 7
The appetite grew by what ii fed upon. /
Today the cry was, ,"Give us Hawaii;
tomorrow it would be. Give us Cuba" /
and the next day. Give us Samoa"
These appeals would all be justified /
by the pleasant sophistries which APP Z
pealed to our vanity and cupidity until +
at last we would find ours elves ire (
trievably committed to policy I'M
necessary to the material happiness of
our people, hurrying along a path
which was strewn with the wrecks of
empires and of nations (Applause)
CCPIDIrY BRED OPPRESSION.
He did not deny, he said. that the ac-
QUESTION of foreign territory had added
to the prosperity of nations. But his
tory showed II 10 nave DeeN ultimately
q source of weakness. Cupidity bred
it piled up taxes. it stirred
up strife. il shed human blood, it was
the first step toward ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Let the nations of the old world pur-
sue this policy of aggrandiz mem 70
their hearts content; let them saddle
heir people with oebt, equip armies and
navies. and shed oceans OF blood. Let
England boast. If she pleased. that the
sun never sets upon her territory; but
let us remember that it never goes
down upon the misery her policy has
created.
Her people starve in India Let wars
and rumors of wars bring anxiety 20
the faces of her colonists; but let the
flower of her colonies, which broke
away from her domination one hun
lreds years ago, and which, by pursu-
ing the opposite policy, has outstrinDed
ler. continue to stand as an example
to the civilized world. While others Il,
seek war and its hnrrcrs.
lur people enduring peace. Peace hath
1er victories no less I-nOwE.d IN
war" We are in the infancy OF our
resources, the morning of our material
We will be wise to de-
Eelop our matchless country. The in
.ernal reforms which our country de-
nand present a field broad enough to
anlist our best efforts. the publication
If the ballot, the crushing of the rings
md trusts which plumber our people
without stint. the restriction of irnmi-
sration. the establishment of a fixed
md stable standard of value. and the
-eform of our banking laws. afford
work for us TO do. Let US not be known
md execrated as the .boistering DULLES
If the Western hemisphere"
pFACE RATHER THAN WAR