The Washington herald., 1908-05-10


the Pacific and the freedom OF China may
not come this year or next But It is very
likely TO come within the next ter years.
and Uncle Sam Is very likely to be In the
scrimmage. He is beginning to wake up
to the seriousness of that likelihood. In
fact, he is in training, so far as the navy
goes, and Is getting into form on public
sentiment. This great struggle will be Ia
the Pacific Ocean. In the middle Of the
ocean is Hawaii. Hawaii to the forei
Hawaii has a sore spot. 1t is so tender
that one doesn't need to poke 10 find 1t.
It makes its presence felt, and every Wis
itor from the mainland of the United
States knows about Il before be has been
in Honolulu twenty-four hours. That sore
spot is that the people Of the rest Of the
United States don't seem to know that
Hawaii is a bOnafide, fHsepaTable, directly
attached. seamless part OF the United
States. The Americans IN Hawaii are
just as American az any man who ever
shot a hrecrac cker on the 4th of July Or
ate turkey and pumpkin pie on Thanks
giving Day. And when a fellow-American
from Kalamazoo writes one of them
letter and puts scent stamp on it-well.
there's a little volcano in Hawaii that
the guidebooks don't know about.
A great business firm in New York re-
Gently sent half ton Of advertising mat
ter to Honolulu. 1t was ali printed in
Spanish! Some man had got out a scheme
to reach the "insular possessions" The
Porto Ricans and the Filipinos speak
Spanish. therefore It was decided to give
Hawaii a dose OF Spanish, too. Gov.
Johnson, Of Minnesota. recently gave out
an interview, saying he was in favor OF
looping of the Philippines and Hawaii
and all "insuiar possessions" When that
got to Honolulu the local papers gave
lyon Yonson'' a lambasting that would
have delighted the soul Of a Minnesota
Bryanite. And Hawaii is right about It.
The United States could lop of Arizona
or Maine, or cut out Iowa from its heart,
just as easily as IL could cast of Hawaii
Hawaii became a part Of the United
/ States In exactly the same manner as
Texas did. It is Just so much a part Of
the United States now as New Mexico Is.
And Hawaii, looking into the future
with the eye Of faith. can see a new star
on the fiag-a star Of turquoise seas and
| opal skies. a syar whose radiance casts
over the azure II the Union the greeting.
"Alohal"
Hawaii knows that the path TO the
stars is beset with difficulties. No other
part of the United States has more knot
ty problems TO work out It needs the
help Of the rest of the country, and now
that the increasing Importance OF the
Pacific will bring Hawaii into -promi-
nence, that help will be forthcoming.
| So far as politics is concerned, and so
far as the people now In control so.
Hawaii is as thoroughly American as
Ohio. But its peculiar economic system
has overwhelmed Il with an alien people
| which has no sympathy for American
/ ideals but which will In time become
! possessed Of the American right 10 vote
/ It is Hawaifs present task to Americana
ize the children Of the orientsls. If pos
sible 1t is Hawaiis task to encourage
immigration from sources which viii send
men who can be assimilated into Ameri-
can institutions It is Hawaii's task TO
stand in the van Of the social and eco
nomic struggle between the Occidental
and Oriental civilization
| These are tasks which no people would
/ approach without a due sense Of their
responsibility In Hawaii they are made
more difficult by reason OF peculiar bust
ness conditions, and by the impasslve
resistance of a small but influential ele-
ment Of European foreigners who still
look TO British and German ideals in gov
eminent Notwithstanding these COM
| plications. the Americans in Hawaii ara
| in control Of politics. business, and So
ciety. They are working with might and
main TO Amerieanize the whole people.
They are using the same methods which
weapons Of school and church and print
ing press. It Is a brave fight and most
Americans have faith enough to believe
that they Will conquer. When they do,
Will not most Americans agree that they
are worthy Of their star?
But with ell the problems TO work out,
and with some delicate bread and butter
questions in the future 10 keep an eye
on, Hawaii knows not care. II yields to
the gentle influence Of its tempered trop-
ical climate and is happy. To-day Hawaii
is the greatest exporting community Of
its population on earth. To-day Hawaii
is the richest political division, per capita,
Of the richest nation on the face Of the
earth. Every day it is growing in i'm
porfance as that nation reaches out its
influence into the Orient These things
are comforting to Hawaii as it looks
forward 10 the day Of its greater luster.
Copyright. 1905. BY Frederic J. Haskin.l
To-mOrFow-Making Americans in
HaNaii.