Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-06-23
Against hawaiian Annexation.

nlaies penHte, Iuesay, and Senator
White of California made powerful
speech against the annexation folly.
Mr.. White. in beginning, maintained
that tho question pending was not only
OF vital importance, but the issues pre-
scented with it deserved and ought to
have tho careful consideration of all.
Some, he thought, had been carried
away by the excitement OF the moment
and han been swept along by existing
aonditiuna But, i" said he, 'if this
body ia impotout carefully to consider
this question, 1T has failed Of its pur
pose, and has not responded to the idea
of the trainers of the Constitution. ="
Mr.. White ventuied the opinion that
it would not hasten consideration Of the
Hawaiian question that, III tho Senate,
no REASONS we're to be assigned for
action upon it. He declared that while
territory had toen acquired by treaty,
IN no case had territory been acquired
by such monstrous piece of folly
and contradiction" as was the pending
resolution. The resolution, he said,
declared there had heen a cession which
CONGRESS was to accept, ratify aud
confirm. "
lie demanded Ia know what cesRion
had been made and what lawyer in tho
Senate would utAie that there had heen
cession. lie maintained there had
been no crssion, MS there could not have
been without the concurrence of both
parties.
would lie ashamed Of this Sen.
ate," decla ell MIR. White, "if il should
pass the pending resolution, containing
such contradiction of terms. Would
he ashemah of the Senate il it should
adopt declaration of Geesiun that
had never existed as fact. II
Referring to the possibility of annex
alton of thu Hawaiian Islands by OK.
ecutiTe action. Mr.. White contended
that tina executive would he Justified
in taking possession of foreign territory
only as an act Of war ana only FROM the
enemy Mr.. White gave same atten.
tion to the possibility of the Hawaiian
Islands becoming State of the Union
in case of their acquisition, and con
graduated the country upon the fact
that no one had been found to contend
for this right, tIo characterized the
conditions on the island as "a hetero-
geneous compound of manifest in
efficiency"
He contended that thsre wero other
questions than the annexation Of Hnwaii
involved in the present discussion. He
referred to the assertion that the Ameri.
eau flag, when once unfurled in coun.
try could not be taken down, and said
whether this was true must dsnepd
upon the circumstances under which
II was raised. 1t must depend upon
whether it is justly or unjustly raised.
IL planted as a result of uncalled for
invasion and 10 a spirit of conquest and
of rapine and murder, it could not be
maintained, but il planted on foreign
soil under proper and patriotic circum.
stances it must be maintained there. il
to do 30 should cost the country its
greatest strength, its most powerful
effort and the best blood Of the nation.
Mr. White road, among othor things,
an calculation of the Monroe doctrine,
and then aaid;
In this mad race for power, in this
mad race for conquest Of territory LAT
ua cunsider most carefully tho doctrine
of Monroe. 1t is idle Tor Senators to saw
We must extend our dominion all over
the world. In enunciating the Monroe
doctrine, we declared we desired no in
terference of European powers with
Affairs in this hemisphere, but by thuse
who framed that doctrine il was in
contemplation that we. ourselves, had
no intention to interfere with the terri
torial possessions outside of this hem.
isphere.
The acquisition of the Hawaiian
Islands would be tho entering wedge of
that imperialistic policy which ia as
foreign to the purposes in view when
this government was organized az are
the purposes Of the most despotic gov
ornment on earth to our System. -
Mr.. White spoke for three hours and
Il half and thon had not concluded. lie
said enough, however, in what is com,
prisod IN the above brief summary, to
convince any reasonable people of The
utter folly of Hawaiian annexation.
And Mr.. White, it shuuld be borne in
mind, is a native Californian, and
therefore has ample opportunities TO
Judge of public sentiment in State
nearer to and commercially allied with
tho islanda in the far-olf Pacific.
II California opposes Hawaiian an.
nexation why shocld people of other
sections of The Country SO strenuously
insist upon t2
Ins only possible chance for the