The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1898-02-10
One on Brother serene

Annexation is now, we are inform
ed, ready for execution. 1t is sure
to pass" II will be damned
through" There has been no dis.
cussion OF it. There is no need Of
any. No objections to it have been
or will be noticed. The grotesque
part of it is that the solitary defence
OF it which has come to our notice
comes from an American missionary
in Hawaii, in the New York Inde'
pendent. His arguments, consider
ing their source, preacher OF
Righteousness sent abroad TO evan
gelize the Hawaiians, are decidedly
droll. He is seventy years old, the
son OF a missionary, and mission.
airy himself for sixteen years. He
and his father have drawn from
the New England Christians for
their support for half century
and probably all this time have
been sending home glowing re-
ports of their work, to be read at
missionary meetings. The result,
according to himself, is that the
monarchy, twenty years ago, from
being generous and high minded"
began to "show despotic aud
heathenish tendencies" and "per.
verted the ways Of the people" In
1893 it "hopelessly succumbed," un.
der the guns of United States
man of-war, aud the fraudulent re-
presentation of the United States
Minister, and "the weaker race we're
displaced from control" by "the
band of excellent men" now GIN
charge" There are, he says, two
reasons for this. Que is "the need
Of commercial and military key OF
the North Pacific" and the other is
the need of protection for "noble
American and European colony"
and resplendent American civil
izatioD," now menaced by the Japa-
nese.
He acknowledges that there is a
demand for "plebiscite,' and that
the question Of annexation be cub
mitted to a vote of the Hawaiian
people," Why is this not donel
First, because the general public
interest" Chat is. the interest OF the
American missionar aries who are max
ing money in the island), "denies to
the native Hawaiians any exclusive
right to determine the national
destiny OF the island" seeing how
useful the island is as Commercial
aud military key" aud how thor
ougbly the white colony is stamping
out leprosy. Secondly, because the
Hawaiians are a declining race,
while the wicked Portuguese are
"prollfc" ami multiplying, in indif-
ference to American plans, and will
eventually, il not stopped, overco me
the natives, to say nothing Of the
immigration OF the Japanese. Third
ly, because OF the want OF "fore.
sight" ON the part OF the Hawaiians.
Fourthly, because "the question is
one too broad and far-reaching for
the mass OF the people to vote on
with any Intelligence"
We have never seen the jnstifca-
ton OF conquest and despotism
81 ated with more childlike simplicity
1t is exactly what Napoleon would
have said to any Of his subjects if
he had taken the trouble to give
them reasons for enslsving them.
But coming from a missionary and
the son of an American missionary,
it has a sweet reasonableness which
rude soldier could never give it
But we never read these missionary
snphistries without recalling Wen
dell Phillips trumpet call in
Faneuil Hall, sixty years ago, when
he invoked Divine vengeance on a
doughface who was dealing out
similar pagan sophistries in defence
OF similar abuse OF poverty. Y
Evening Po,t