The age-herald., 1898-02-15
THE HAWAI|ANS
 SHOULD VOTE Upon the Question of Annexa-
 tion, Said Pettigrew AN INTERNATIONAL CRIME Would Be Committed fl United States
 Acted Without This. ON A LEVEL WI satAr BRITAIN And an hbandqS oht of the Policy of
 '''z E'.''"'''. PROCTOR 7 I IN FAVOR or TREATY lie Dweit on the Military Phase and Asserts ed That if the United States Did Not
 Annex the Hawaiian Islands
 Great Britain Would.

Washington, Feb. 14.-The senate devoted almost four hours in executive session toi day to the consideration of the Hawaiian treaty. The principal speech was made by Senator Pettigrew, this being the third in- stallment of his remarks upon the sub. ject.
 Senator Pettigrew today devoted himself largely to the administration of President Dole, showing how the government of Queen Liluokalani had been overthrown. and to presentation of his views of this governments participation in the revous ton.
 Due to Conspiracy.
 He contended that the downfall of tha queens government was due to a cona spiracy on the part of Minister Stevens, representing the United States, and a few citizens of Honolulu. of whom President Dole was one, who were backed by tho marines from the United States warship.
 Said the senator: If the islands were as rich as the dream of avarice and theft acquisition as desirable as that of Lousit ana we could not take title from a governS ment set up there by ourselves without submitting the question of annexation td 8 vote of the Hawaiian people. To dQ this" he continued with emphasis, would be an international crime which would
 
 her subjection of weak nations of tho earth which would be an abandonment of the position and policy of our govern. ment from its earliest history"
 Four Alleged Points.
 Summing up, Mr. Pettigrew said that the opponents of annexation claimed to have established four points. They had he said, shown, first, that the route to the Orient via the Aleutan islands was one thousand miles shorter than that via Honolulu; sec- ond, that no battleship coaling the Hawaiian islands could reach the United States in condition to fight, and that on this account the occupation of the islands would be an element of weakness rather than of strength. Third, that the com- merce of the island which had been claimed to be one. important reason for their annexation, was constantly declining and less than that of an ordinary county of the United States; fourth, that one of the Aluetian islands would afford a shorter route for a cable to Asia than would be the route via. Honolulu.
 At the close of his three days speech Senator Pettgrew was cordially congratu- lated by many senators, including some of the opposition upon the thoroughness with which he had gone into the subject and the ability with which he had pre- sented the opposition to annexation.
 The Military Phase.
 Senator Proctor followed with a brief speech in favor of annexation. He de. voted himself exclusively to the military phase of the question: He cited the fact that England has strongly fortified posts all along our Atlantic seaiboard, beginning with Halifax and taking in tine Bermudas and the West Indies.
 He also called attention to the strong fortress at Esquimau.a and said If England should possess the Hawaiian islands as she might easily do in case we let the oppor- tunity to acquire them pass by. her drum beat would be heard almost entirely around the United States and that she would be able to attack us from her own territory in any direction. He also contended that it would be comparatively easy matter for the Japanese to acquire the islands by populating them as they were appar- ently very strongly inclined to do. He said that the United States falling to make the Islands part of this country could not regard their seizure by some other power the islands a part of this country. We could not play the dog in the manager, Tee fusing to accept the territory ourselvN or to allow others to take 1t. He thought the islands of essential importance to the United States both for purposes of offense and defense.
 During the session an attempt was made to ascertain from Senator Davis, in charge of the treaty whether they would be any early attempt to secure a vote upon it. In reply Senator Davis simply stated that he could not at present say when the de. bate would cease or when the senate would be prepared to take a vote.