The San Francisco call., 1898-01-13

on stronger basis than It now en- toys. It would also, he thinks. do won- ders in increasing the trade of the United States with the East. The Pres ident must have had some strong ar gument "up his sleeve" when he en- countered the Nebraska Senator, be- cause 1t left the Senator in an unde- cided frame of mind, when shortly be- fore he was against annexation. The President is familiar enough with the subject to argue f1uently with anybody, and he knows Senator Thurston is one of the men who must be convinced by argument before changing his position.
 Senator Davis continued and com pleted his speech in the executive session of the Senate to-day on the Hawaiian question, and was followed by Senator Allen of Nebraska, who spoke in opposition.
 Mir. Davis requested in the begin ming that no questions should be asked during the presentation of his argu- ment, as he preferred, he said. not to have the continuity of his thoughts broken. The speech to-day was devot- ed largely to a presentation of the stra- tegic features of annexation. He dis played a chart in front of the presid- ing officers platform, showing the To- cation of Hawaii relative to this coun- try and to Asia. One of the points brought out with considerable elabor- ation was the probable effect on the Nicaragua 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 canal and Japan and China. The nation, he said, which controls Hawaii will control that great gateway of com merce. as the guns planted on Hawaii would be pointed directly at the mouth of the canal.
 He devoted careful attention to the importance of controlling Pearl liar Dor, now owned by the United States, saying that the nation which maintain ed 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 1t was safe and commodious and could be easily defended. He also ] ! Hawaii as a base of supplies in case of hostnities. saying that it was almost necessary to control 1t for this reason on account of the impossibility of a warship crossing the Pacific without replenishing her coal supply.
 MT. Davis ridiculed the objection made by Japan that the addition of Hawaii as United States territory would be violation of Japan's treaty rights in the island. He said. in reply to this objection, that all rights would doubt less be protected, and instanced the creation of the German empire as showing the effect of annexation upon the treaties of various countries which enter into a eonsoli~4stioa
 He referred to JaTan's protest as an indication of natural tendency to ra- pacity, and said that the Government of that country should have been satis- fled with the territory wrested from China instead of wanting to gorge her self by the addition of Hawaii.
 Mir. Davis called attention to the ap- parently cordial relations existing be- tween China and Japan. as manifested by Japan's offer to lend her fleet to the English in their operations in Chinese ! waters. where he said the greatest naval demonstration of history was about to be made. He did not indicate 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, Ger many and Russia were floating side by side in the Oriental waters, neither power being apparently anxious to disturb the other so long as there was a prospect of each power getting as much as the others were taking. The only way in which the United States could protect itself against this
 division of territory would be to con-
 trol the Hawaiian Islands In case we
 should fail to do this there was danger
 of losing very important trade advan. |