The San Francisco call., 1898-02-05
SCORES THE SCHEME FOR
 ANNEXATION Mr. White Concludes a Most Telling
 Speech. In Executive Session the Senate Learns Some Pointed Facts. Hawaiian Islands Gould Not Benefit the United
 States. PROTECTION DIFFICULT It Would Require an Enormous Flee to Guard Domains so
 Far Away.
PROTECTION DIFFICULT
It Would Require an Enormous Fleet to Guard Domains so
 Far Away.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.-Senator White concluded his three days speech in opposition to the annexation of Ha- waii in the executive session of the Senate to-day. At the beginning of to- days speech he made some additional points against the availability of Ha- wall for defensive purposes. saying that 1t is 800 miles from the outside islands of the group to other islands. This fact, he said, demonstrated that numerous points must be guarded from hostile assault and that a powerful navy would be required to accomplish this; that the immense expenditures will be without benefit to our defenses on the continent. He declared that if Hawaii would be acquired it would be contended that our domains should be extended to other islands, and we would finally embark upon the foreign acquisition business, involving an out lay of hundreds of millions of dollars.
 He then took up the question of la bor, contending that the Chinese and Japanese are receiving $15 a month without board. He ridiculed the pre- tension that the Anglo-Saxon race could labor in Hawaiian sugar fields, and demanded to know why, if they could, there was so little white labor on the islands now. He read from a recent consular report to show that the coffee business was at best problem atical, and that even in this work la borers only receive $15 a month with out board. He denounced the master and servant regulations now in force in the islands as a species of slavery; said that coffee must be produced in competition with the lowest grade of peon toilers and that the time would never come when a farmland on coffee plantation would receive the white mans wages. He also asserted that the Japanese have the same right to come into the United States enjoyed by other foreigners, and the white con tract laborerS of all kinds are excluded, still there is no obstacle to the entry of the ordinary Japanese laborer who complies with our general immigration laws, and said that if annexation were brought about Oriental labor would still dominate the situation in Hawaii.
 He denounced as absurd the assertion that trade would be diverted from the United States if annexation were de- feated, and said that even with the pres ent treaty out of the way, HawaiianS would do business with us; that when the Mckinley bill was in force they
 
 compared the growing trade of Japan to that of Hawaii, showing that cotton flour and manufactures of iron and steel were fast occupying the Japanese market. He said that if there ever was any necessity of holding anything in Hawaii. our possession at Pearl Harbor was enough. He denied that there were any valuable agricultural possi- bilities to justify annexation.
 White then tOOl m the TO1o ernment, insisting that it was irregular and fraud. He said in this connection that 1t was universally conceded that the Hawaiian natives were well edu- cated and would be citizens of this country in case of annexation, and con- tended that they should be consulted. He read from the proceedings with re- lation to the admission of Texas to show that the constitution providing for annexation and the specific ques- tion of annexation was submitted to popular vote; that whatever might be the rule as to barbarous tribes or DOT tions of territories held by monarch ies, it was clear that here, where the validity of the Government is chal- lenged and when the people have not had opportunity to vote upon the ques- ton of admission. no affirmative action could be taken.
 This Government based upon the will of the people could not, he said, afford to incorporate a large number of persons, who would be eligible to citi- zenship, against their will. He read from Judge Cooley and several other writers in support of his views, and de- clared again that the entire power be- hind the throne was the sugar com bination of Hawaii, whose personal interests had, he said, always been con suited, regardless of the effect upon the public. He criticized the action of Pres ident Dole in coming to Washington at such time. and said he asked what would have been thought of the taste of the Prince of Wales had he come here at the time the treaty of arbitra- tion was under consideration for the purpose of influencing cur action. He reviewed at length the general policies and theories of our Government, de- clared that the question was above all ]