The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-28

.. POsAL TO BE MADE IN
CONGRESS.
Following this was a statement thai
"at q conference held recently it wa:
determined to submit a formal state,
ment of the scheme for annexation OF
California to. the President and the
next Congress, and urge that imme-
idiate action be taken on the proposition
as soon as Congress sits" The confer
lence. as the Advertiser said the other
day was headed by Humphreys and In
cluded Fitch and a few others of the
discredited ring. ut was the original
Intention of the promoters of the
movement here said the Bulletin, Ito
first present the plan to California
| through Washington. the fact, how
lever that such a movement was under
way, leaked out with the result that it
has been very generally Endorsed" In
another part of the article 1t Is stated
that the Bulletins story had been for
warded by the Doric mail to the leading
newspapers of the States. The cores
pondent says that the campaign for an
nexation to California is a well-estab-
lished fact" Thus the literary bu-
reau." established by Judge Humphreys
and left in charge by his brother-in-law,
Arthur tombstone, got in its prelimin-
airy work, precisely as the Advertiser
said.
| The game was worked with some
shrewdness-one might say with almost
human intelligence. Knowing of old
| how David Starr Jordan felt on the
annexation of Hawaii to California, an
interview with him in favor of the
scheme was sought and procured. This
was used as a feeler in Humphreys as
sfstant organ, The Volcano. The
fscheme was to have the great plan
born, or apparently born, under respect
able auspices. AS soon as the Jordan
interview came out the Republican
Endorsed 1t as follows:
| The suggestion of Dr. David Starr
Jordan that 1t would be good thing for
| Hawaii to be made part eof the State
| of California is one deserving of the
| most serious consideration by the people
| of these Islands. According to the deci-
sion of the United States Supreme Court
recently rendered in the Porto Rican
and Hawaiian cases, Territories are the
| sole creatures of Congress, and Congress
| has a right to levy duties upon the ar
| ticles imported into or exported from the
cision Hawaii Is again in the position
| where she was when she had only a
| treaty of reciprocity providing for the
! free admission of her great staple, SUI
gar, into the United States.
| One of the chief causes of annexation
was the uncertainty of reciprocity and
| the unsettled condition of affairs here.
| 1t was not known when a Congress
| might be elected which would be unfa-
TO, a,,I
provide for its annulment. 1t was be-
lieved that through annexation sta
bility would be reached under which the
Islands would prosper as never before.
Now comes the Supreme Court decision
which places us under practically the
same conditions as before annexation.
The present Congress might. If it saw
fit. provide for a duty on Hawaiian SUI
gar just as it does on sugar from Porto
Rico.
Were Hawaii to be made a part of the
State of California nothing OF this sort
could be done. We would then be part
and. parcel of a sovereign State and
without the pale of Congressional legis-,
lation, only such as affects the general
state of the Union.
There are other considerations of great
Importance. II Hawaii were made
part of the State of California the peo-
pie would elect their local officers, in
Guiding Judges, instead OF having them
appointed, and they would elect their
pro rata of members OF the State Leg
islature. We would secure at once an
excellent code of civil and criminal laws.
The Supreme Court of the State could
hold sessions in Hawaii once a year,
just as 1t now holds sessions in San
Francisco and Los Angeles. We would
have member of Congress with a vote
on the floor instead of a Delegate with
out a vote.
1t would not be unreasonable to pre-
sumo that Hawaii might have one of the
United States Senators for the State
large portion Of the time After the |
great growth of the southern counties |
of California following the boom of
lSS5-6-7, the southern part Of the State
began demanding one of the two Sena-
tors, who, previous to that, had always !
resided In the San Francisco region. Be-it
ginning with the election of Stephen M
White In 1893, Southern California has
had one of the two Senator'S continu-
ously ever since. 1t is not unreasonable |
to suppose that in a deadlock between
the north and the south of the State
over Senator both sections would |
agree upon a man from Hawaii for the |
position. But granting that this would |
never occur the members of the Legis-
lature from this part of the State would
be powerful enough to prevent the cleo
ton of any man to the Senate who |
would not be friendly to these Islands |
BY becoming part of the State of
California, county government and city
government for Honolulu and Hilo could
be established at once. under most ex-
celient laws and without friction, and
nome rule for the people put into ,prac-
teal effect
Not to be outdone, Humphreys Vol
cano came out in a leader, insisting on
and concluding an argu-
ment as follows: 1.-THE annexation of
Hawaii to California is the only true
solution of the many vexed problems
which now confront the Territory"
Here then was the conspiracy: To
work up sentiment in favor of the an
nexat1on scheme through the local |
press and through the tombstone Lit
erary Bureau, to which was to be added |
the personal work of Humphreys at the |