The herald., 1898-02-23

of the population of Hawaii. How long
had it been. he asked, since we had passed
a bill to keep out the ignorance of the old
world that we now propose to annex terri
tory in which ignorance was the rule. not
the exception. We had passed the Chinese
exclusion act now it was proposed to an
mex territory which contained large Chi
nese population. He did not favor the hold
ing of territory under the shadow of the
American flag. A colonial policy might be
adopted to the nations of antiquity, but
1t would not do for a free country which
derived its powers from the consent of the
governed. 1t would be unwise and short
sighted, he said, If we should cut loose from
all the traditions of the past and rashly
embark on the unknown sea of territorial
ACKNOWLEDGMENT. We had confined our ex-
pansion to contiguous territory in the ac-
QUESTION of Florida, Louisiana and Texas
In 1858, under Fillmore's presidency we had
been wise enough and sensible enough to
reject these very islands, We had also re-
jected the proffer of the mob of st. Thomas,
and under the administration of General
Grant congress had voted down PROPOSE
tion to purchase San Domingo.
Only once had we departed from our
rule-in the purchase Of Alaska from Rus
sia-and only the future could determine
whether that had been a wise move.
Possession of extraneous territory meant
a constant source of irritation. The his
tory of the world proved this 1t was
urged that the Sandwich islands were the
key to the Pacific. Its strategic Importance
was emphasized as If guns mounted there
could command the Nicaragua canal and
the Pacific coast, thousands of miles away.
The annexation of Hawaii would establish
a bad precedent The appetite grew by
what 1t fed upon. Today the cry was "Give
us Hawaii" tomorrow it will be "Give us
Cuba" and the next day "Give us Samoa"
These appeals would all be justified by
the pleasant sophistries which appealed
to our vanity and cupdity until at last we
would find ourselves irretrievaby commit
ted to policy unnecessary to the material
happiness of our people, hurrying along a
path which was strewn with the wrecks
of empires and of nations. Applause).
He did not deny. he said that the acqui-
sition of foreign territory had added to the
prosperity of nations. But history showed
it to have been ultimately a source of weak
ness. Cupidity bred oppression, 1t piled up
taxes, 1t shed human blood. 1t was the first
step toward dismemberment. Lit the ma
tions of the old world pursue this policy
of aggrandizement to their hearts content;
let them saddle their people with debt,
equip armies and navies and shed oceans
of blood. Let England boast, If she pleased,
that the sun never sets upon her territory.
down upon the misery her policy has ere
ated. Her people starve in India. Let wars
and rumors of wars bring anxiety to the
faces of her colonists, but let the flower of
her colonies which broke away from her
domination one hundred years ago and
which, by pursuing the opposite policy, has
outstripped her, continue to stand as an
example to the civilized world. While others
seek war and Its horrors, let us soothe our
people with enduring peace. peace hath
her victories no less renowned than war"
We are in the infancy of our resources,
the morning of our material development
We will be wise to develop our matchless
country. The internal reforms which our
country demand present field broad
enough to enlist our best efforts,the purifica :
ton of the ballot, the crushing of the rings
and trusts which plunder our people with
out stint. the restriction of immigration,
the establishment of fixed and stable
standard of value and the reform of our
banking laws afford work for us to do.
Let us not be known and execrated as
the "roistering bullies of the western hem
isphere.'
Our country is all powerful The world
comedies our strength. while am proud
of our navy" continued Mr.. johnson, i'm
,pressively, IT sometimes think that the
powerful battleships we have built have
bred feelings of intolerance and insolence.
1t is not more true that plethoric treas
ury breeds public plunder than that a well
equipped army and navy rashly leads to
friction and war.
Let our equipment insure peace rather
than provoke war (applause)-
"While 1t may seem that these remarks
are premature, and that I have taken too
firm grip on the forelock Of time. It Is
my purpose to sound the alarm. that the
house and the country may understand the
character Of the proposition pending In the
senate. My Information II that the treaty
WIN fall IN the senate, But II VIII ~ SUP
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