The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-10-09
f, B, M'CLANAHAN ISSUES
AN ADDRESS TO VOTERS

! To the Electors of the County of Oahu:
| have just returned from a cam
paign trip to the Island of Kauai and
must leave again today to tour Hawaii
Maui and Molokai, returning. as 1 ex-
pect, to Oahu on the 9th of this month.
Under these circumstances I shall not
be able to address the voters person
ally in this county until late in the
campaign, and have therefore taken
the liberty to issue this short address
defining briefly my position in the
present campaign, as the Democratic
candidate for Delegate to Congress.
In my Judgment the Intervention in
Cuba by the United States government
that has Just taken place completely
overshadows all other issues involved
in the election of the next Delegate
to Congress from Hawaii The Presi-
dents recent declaration that Cuba
will be given another chance" reveals
emphatically how very far the national
administration has progressed in its at
titude toward the question of annex
ing Cuba 1t is in effect declaration
that but one chance remains today to
check the annexation of Cuba, and
that chance, in the Presidents mind,
evidently depends upon the patriotism,
forbearance and wisdom of rival fac
tions in Cuba which thus far in their
history have only been distinguished
by a determination to rule or ruin
each other.
When we consider further what enor-
nous financial interests and what
skillful determined and INSCRIPTIONS
agents of those interests stand ready
to Keep these factions apart and to
destroy the remaining chance" it
should bring us to a speedy realization
that the hope that Cuba herself may
avoid annexation, rests upon a brittle
thread, and that the real hope of avoid
ing annexation lies with the large, in
telligent and influential interests with
in the United States that realize that
Cuban annexation means a deadly
blow to them. The Democratic party
has signally entitled itself to be the
defender of those interests as against
the interests of those seeking annexa-
ton. That party in Congress. on the
eve of the war with Spain, compelled
the Republican party, much against
it's will, to go on record against the
spoliation of Cuba and in favor Of
Cuban independence. 1t has consist
emily ever since supported Cuban in
dependence and is irreVOcably COM
mitted to finish fight against any
program involving the annexation of
that country. On the other hand, the
Republican party is party that has
favored and extended the policy of an
nexation. The financial interests seek
ing the annexation of Cuba are
mighty power in that party, and the
sentiment in favor of the annexation
of Cuba has largely concentrated in
the Republican party. Under these
circumstances, what should this Terri
tory do? I dismiss at once the propo-|
sition that we should do nothing. /
have no desire to assume the attitude
of an alarmist, and 1 do not consider
that it is necessary to dwell unduly
upon the probable result to Hawaii of
Cuban annexation. The leading con-
sentative business men of this COM
munity have declared that Cuban an
nexation means disaster to the sugar
industry of this Territory. 1 need only
add that disaster to the sugar indus
try means disaster in every depart
ment of industry and to every wage
Garner here. We have lived so long
with prosperous conditions in Hawaii
that few fairly realize what a down
right struggle for existence means and
1 certainly consider it matter beyond
the pale of discussion or argument for
anyone to combat the proposition that
all We can possibly do. whether much
or little, should be done and done
promptly. and that every nerve should
be strained to combat Cuban annexa-
ton first. last and all the time. r
wish to remind the faint-hearted. the
skeptical and those whose disposition
leads them to believe that things will
continue as they are and to pooh-pooh
any suggestion that a vital blow to
Hawaii is impending. that the Philip
pine free trade bill was indefinitely
postponed by the courage, the activity
and the faith of men who recognized
the danger ahead of them, refused,
however, to believe that it was insur-
mountable and put their shoulder to the
wheel when many influential men,
even among those who were to be in
jured by that measure, claimed that
Philippine free trade was inevitable
that no effort to prevent it would pre-
vail and that we had better not antag-
onize the administration or the Repub-
lican party by opposition. These I'M
called for sentiments were largely
voiced IN this very Territory by men
who ought to have known better or at
least should have shown more courage.
If / mistake not Francis NJ. Hatch was
openly criticised for the straightfor-
ward fight he made before the com
mittees in Congress in Hawaii's behalf
against that dangerous measure Again
we are confronted with a like issue.
but far more portentous, and as the
Democratic nominee for Delegate to
Congress 1 take the position that what
has been done and accomplished in
Congress against free trade with the
Philippines can again be accomplished
against Cuban annexation. if a proper
fight is made unitedly by all the in
terests affected. There is much to en-
courage determined fight against an
nexation; vast agricultural interests in
the United States outside of sugar are