Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-02
REFUSED TO LAY 1T ASIDE
Senator Thurston Wanted to Postpone Con-
sideration of Annexation.
Outline of Yesterday Afternoons Dis
In Executive Session.

yesterday afternoon during the executive
| session. When the session was opened
Senator Thurston made a motion for the
pcstronement OF further consideration os
the treaty until the LIST of March. The mo-
ton was no. discussed at length, and was
voted down viva roce-
Senator Platt OF Connecticut made a
carefully arranged argument in favor of
annexation. He spoke for about an hour
and half, and dwelt particularly upon
the Importance Of the acquisition of the
Islands from commercial point of view.
He commended that our commerce would, in
all cases, follow our civilization. and urged
that we should use every legitimate method
to extend our trade with outside nations
as by pursuing this course We would also
extend our Institutions and ideas Of gov
el nment- The Hawaiian Islands ne re-
garded as essential 10 the command of the
triffic on the Pacific ocean. No nation in
the worlds history had ever become PROS
porous or really great that had not as
slGuously built up its foreign commerce.
he commented favorably upon the present
tendency in this country toward an ex-
tension of our trade with the outside
world, and said this tendency should b.,
encouraged by The government. The ma
Ton that controlled The Sandwich Islands
would command The key to the Pacific ard
We should take them and if necessary for
tify them for the purpose of making sure
of our position in this most important
trade
Attitude of the Sugar Trust.
Senator Plat charged that the sugar
trust was opposed to annexa alton. He said
there were certain parties, whom ne cid
not name, who were supposed TO he identi-
fed with the trust, who had grievance
against the present government of the
| islands, and alleged that they were using
all the means at their command TO prevent
the acquisition of this country ly the Unit
ed states. He said that money was being
used to this end. He did lot charge he
said, that there was any effort TO corrupt
Congress, but he thought that some inter
ests had been unduly Influenced He urged
upon the Senate the Importance of not CIV
ing ear to the representations of the trust
ana SAID that on the contrary the United
States should extend the hand Of brother
hood to this sister republic of the Pacific
Wnich was so anxious TO Join its fortur es
with own,
overthrow of the monarchy ani the estab-
hshment of the republican form of gov
ernment now In existence. IT had, he said
oeen one OF the boasts OF this country that
we mad ever been ready to lend aid and
comfort to countries in this hemisphere
which manifested a disposition to adopt
our form of government In preference to
the forms of the old world and that wa
We're now afforded an opportunity to dem
orstrate our real sincerity in this profes
sion. He spoke also of the character of
ehe men constituting the present Hawaiian
government and said ii was such that we
| tcok no risk whatever in entering lpon
an alliance with them. AT The conclusion
OF his address Senator Plat was generally
congratulated upon the logical Character
| or his argument.
Mr.. Pettigrew's Attack,
Senator PettIgrew took the floor as soon
as MT. Platt had concluded. devoling HIM
self especially to replying to the Connecti-
a mrs arlx.
ent government of the islands He made
| an analysis of the constitution under which
| the Dole government exists showing that
| IL had been adopted by what he termed
| an alleged constitutional convention COM
| posed, he said, of nineteen members one
| OF Wnom was Mr. Dole, who had been
/ members of the committee on safety which
| played such prominent part during the.
revolution and OF eighteen other dele
gates He argued that while these latter
| delegates had been elected by what was
called a popular vote, such was not the
| case or 1900 persons entitled to suf-
| frage he asserted that only 1000 had voted
Tor them. This convention of thirty-se
| persons thus chosen had adopted the con-
| stitution, and it had never been submitted
| to popular vote.
Mr.. Pettigrew dwelt upon the fact that
Mr. Dole had been member of this con-
| ventlon and said that gentleman had had
| himself elected president OF the republic
| and that in doing so he had practically ar
| ranged the matter SO as to insure his per-
manence in Office.
He read the constitution to show that
Mr.. Dole was named in il for president and
that 1t was provided that he should re-
main In that office until the year 1890, or
until his successor should be elected. The
successor was to be chosen by the house
aid senate sitting together. and there was
to be no election of any one unless he re-
ceived majority Of the vote of the SEN
| ate.
He then attemnted m sbour hou, tho mat.
ter was practically in the control of Mr.
Dole and Of the sugar growers. Accord
ing to the terms of the constitution a SEN
ator must possess 5000 worth Of property
| or have an income of $1,000 per annum
and a person who was not worth 81 500 in
taxable real estate or had an income of
500 was disfranchised from voting for a
senator. This qualification practically, he
said, shut out all persons except those
connected with the sugar industry from
either becoming senators or from voting
for senators. He held that in view Of the
facts he mentioned the present government
was practically monarchy.
ME-. Pettigrew also took up the conten-
ton that the sugar lands in the islands
| were already practically appropriated and
producing and argued that to annex the
islands would mean the inevitable destruc-
| tiGn of the sugar beet industry in the
United States.
Senator Whites Opposition.
Senator White of California also spoke In
opposition to the ratification of the treaty.
His was in the main a constitutional argu-
ment intended to show that the annexa-
ton Of territory which would require a
navy to defend it had been from the be-
ginning opposed to our theory of govern
ment He quoted extensively from the
works of Thomas Jefferson to show that
he had never contemplated the acquisition
of territory situated. as were the Sand
wich Islands, where fleet could be neces-
sary to their preservation. This remark
did not. however. apply to Cuba. which was
|. so near our own coast that no navy would
be necessary to its control and protection.
Mr.. White also read from President Ty-
ler's message, which he said was popu-
larly supposed to have been written by
Daniel Webster, practically maintaining,
as the senator said, this same point.
A large part of Senator Whites remarks
was given up to quotations from Secretary
Sherman's utterances upon the subject of
annexation of Hawaii and comments upon
them. Mr.. White read liberal extracts from
Mr.. Sherman's book, in which the Secretary
dwels upon the unwisdom of making the
islands a part of the United States, and
he laid especial stress upon the Secre-
tsry's remarks in the latter part of his
book to the effect that he hoped there