The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-02
Sixty Members, the Necessary Two
Thirds, VIII Probably Vote for
Ratification of the Treaty.
THREE SPEECHES YESTERDAY
ADVANTAGES OF ANNEXATION
URGED BY SENATOR o. Ii. PLATT.
Remarks of Messrs. PETIT and
White i'm OppositiOn-PA dent
Dole at the White House.

the Senate respecting the Hawaiian annex
alton treaty has greatly improved and the
friends of the treaty, including Senator
Davis chairman of the foreign relations
committee are confident that sixty sem
ators, whose votes are necessary for two
thirds majority, will vote for ratification.
Confidence in the changed condition is found
in the determination of the friends of rati-
fication to press forward the treaty to
final vote. This feeling was shown when
the proceedings of the Senate on the treaty
in executive session to-day were opened.
Senator Thurston made u motion for the
postponen ent of further consideration of
the treaty until the LIST of March. The mo-
ton was not discussed at length. and was
voted down viva voce.
Senator Plat of Connecticut, opened, the
debate with carefully arranged argument
in favor of annexation. He spoke for about
an hour and a half and dwelt particularly
on the Importance of the acquisition of the
islands from a commercial point of view.
He contended that our commerce would in
all cases follow our civilization, and urged
that we should use every legitimate method
to extend our trade with outside nations as
by pursuing this course we would also ex-
tend our institutions and ideas of govern
as essential to the command Of the traffic
on the Pacific ocean. No nation in the
worlds history had ever become prosperous
or really great that had not assduously
built up its foreign commerce. He COM
mented favorably upon the present ten
dency in this country towards an extension
OF our trade with the outside world, and this
tendency should be encouraged by the gov
ernmanf 10 hof IaI fIo
Sandwich Islands would command the key
to the Pacific. and we should take them
and, ii necessary fortify them for the pur-
pose of making sure of our position in this
most important trade Senator Plat
charged that the Sugar Trust was opposed
to annexation. He said there were certain
parties, whom he did not name, who were
supposed to be identified with the trust, who
had grievance against the present govern
ment of the islands, and alleged that they
We're using all the means at their com
mand to prevent the acquisition of this
country by the United States. He said that
money was being used to this end lie did
not charge, he said, that there was any eff
fort to corrupt Congress, but he thought
Lhat some interests had been unduIy in
uCenced. he urged upon the Ser ate the inn
portance or not giving ear to the represent
dtlons or the trust, and said that, on the
contrary, the. United States should extend
the hand of brotherhood to this sister re-
public of the Pacific which was so anxious
to join its fortunes with our own. He
spoke, also, of the character of the men
constituting the present Hawaiian govern
n ent, ana 1T was such that we took no risk
Whatever IN entering upon an alliance with
them At the conclusion of his address Sem
dtor Platt was generally congratulated on
TIE logical character of his argument.
PETTIGREW'S SPEECH.
Senator Pettgrew took the floor as soon
as Mr.. Plat had concluded, devoting him
self especially to replying to the Connecti-
cut senator's remarks concerning the pres
ent government of the islands lie made a
careful analysis of the Constitution under
which the Dole government exists, showing
that it had been adopted by what he termed
an alleged constitutional convention. com
posed, he said, of nineteen members, one of
whom was Mr. Dole, who had been MEM
bers of the committee on safety which
played such a prominent part during the
revolution and of eighteen other delegates.
He argued that while these latter DELEGATES
had been elected by what was called a popu-
lar vote, such was not the case OF Ia. 900 per
sons entitled to suffrage, he asserted that
only 1900 had voted for them This conyen-
ton of thirty-seVen persons thus chosen
mad adopted the Constitution and it had
never been submitted to popular vote Mr.
L.
had been member of this convention and
said that gentleman had had himself elected
president OF the republic and that in doing
SO he had practically arranged the matter
so as to insure his permanence in office. He
read the Constitution to show that Mr. Dole
was named in 1T for President, and that it
was provided that he should remain in that
office until the year 1900, or until his success
Sor should be elected. The successor was
to be chosen by the House and Senate sit
ting together and there was to be no cleo
ton of any one unless he received a ma
jority of the vote of the Senate.
lie then attempted TO show how the mat
ter was practically in the control of Mr.
Dole and of the sugar growers. According
to the terms of the Constitution, a senator
must possess $S 81 q gS6 OF property or
son who was not worth 81 500 in taxable
real estate or had an income of $500 was
diSfranchsed from voting for a senator
This qualification, practically, he said shut
out all persons except those connected with
the sugar industry from either becoming
senator's or from voting for senator's He
held that IN view of the facts he mentioned
the present government was practically a
monarchy Mr. Pettigrew also took up the
contention that the sugar lands in the ISL
ands were already practically appropriated
and producing. and argued that to annex
the islands would mean the inevitable de-
struction of the sugar beet industry in the
United States.
Senator White, of California also spoke
IN opposition TO the ratification of the
treaty. His was in the main a constitu-
tional argument intended to show that the
annexation of territory which would re-
quire IL navy to defend it had been from
the beginning opposed to our theory of gov
eminent. He quoted extensively from the
works of Thomas jefferson to show that he
had never contemplated the acquisition of
territory situated. as Were the Sandwich
Islands, where fleet would be necessary
10 their preservation This remark did not,
however, apply to Cuba, which was SO near
our own coast that no navy would be neces-
sary TO its control and protection. Mr.
White also read from President Tyler's