The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-28
CRISIS APPROACHING.
Unless Hawaii Is Annexed Grave Com
pucatiOns May Develop.


NEW YORK, May 27.-A dispatch to the
Herald from Washington says: Grave for
eign complications may grow out of the &C
ton of the Hawaiian government in allow
ing the United States to make Honolulu a
base of supplies and naval operations in the
Pacific. Your correspondent is informed on
the highest authority that two European
governments, France and Germany. through
their consular representatives in Honolulu,
have taken action which is construed to in
dictate their diSpeasure at the course of
Hawaii They have not entered any formal
protest, but have inquired of the Hawaiian
government what it's attitude would be dur
ing the war. What reply, if any, the Ha-
waiian government made to this inquiry is
not yet known in Washington. 1t is known,
however. that the government of the islands
will not maintain neutrality, but will allow
the United States to use its territory and
the harbor at Honolulu as freely as if they
were a part of the United States BY so
doing the Hawaiian government assumes
the position of being practically an ally of
the United States and takes upon itself full
responsibility for this attitude.
las far as is known here. the Spanish
consul in Honolulu still maintains his re-
lations with President Doe's government,
but when the cruiser Charleston and the
transports bound for Manila take on coal
and provisions at Honolulu he will protest
emphatically against it. and upon his pro-
test being disregarded will sever his connec-
tions with The government and demand his
passports. President Mckinley realizes that
if the Spanish consul should be joined in
his protest by the representatives of other
European governments there would be great
danger of complications with those nations,
and for this reason the President is more
than ever anxious that Congress should lose
no time in formally annexing the islands to
the United States, SO as to give Spain and
the other nations of Europe no ground on
which to base their protest. President Nc
kinley has been Strongly urged to take pos
session of the islands a military neces-
Sty, and If Congress was not in session it
is probable he would do so. He is reluc-
tant to take any such action, however, while
Congress is in session and while the Ques-
ton OF annexation is pending in that body.
= ne n5iItaIy NECESSITY exists; however. ana
the administration will avail itself of the
privileges granted by the Hawaiian govern
ment 10 use the islands as military and
naval base. There is no escape from doing
So in fact. and but for the facilities for
coaling and provisioning vessels and the
transports at Honolulu the administration
would practically be compelled to abandon
the Philippines and call Rear Admiral
Dewey home, regardless of the fact that
by doing so it would leave a condition of
affairs in the Orient that would be prac-
tically certain to bring on a European war.
SPANS power in the Philippines is brok-
en- Rear Admiral Dewey and his fleet rep
resent the supreme authority there now.
Should they be withdrawn a condition of af-
fairs would. exist which would lead to the
landing of forces by the war ships of Eu-
ropean powers. Clashes of authority would
ensue, and a conflict might break out which
would involve all Europe This being the
case. the administration must reinforce Rear
Admiral Dewey and in doing so the Ha-
waiian islands must be used a base of
supplies.
some of the Presidents military and
naval advisers - among them, it is said
Lieut.. Gen. John NJ. Schotield, retred-have
urged that he should go step further and
should hurry out large force of troops to
Honolulu on smaller vessels which could
not make the longer trip between Honolulu
and Manila, so that upon the return of the
first transports from Manila to Honolulu
they could carry out second detachments of
men without returning all the way to San
Francisco, thus saving about three weeks
on the round trip. This plan would be
adopted If the islands had been already an
nexed. and the desirability of it's adoption
is being strongly urged on Congress as an
argument for immediate annexation