The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-06-29
Cut 1t Short.

alton Will line up IN the United states
Senate this week. The other branch
of Congress has voted to annex and the
administration is determined that the
islands shall be added TO American ter
ritory. Senators who favor the acqui-
sition of the group say that there will
be no debate-that they will permit the
other side to do all the talking. The
attitude of the administration is in har-
mopy with the sentiment of the people
of the United States, but there Is no
certainty that the Senate will show that
it is representative. There has already
been more than enough talk about Ha-
wall. Not much attention will be paid
to anything that can be said before the
vote is taken, whether it be preceded
by war of words or limited TO waste of
breath. The country has made up its
mind. 1t is opgratulatipg itself upon
the absolute simplicity of the Hawaiian
situation. By combination of fortu-
nate circumstances the islands have, as
it were, been held in reserve for us.
They might easily have been gobbled
by some hungry European power. For
that European power we would of
course have tried to make considerable
trouble, but had the seizure been at
tempted few years ago a choice as
sortment of naval relics would have
been our battle stock in trade and one
belted cruiser would have made short
work Of the whole collection. The first
substantial and enduring result of the
war will have been achieved when the
Hawaiian discussion is placed upon a
shelf.
The Senate might for once treat the
country to an agreeable surprise and
"cut it short" We have passed be-
yond the period of possible enlighten-
ment and we know what we want and
what, the Senate perhaps to the con-
trary Notwithstanding, We are going TO
have. Some of the Capitol orators will
protest against annexation. They will
charge the administration with crime.
They will take their cue from Nebras
ka, from the uniformed statesman who
has set his face against expansion, who
is at once colonel and critic and to
whose cause as candidate epaulets
are manifest contribution. They will
stigmatize annexation as a war meas
ure. They will forget that before there
was any talk of war the President had
set the annexation wheels in motion.
There is nothing to be lost, however,
by meeting them on their own ground.
| We are under pressure. We have
war on our hands and its duration is
not likely to be brief. 1t has already
lasted about two months and the end is
out of sight. Annexation will carry US
about two thousand miles in the direc-
ton of the far East, which is quite
formidable stride. There is no escape
from that beginning. Singularly enough
events have forced us to send our flag
into harbor four thousand miles near
er China. We are in the anomalous
position of having taken the second
step before the first. Some of our
sonorous and sententious Senators may
Philippines cannot be justi6ed-that
every pardonable purpose is subserved
as long as Dewey holds his own.
1t is becoming more and more obvi-
GUS that the Nebraska colonel is not to
be consulted. Indeed, the indications
are that the administration will ride
rough-shod over all of his finer feelings.
Before long a United States soldier will
be in charge Of American interests in
the China Sea. He will be invested
with powers revolving to the cOlonel's
acute sense of the propriety of national
things. AS matter Of fact, he will be
little short of dictator. There is no
doubt that he will carry with him much,
if not all, of the authority with which
British governor general is enveloped
when he departs for some foreign scene
of action. No secret is disclosed when
it is stated that certain Washington
officials have been charged with the
suggestive duty Of finding out just
what great colonizing nation has been
in the habit Of doing under given con-
ditions. That is to say, there are GER
tain precedents by which we will, at
least to some extent, be guided and
they will be impressed upon the COM
mander OF our Manila expedition. 1t
is hazarding nothing to say that min
imum Of red tape will 60 with him, that
he will be tied to no such hitching post
as Nebraska can produce at moments
notice and that to popocratic puerilities
he will make no obeisance whatsoever.
Brooklyn Eagle Democrat.