The herald., 1898-01-13
REASON GIVEN
For Desiring Annexation of
Hawaii
DAVIS'S BRILLIANT SPEECH
rs SENsIBLY ANSWERED BY
SENATOR ALLEN
DAvIS'S BRILLIANT SPEECH
Lively Debate in the House on the
Question Of Paying the
Freight on Bullion
Associated Press Special Wire

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12.-Chandler o1
the committee on naval affairs, IN the
senate today secured the passage OF a
resolution asking the secretary OF the
navy to furnish a list of the active OFF,
GERS of the navy in each corps, together
with those at sea, on shore duty and on
waiting orders.
At12:15 the senate, on motion of Davis
chairman of the committee on foreign
relations, went into executive session.
IN EXECUTIVE SESSION
Senator Davis continued and COM
pleted his speech in the executive session
of the senate today on the Hawaiian
question and was followed by Senator
Allen of Nebraska, who spoke in opposi-
ton.
Davis requested in the beginning that
no questions should be asked during the
presentation of his argument, as he pre-
ferred, he said, not to have the contin-
uity of his thoughts broken. The speech
today was devoted largely to presenta-
tion of the strategic features of annexa-
tion. He displayed a chart in front of
LHG pTtSlul1lS PiosiOAiii, oiiO .
the location of Hawaii relative to this
country and to Asia. One of the points
brought out with considerable elabora-
ton was the probable effect on the
Nicaraguan canal of the occupation of
the islands by some foreign power He
illustrated by a reference to the map,
showing that Hawaii was in a straight
line between the western terminus of the
,,I To =
ton, he said, which controls Hawaii will
control the great gateway of commerce.
The guns planted on Hawaii would be
pointed directly at the mouth of the
canal.
He also devoted careful attention to
the Importance of controlling Pearl har-
Dor, now owned by the United States,
saying that the nation which maintained
possession of this harbor would hold the
key to the military situation in the
North Pacific. He read extracts from
reports by engineers and others in con-
firmation of this statement and in sup
port of a statement which he made as
to the character of the harbor, which
was that it was safe and commodious
and could be easily defended. He also
presented the necessity for controlling
of hostilities, saying that it was almost
necessary to control it for this reason on
account of the impossibility of warship
crossing the Pacific without replenish-
ing her coal supply.
Mr. Davis ridiculed the objection made
by Japan that the addition of Hawaii
as United States territory would work
a violation of Japanese treaty rights in
tell To said n fenlV tO this oh
lection, that all the rights would doubt
less be protected, and instanced the
creation of the German empire as show
ing the effect of annexation upon the
treaties of various countries which enter
into a consolidation.
He referred to the Japanese protest
as an indication of a natural tendency
to rapacity, and said that the govern
ment of that country should have been
satisfied with the territory wrested
from China instead of wanting to gorge
herself by the addition of Hawaii. Mr..
Davis called attention to the apparent
cordial relations existing between
Japan and China as manifested by
Japan's offer to lend her fleet to the
English in their operations in Chinese
waters, where, he said, the greatest
about to be made. He did not indicate
q belief that immediate war would be
the result of European competition over
Chinese territory. On the contrary, he
called attention to the fact that the flags
of Great Britain, France, Germany and
Russia were floating side by side in the
Oriental waters, neither power being
anxious to disturb the other so long as
MT nf nua oh trat
ting as much as the others were taking.
The only way in which the United States
could protect themselves against this
division of territory would be to con-
troll the Hawaiian islands. In case we
should fail to do this there was danger
of losing very important trade advan-
tages which were rapidly developing in
the far east. He referred to the i'm
provement of the commercial outlook
between the United States and China
and instanced the fact that one Minne-
sofa firm had exported half million
dollars worth of flour to that country.
The last half hour of Senator Davis
speech was devoted to a recapitulation
of the subject In which he dwelt at con-
siderable length and portrayed in strong
language the origin and close of great
WdIpS WAiSil Wtto lLucllucu W
the probable ultimate result of the
present operations in Chinese waters.
When Senator Davis took his seat he
was congratulated by almost every SEN
ator present upon the force of his argu-
ment, the thoroughness of his research
and the brllliancy of his presentation Of
facts. Both Senators Hoar and Mason
were heard to remark that it was great
pity that the rules Of an executive ses-
sion prevented the publication of the en-
tire document.
Senator Allen, Populist, of Nebraska
followed with a speech in opposition to
the treaty, which was comparatively
brief. He called attention to the dis
tance of Hawaii from our shores. re-
ferred to the necessity we would be
under of defending the islands in case
of war, and claimed that on this ac-
count it was necessary for the United
States to establish and maintain a SEN
arate fleet for their protection, as we'll as
ali army on the islands. He said that
coal was no longer contraband of war.
and contended that the United States
was in far greater danger from the
British establishment at Esquimault
than 1t could possibly be because Of the
location of any foreign power in Hawaii.
He deprecated the idea Of assimilating