The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-05-18
ANNEXATION OF HAWArI.
Foreign Affairs Committees Majority
 RepOrt Reported to the House.

Washington, May 17.-Chairman Hit to-day presented the majority report of the house committee on foreign af- fairs in favor of the annexation of Ha- waii by joint resolution. It states that the proposition is not new to either government. For fifty years it has been apparent that so small and feeble a government must be merged with a stronger power. The report states there is no undue pressure on the part of the United States as a greater power; no surprise of any one; no pos sibility of objections by other govern ments. 1t is simply the obvious result of the natural course of events through a long period of years thus completed with the cordial consent of the sover- eign powers of both governments. The only question involved is whether the proposed possession of the Hawaiian islands would be advantageous to the United States"
 The strategic importance of the isl- ands is then discussed, also the risk of delaying acquisition as there is dan- ger of the islands falling under Japan csc influence and control. American commercial interests would be promot- ed and annexation, the report says would do away with foreign complica- tions of the islands. A brief argument is made upon the subject of acquiring territory by legislative act and it is de- clared that there is nothing in the an- nexation to prevent such acquisition. In conclusion, the report says:
 ''rhe acquisition of these islands does not contravene our national policy or traditions. It carries out the Monroe doctrine, which excludes European powers from interfering in the Ameri- can continent and outlying islands, but does not limit the United States and this decree has long been applied to these very islands by our government The annexation of these islands does not launch us upon r new policy or depart from our -honored tradi- tions of caring first and foremost for the safety of the property of the United States"
 The minority report on the Hawaiian annexation signed by Messrs. Dins- more, Clark, Williams and Howard sets out eight reasons against annexation and offers a substitute resolution prac- tically establishing protectorate over the islands They declare that the Ha- waiian people have not been consulted nor the American people. They charge that the only hope for annexation is under the cry of war emergency" be- fore the people can be consulted. The other counts specified against annexa- tion are that annexation in the manner proposed is unconstitutional; the is- lands are too remote, and furnish too much additional coast line to be de- fended; the population is not racially nor religiously, nor otherwise homoge- nous with our own; political dominion over the islands is not commercially necessary; the islands are not from a naval or military standpoint necessary to our defence; and admitting that their foreign occupation would be dan- gerous to us and that there exists a single nation willing in the fact of our repeated declarations of our position, to incur the dangers of war with us in or der to siege or hold them,'' this danger may not be met when the first overt act or open declaration shows it's actual existence or may be prevented by the passage of the minority resolution heretofore cited.
 Early consideration of the Hawaiian resolutions in the house seems prob- able. As soon as they were reported to-day Representative Hit, chairman of the committee on foreign affairs, had a consultation with Speaker Reed and other members of the committee on rules with 8 view of having the committee on rules report a special or- der for the consideration of the resolu- tions After the conference MT. Hit said no positive assurance had been given, but he was doing his utmost and was hopeful of securing early action by the house. It is understood that Speaker Reed, while personally oppos- ed to annexation is not inclined to re- sist the pressure for immediate and favorable action which comes from the president and practically united party in the house and senate,