The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1898-06-30
Annexation of Hawaii.

IN the House OF Representatives. Wed
nesday, June 10, on the joint resolution
to provide for annexing the Hawaiian
Islands to the United States:
Mr.. Speaker: am heartily In favor
of the annexation of Hawaii. | have
long been convinced of the advisability
of this move. 1t is one, In my judgment,
In which this Government has much to
gain and nothing to lose. 1t Is not TO be
wondered at that foreign nations look
with amazement at the opposition in this
country 10 the securing of vantage
point of such immense strategic lmpor.
lance In protecting the vast interests of
our Pacific coast.
There is not the slightest doubt as to
what the course of any one of them
would be under similar circumstances.
and it Is not surprising that they should
view our delay and hesitation in securing
this rich prize which is ready and anx-
ious to come to US without money and
without price as conclusive evidence
of American shortsightedness.
Westward the course of empire takes
its way" and events are. already dem
onstrating the prophetic wisdom of Sec
rotary Seward when he declared that
1.-THE Pacific Ocean, its shores, its is
lands, and the vast region beyond were
destined to become the worlds great
theater Of events" Had the spirit
which to-day opposes the annexation of
Hawaii prevailed with our fathers, we
should not have more than quadrupled
our territory, and instead of the 3,600,-
900 square miles that now constitute our
magnificent domain we should to-day be
limited to the 100000 square miles Sc
cured from Great Britain in the struggle
for independence.
Louisiana, Florida, Texas, the terrific
~ secured from Mexico in lS4S and
1853, and Alaska have In turn extended
the area of the nation. Out of the great
domain thus acquired have come twenty
States of the Union, and yet no additions
have ever been made to our territory
that were not the occasion Of severe
criticism, and the most of them have
called forth bitter denunciation of the
Administration then 10 power. The
greatest of all our acquisitions of terri
tory was the purchase of Louisiana in
1903.
Out of the country thus secured have
come, in whole or In part, twelve pros
porous States of the Union, represented
in this Congress by eighty-four Senators
and Representatives The purchase Of
Louisiana is easily the greatest single
achievement of American craftsmanship,
and yet it was the occasion of bitter pro-
test from many citizens OF the country
whose range of vision did not extend be-
yond the narrow limits of their own day
and generation.
There is not patriotic citizen of the
United States to-day who would favor
the REIMBURSEMENT of a single foot of
the territory which has been added to
the original area of the public, not one
who would seriously question to-day the
wisdom and foresight of the statesmen
who seized the opportunities presented
for building up our present great coun-
try, with its immense extent of territory
and enormous wealth of resources.
Ia the light of events the dire disasters
to the nation which have been predicted
by the various opponents of territorial
expansion, beginning with those who
thought the area originally secured from
Great Britain ample for all possible
needs of the Republic, present and
future, and coming down to those who
opposed the purchase of Alaska MS
fraught with portentious dangers to our
country, are certainly amusing. They
show what poor prophets those who
have trained in this school of ultracon-
servatism have been, and also how con.
tracted was their conception of the
country's future.
do not share in the fears expressed
by the opponents of annexation. My
only apprehensons are of evils which
might easily befall us If through our
shortsghtedness we allowed our present
opportunity to pass unimproved and per-
mitted the beautiful Hawaiian Islands,
''the key to the Pacific to pass into the
possession of some foreign power. We
can not pursue a og-in-the-manger
policy toward them. We must take
them or leave them for some nation
that, with vastly smaller interests at
stake, is possessed of more enterprise.
The civilization of these islands is an
American civilization.
At great cost of money and labor,
American missionaries reclaimed their
natives from barbarism. American cap
ital has developed their rich material
resources, and more than so per cent of
their trade is with the United States,
Far in the Pacific, they constitute an
outpost of American thought and hope
and aspiration, facing on one side the
vast and rapidly developing resources OF
our long Pacific coast, and on the fal
east where forces are already at work
whose results bid fair to be worldwide
in their interest and whose ultimate
scope no man can now foresee.
The best naval authorities of this
country have repeatedly urged the great
strategic Importance of these islands
and the events of the present war will
| Spain have fully demonstrated the
soundness of their views. | firmly be
| lieve that failure on our part to secure
these islands would be grave mistake
and one which in years to come nigh
result 10 dangers and complications vast
ly greater than any that opponents o
annexation have thus far ventured Il
prophesy.
Mr.. Burleigh referred to the deep in
terest of his own city in annexation, ant
of its advocacy by three eminent citizens
of that city, Luther Severance, John L
Stevens and James G. Blaine, the twt
former being ministers to that islanC
country, and closed by saying:
| should be false to the memory of {
true friend and true man if l did no
take this opportunity to say, and say
emphatically, that during the time Johr
/ l.. Stevens served this country as til
minister to Hawaii he performed the ex
acting duties of his position with con
spicuous ability and scrupulous fidelity
He was, as Mr.. Blaine well said, one OF
the ablest and most experienced diplo