The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-12-26
THRESHlNG OLD STRAW.

The Boston Herald, always eager TO
discredit the aunexationist policy in
and towards these Islands, says
Gorham d. Gilman, ex-IIawaiian
Consul, has written a letter. which we
have printed, in which he says that the
recent election in Hawaii was a victory
for "the worst element among the IIa-
waiiars against the better" that the
party which threw the majority vote
took as it's political cry Hawaii for the
Hawaiians," and XIII the snakes and
cockroaches," meaning the foreigners.
He thinks, however, that the question
of annexation, or President Mckinley
policy toward the islands, was not an
issue, but that down with foreign
rule" was II seems to us that this Is
drawing pretty attenuated line be-
tween the questions involved When we
annexed Hawaii we were told that we
did so at the request Of its people, these
being repre- Sc. ted by its government,
now that the first test comes, it is dis
covered that thos, who acted as the
governing class IN. Hawaii did not rep
resent the sentiment of its people. III
the vote of the latter on the 9th of No
vember implies anything, it means
that 81 considerable majority were, and
are, opposed to a union with the United
States. and that, If referendum vote
had been taken, limited to those who
were sufficiently educated to read or
write, Limitation similar to that
which Is in use in this State, annexa-
ton would have been overwhelmingly
defeated 1t is fair to suppose that, as
an accomplished fact, the union of Ha-
wall with this country is looked upon
with some degree Of favor, or, at least,
with acquiescence, by quite number
who would have voted against it il the
chance had been offered to them three
or four years ago. In this instance it
seems to us tolerably clear that we
have annexed an unwilling people, and
have deprived them by so doing of their
right to political independence. The
only excuse that can be urged in our
behalf is that a dominant capitalistic
class, representing, we admit d high
degree of intelligence, were determined
that annexation should take place. be-
cause it was for their social and finan
cial interests that the union should be
brought about and, they, with the au-
thority that they had at their COM
mand, and with the easy acquiescence
of the Government at Washington, sue
ceeded in accomplishing their purpose.
When we annexed Hawaii we were
told that we did so at the request of its
people," is a misleading statement
The observation-disclosures quoted that
story from the air, and then undertook
to prove it away. No one in authority
here ever pretended that the revolu-
ton of 1893 was a movement of the
native Hawaiian masses; on the con-
trary, the truth that the property
owning and business minority had
started and carried on the revolution
to get stable government, was never
concealed. At the time annexation took
effect the United States government
did not ask the people anything
about their wishes. 1t simply, at the
suggestion Of the minority in control
here, took possession of the Islands as
a strategetic measure of the Spanish
war. That was better excuse than
the Herald suggests, and it was about
the only one used. We might add that
it had plenty of American precedent
running down fOm the time the Mass
achusetts people displaced the local
aborigines through the various stages
of Louisiana, Texan and Californian
annexation.