The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-13
HAWAII A GOOD BASE TO HOLD.
SENATOR DAVIS POINTS OUT ITS
VALUE IN CASE OF WAR.

Tho Island in a Straight Line Be-
tween the Mouth of the Nicarag-
nan Canal and Japan and China.
cuus Planted Upon Hawaii Would
Re Pointed Directly at the Mouth
of the CanaI-The Nation Holding
the Islands Will Control That
Great Gateway of Commerce.
Washington, Jan. Ex-senator Chandler
of the committe on naval affairs in the
senate to-day, secured the passage of
resolution asking the Secretary of the
Navy.to provide a list of the executive Of
fcers of the navy in each corps, together
with those who are at sea or on shore
now on waiting orders.
AT 12I5 O'Clock the Senate, on motion
If Mr.. Davis. chairman of the commit
tee on foreign relations, went into execu-
tive session, and Mr.. Davis continued His
speech on the Hawaiian treaty.
Mr.. Davis speech was devoted largely
n presentation of the strategetic features
of annexation. He displayed a chart
showing the location of Hawaii relative
10 this country and to Asia. One of The
noints brought out with considerable elab-
grafton was the probable effect on the Mic
araguan canal of the occupation of the
islands by some other power. He Illus
trlted by reference to a map, showing
that Hawaii was in a straight line be-
tween the terminus of the canal and Japan
and China The nation, he said, which
controls Hawaii will control that great
gateway of commerce, and guns planted
upon Hawaii would be pointed directly at
the mouth of the canal. He also devoted
very careful attention to the importance
of controlling Pearl harbor, now owned
nv the United States, saying that the ma
ton which maintained possession of this
harbor would hold the key to the military
situation in the North Pacific. He also
pointed out the necessity for controlling
Hawaii as a base of supplies in case of
bostjlities saying that it was almost nee
essary to control it for this reason on ac-
count of the impossibiIity of a warship
to go to the North Pacific without replen-
ishing her supplies.
Mr. Davis paid attention to the appar-
ent cordial relations existing between ia
nan and China, as manifested by Japan's
offer to lend her fleet to England on be-
half of their operations in Chinese wa
ters. where he said, the greatest naval
demonstration in history was about to be
made. He did not indicate a belief that
immediate war would be the result of
European competition over Chinese terri
tory. On the contrary he called attention
10 the fact that the flags of Great Bri-
tain, France, Germany and Russia were
floating side by side in the Oriental wa
ters, neither power being apparently anX-
ious 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
Themselves AGAINST i
vision of territory would be to control the
Hawaiian Islands. In case we should fail
TO do this, there is danger of losing very
important trading advantages which are
rapidly diminishing in the far west. He
referred to the more favorable outlook
for the United States in China and said
that the United States had last year ex-
ported a half million dollars worth of
-four TO that country. When Mr.. Davis
took his seat, he was congratulated by al
most every senator present on the force
of his argument, the thoroughness of his
research and the brilliancy of his preSen-
taton of the facts.
Senator Allen, Pop, of Nebraska, follow
ed in opposition to the treaty. He called
attention to the distance of Hawaii from
our own shores, referred to the necessity
we would be under of defending the ISL
ands in case of war; and claimed that on
this account it would be necessary for the
United States to establish and maintain a
separate fleet for their protection, as well
as an army on the islands. He commended
that the United States were in far greater
danger from the British establishment at
Esquimault than it could possibly be be-
cause of the location of any foreign power
in Hawaii. He also deprecated the power
of assimilation of such a population as
that of Hawaii and declared that the pop
ulation of that country were not of a char
actor to send acceptable representatives
TO the United States Senate.
AT 2:50 o'clock the Senate adjourned.