The times., 1898-01-13
MR.. DAVIS 'sEL0QUENT Plea
He Closes His Great Speech For
Hawaiian Annexation.
ARGUES ITS EVERY PHASE
He shows the Need of the Islands
for American Protection Should
the European Powers Seize Asia
His other Clinching Points-Sen-
ator Allen Heard in Opposition.

Not since the days of Webster, SUM
ner and Hayne has the Senate listened
! to more magnificent speech than that
! delivered in secret session yesterday
on the Hawaiian annexation treaty by
/ Senator Davis. III concluding his two
days presentation of the affirmative
side nf this qlestion. lis array of facts
was conclusive and his arguments con-
vincing. his oratory thrilling and his
/ peroration brilliant
/ Not gifted by nature with the Voice
! OF an orator, ii is a difficult task for
I him TO fill the chamber, but yesterday,
with the doors closed and the galleries
empty his voice met the labor demand
ed of it. and the Senate for more than
( an hour and a half listened with in
tense interest to his well-rounded pc
riods and his beautiful word painting.
The pictures which Mr.. Davis laid be-
fore the Senate Wee drawn by
skilled hand. and even those who did
not agree with his treatment oi the
/ subject gaZed with rapture upon the
/ canvas that was spread before them.
Mr.. Davis started out with the re-
I quest that he be not interrupted He
/ wished to preserve the continuity Of
thought and the line of his chosen ar
gument and this he ccCld not DO X he
/ were broken in upon with questions.
! His request was respected, and the
/ speech proved a pleasure to those
! whom. with minds unprejudiced 1T
could not convince He started out
! with a discussion of the military i'm
! portance of the Hawaiian islands as a
base of supplies in case OF war. BY ref
erence to the map he showed that
/ line drawn straight from the proposed
Nicaragua Canal to the scene OF the
present naval demonstration in Chinese
waters passed through the Hawaiian
| islands. This, of itself, was an object
lesson that should be significant. No
power could operate on the great eX-
panse of the Pacific without a base of
supplies. and that base was formed
by nature when it threw up in the mid
die of the ocean the islands now asking
admission as part of the territory of
the United States.
With modern Warships consuming
their vast quantities of coal base of
action with so large circumference
of territory was imperative and Hawaii
offered this base to the United States
with one of the most magnificent lsar-
bors i'm the world. Mr.. Davis read from
the reports of engineer officers to show
that it was safe and easily defended.
| That harbor was the key to the mill
tary situation in the Pacific and the
nation controlling that harbor would
| have its guns pointed at the Nicara-
qua canal when it should be built. and
| would hold within its grasp the S4te-
way TO the commerce of the Pacific.
| In response to the argument that the
distance was too great for this Govern
| ment to undertake the task Of main
| tanning, guarding and defending the ISL
| ands as q part of its territory, Mr..
| Davis said that relatively speaking the
| Hawaiians were nearer TO us today
| than was the city of New Orleans at
| the time the Louisiana purchase was
| made. Distance was no argument
against the acquisition of the island.
Modern science had annihilated both
| time and distance. There the island
stood, soon to become the great trading
post of the Pacific and the GoVernm ant
| hesitated to accept it. overlooking in
! its prejudice the future full of moment,
which might make it the very salvation
| of the Government in the hour of
need
Mr.. Davis devoted some time to
| consideration Of the protests of the
Japaneses government against annex
| alton. The grounds for this protest fell
to pieces when put under investigation
| in the light of broad international law.
The japanese claimed that by this an
neNation their treaty rights would be
interfered with. That might be true,
but the broad principles of interna-
tional law, by which nations, in their
dealings with other sovereign powers
were guided, enunciated the right of
two sovereign States to merge their
interest into one and the subsequent
relations n that government merged
h. .raa
ties, or, in the case of annexation, upon
the treaties of the power annexing. As
an illustration of this doctrine, Mr..
Davis cited the case of the formation
of the German Empire Prior to that
coup of the Iron Chancellor the United
States had treaties with the various
Prussan States. but these We're abro-
gated and treaties negotiated with the
new German government. These prior
treaties were vacated by the force OF
international law.
1t was apparent Mr. Davis said, that
there was the most cordiai relations
existing between Great Britain and the
Japanese government in the present
situation in the Orient. 1t was gen
orally believed that Japan had offered
Great Britain her feet for use in those
waters if necessary. With this coali-
ton in the Orient, right at our very
doors. ngufdtiNely speaking, IL Dc-
hooved the United States to do those
things which should in the future pro-
tect it against such a combination
against American interests. The Chi
nese were almost the next door neigh
bors of the United States, divided only
by the waters of the ocean, whereas
that country was thousands of miles
removed from England and British in
tereSts.
Standing between the threatened dis
membered empire of the Chinese and
the United States the Hawaiian ISL
ands formed the only outpost The
present war against China was war
of commerce, and war of commerce
Nyas but little removed from political.
war and opposition in more deadly
form. If that day should ever come
then would the wisdom of the pre-
science that gathered in this stronghold
be made manifest.
Mr. Davis did not pass any opinion
as to what ought to be done by the
United States with respect to the Chi
nese situation, nor did he, if he were
possessed of such information. vouch-
safe to the Senate any knowledge as
to what the policy of the President
would be. He emphasized the fact that
the flags of Great Britain, Germany.
France. and Russia were flying in Chi
nese waters, each admiral watching