The San Francisco call., 1898-01-17
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INDIVIDUAL THOUGHTS.
BY A MODEST CRITIC.
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A distinguished jurist asks me to show that the Hawaiian Islands, 'in- stead of being strategically of value to us, will be a constant source of weak ness" I regret that the request came so late. The space at my command is l limited, and it is matter that cannot | be treated in a few lines. Neverthe- less, with gladness the courtesy shall be extended next week.
 The chairman of the Senate Com mittee on Foreign Relations has said | if we may rely on the telegraphic re- port-that the possession of the SanC- wich group, In case war, would be equal to eight or ten battle-ships" This seems almost incredible; but assuming 1t to be true, in what way, may I ask this distinguished gentleman, does he see this wondrous value? Does he imagine that territory fghts-that the possession of land is war material?
 As pointed out by Mir. Joseph Cham berlain, one of England's ablest states men, the other day, the acquisition of territory implies it's protection. We can ] protect these islands after annexin@ them in two ways only: We can for tify them and make the largest of the group impregnable at an expense of two or three hundred of millions of dol lars; We can build ten battle-ships at | an expense of fifteen or twenty million l dollars, and they can be detailed to | watch our precious territory, our own coasts being unprotected. Both plans l are so evidently foolish that 1t fatigues to even think of them. But one of them must be adopted if we insist on this an- nexation scheme.
 MT. Reed has explained lucidly enough that "empire can wait" He should have gone further. Until we can protect our coasts efficiently em- pire MUST wait
 Freely translated, there is a French provcrb which reads, Those in need of succor hide in curious holes" The Examiner is an example. Driven to despair on the ever present question of | Hawaiian annexation, it now vows that the scheme is advisable on humani- tarian grounds What next? This Is exactly what 1t says:
 ''The Hawaiian Islands have a ca | paclty for becoming one of the most | productive spots on the earth. That they have not achieved this results | solely from their lack of development in the methods of Western civilization. They have made some advance of late | years, but it has been slow and labored l compared with what 1t will be under the free institutions of this country. The annexation of the islands is a duty that is the highest of all duties-a duty owed in the name of humanity"
 The execrable English may be over looked, but where. it is asked, did this nation get its mission to provide for humanity generally? The annexation of the whole of the South Sea Islands logically follows if we make the Sand wich group an integral part of this ! Union on humanitarian principles. It is casting pearls before swine to point this out to the yellow fellow" though. He is a poser-nOt a logician.
 A couple of interior papers have ob- jected to the broad statement that ito admit MT. Charles E. Naylor's right to talk on pilotage is absurd" Both clear l ly think it needs con" "rmation, and as MT. Naylor has been good enough to supply the necessary indorsement, there seems to be no good reason for with holding the publicity which the Over land could not give. In that magazine (the current number), MT. Naylor ar gues for "A Federal Pilot Service" I think I know what he means by that; but those who read English critically might doubt. MT. Na-lOr evidently wishes Congress to enact a law which will place the services of piIots-the coasts over-under Federal supervision. It has ever been the avowed object of our Government to get as far away from paternalism as p ssible when prudent And it is not only prudent, but undeniably sensible that States should keep as direct control of 'heir pilots as they do of their wharfinoers. MT. Naylor sees in the words. Until further provision is made by Con gress," an idea that the national legis- lative bodies seriously intended to in terfere with what is, of course, merely a local matter The phraseology occurs more than a score of times in the Re vised Statutes. At the time when sec tion 4235 was enacted the Union was scarcely on a firm basis, and none of us knew exactly what was going to occur next. The wisdom of the provi- sion is admitted, and the fact that Congress has declined again and again to interfere in the matter of local pilotage is fair proof that the present system is best.
 If the same conditions obtained off Sandy Hook as off Lime Point; off Fortress Monroe as a few miles below Astoria, there might be some shadow of sense in the proposal. MT. Naylor cheerfully substitutes a tug for pilot, having forgotten, presumably, that there are such things as steamships. He would apparently have a vessel with a fair wind near the Faraflones take in her sail and employ a tug to do what she could easily do herself! Real ly, MT. Naylor does amuse. Not to dis miss him too hurriedly, I note that in order to demonstrate his ignorance of this subject very thoroughly he sees In floating ice in Boston harbor something which requires the skill of pilot to avoid. There is no reason why this pa per should pay for the instruction of Mir. Naylor, but little Is lost by being