The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-06-23
FOR ANNEXATION
POrtionO Debate inHouse
ofRepresentatives.
On the Day Previous to Vote Eight
Hours We're Given Up to
Discussion.

WASHINGTON, June IA - Eight
hours, comprising the afternoon and
evening sessions of the House today,
were devoted to debate Of the New
lands resolution for the annexation
Of Hawaii. Twenty speeches were de-
Iivered, most of them being brief. A
vote will be taken at ; o'clock to-
morrow afternoon. and in order to
give time for speeches which members
desire to make, the House agreed to
met at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
The resolution, according to estimates
today, will receive, with the exception
of not more than twelve, all the Re-
publican votes and will enlist the
support of from fifteen to twenty
Democrats and members of other par
ties.
a few private bills were disposed
of and the Hawaiian debate proceeded.
Grosvenor (R.) of Ohio was recog-
nized first, and, in introducing his
remarks, said the pending question
was not for party politics, and he would
not appeal to any of his Republican
colleagues who might oppose anneXa-
ton to go contrary to their cOnvic-
tons and support annexation as a
party project
Arguing for the cOnstitutiOnality of
the proposed annexation, he contended
the power to annex was given to Con-
gress in the general welfare" clause
of the Constitution. Replying to the
claim that Hawaii is unnecessary as
a naval or commercial point in Pacific
transit because OOnalaska, on the Aleu-
tians. now an American possession,
is a route 500 miles shorter than the
Honolulu route, Grosvenor presented
a letter from Commodore Melville, in
which he said. while the OOnalaska
route was the shorter, the dense and
Iong-cOntinued fOgs, the ice foes and
storms at and off Oonalaska and the
absence of commerce in the Aleutians
made the northern route unsafe and
improbable for merchants and pas
senger ships.
Proceeding, he touched lightly the
suggestion that American labor, with
it's vigor, intelligence and energy,
would be affected by the slight COM
petition which it would meet at the
hands of the Asiatics in the Hawaiian
Islands. Grosvenor said he advocated
the resolutions upon ground entirely
separated from any war emergency.
He saw in the near future a wonderful
development in the commerce Of the
East. and in order to provide for the
Western part of the country to secure
! a just and profitable share in that
wealth of commerce, this halfway
house upon the highway of the Pacific"
was essential.
! Richardson Cd of Tennessee fol-
lowed in opposition to the pending
measure laying down the general pro-
position that only self-interest should
be considered in contemplating any
step affecting the Government, and
from that point of view alone would
he treat annexation. Richardson said
he was firm believer in the Monroe
doctrine, and wanted its integrity to
be preserved, but he was convinced
that annexation would be a step that
would end unavoidably in the aban-
donment of the doctrine.
Cochran CD of Missouri, in
speech replete with comparisons with
policies Of the countries of Europe,
argued in advocacy of colonization,
not of conquest. Failure to annex
these islands, Cochran said, would be
to invite war, for in five years, left
to the present condition of population,
the Government of Hawaii would be
revolutfonized, and in five years the
country given over to pagan control.
! The Philippine islands formed an
entirely different proposition, and he
protested vigorously against the foist-
! ing of that proposition at this time
/ to strangle a righteous issue.
Howard Cd of Georgia, in a speech
I occupying more than an hour, OppOs
ing the resolutions, elaborated on the
principal arguments advocated by the
opposition and devoted much time to
a careful review of American diploma
/ tic relations with Hawaii. He demo-
minated the dominant Government in
Hawaii as the Government OF sugar,
! for sugar, and by sugar
The only hope Of the anti-annexa-
tionists in the Senate is to break a
/ quorum. That they cannot do, as
indicated last night, and there IS gloom
/ in the anti-annexation camp tonight.