Evening star., 1898-02-15
DISCUSSION OF ANNEXATION
Argument on the Hawaiian Treaty Goes
On,
What Was Said in Yesterdays Exc
cutive Session of the Senate-Not
Prepared for n Vote.

the Hawaiian treaty. Senator Pettigrew
was the principal speaker. He devoted
himself largely to the administration of
President Dole, showing how the govern
ment of Queen Liliuokalani had been over
thrown, and to a presentation of his views
of this governments participation in the
revolution.
He contended that the downfall of the
queens government was due to a con-
spiracy on the part of Minister Stevens,
representing the United States and a few
citizens of Honolulu, of whom President
Dole was one, who were backed by the
marines from a United States battle ship.
Mr.. Pettigrew also contended that the
passage of the Mckinley tariff law had
been the direct cause of the revolution by
which the queens government was over
thrown, the motive being to secure the
bounty of cents per pound on domestic
sugar, which the law provided. He quoted
a letter from Minister Stevens saying that
the provision for this sugar bounty had
ruined the sugar business of the islands
unless they could be annexed to the United
States and cited other authorities to main
tain this contention.
Mr.. Pettigrew discussed briefly the
character of the present population of Ha-
wall He stated that two-thirds of the peo-
pie there We're males, and that this fact
applied to all naticnalities, including
Americans and other Angio-Saxons. The
circumstance, he contended. went to show
that the Anglo-Saxon does not go to Ha-
waii to make home. The man capable of
self-government, he said, must wear wooden
clothes a part of the year and for some
months feel the frost in his blood.
Summing up Mr.. Pettigrew said that the
opponents of annexation claimed to have
established four points. They had he said
shown, first, that the route to the orient via
the Aleutian Islands was 900 miles shorter
than that via Honolulu; second, that no
battle ship coaling on the Hawaiian Is
lands could reach the United States in con-
dition to fight, and that on this account
the possession of the islands would be an
element of weakness rather than of
strength, which was in opposition to the
theory that the islands We're necessary to
defense; third, that the commerce of the
islands, which had been claimed to be one
important reason for their annexation, was
constantly declining and was less than that
of an ordinary county of the United States:
fourth, that one of the Aleutian Islands
would afford more secure footing and by
a shorter route for a cable to Asia than
would the route via Honolulu.
Following Mr.. Pettigrew, Senator Tel
Ter made a brief statement. calling Mr..
Pettigrew's attention to the fact that the
United States minister was not the only
representative for foreign government
who had recognized the Dole government
Mr.. Pettigrew replied that this was true,
but that the recognition of the other gov
ernments had not come until the day fol-
lowing the queens abdicaton. whereas
Minister Stevens recognition had been be-
fore that time.
Senator PrOctOr's Argument.
Senator Proctor of Vermont followed
with a brief speech in favor of annexa-
ton. He devoted himself exclusively to
the military phase of the question. He
cited the fact that England has strongly
fortified posts all along our Atlantic sea-
board, beginning with Halifax and taking
in the Bernudas and the West Indies.
He also called attention to the strong
fortress at Esquimault, and said that if
England should possess the Hawaiian
Islands, as she might easily do in case
we let this opportunity to acquire them
pass by, her drum beat would be heard
almost entirely around the United States
and that she would be able to attack us
from her own territory in any direction.
He2alSo contended that it would be COM
paratively easy matter for the japanese
to acquire the islands by populating them,
which they were apparently very strongly
inclined to do. He said that the United
States, failing to make the islands part
of this country, could not regard their
seizure by some other power as an Of
fense against this country. We could not
play the dog in the manger, refusing to
accept the territory ourselves or to allow
others to take it,
He controverted the statement of Senator
Pettigrew that warshps could not carry
sufficient fuel from Hawaii to make them
effective either for or against the United
States in case of hostilities, and quoted
statistics to show the contrary view.
During the session Senator White CT
California attempted to ascertain from
Senator Davis, in charge of the treaty,
whether there would be any early attempt
to secure vote upon it, The California
senator stated his opinion that there ought
to be at least three weeks notice of time
for a vote for the arrangement of pairs.
He stated that he would be compelled to
be absent from the Senate for the next
three weeks, and expressed a desire to
know something of the plans as to bring
ing the discussion to an end.
In reply Senator Davis simply stated that
he could not at present say when the de-
bate would cease or when the Senate would
be prepared to take vote.