The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-02-28
PEARL HARBOR
Continued from Page one.)

take possession of Hawaii; but if they
do, they will be dislodged, if my advice
is taken, if the whole power of the
government is required to do it"
William l.. Marcy, when Secretary
of State, reiterated the declaration that
Hawaii would not be permitted to fall
into the hands of any European nation.
Up to that time there was no menace
Of Hawaiian occupation by any nation
other than European
Almost a third Of a century ago
when King Kalakaua was the reigning
monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom
the United States, by reciprocity treaty
obtained rights over the waters of
Pearl Harbor. This was the first
step toward carrying out the policy an
nounced by President Tyler thirty-fve
years previously.
Coming down to the days of Blaine
and Mckinley, we find those states
men repeating the declarations of their
predecessors.
By the time that President Mckinley
reached the White House, it had be-
come apparent that the danger of the
occupation of Hawaii by a foreign
power had been shifted from European
nations to those of the Orient.
Finally ten years ago, when the I'M
expected events of the Spanish-Ameri-
can war thrust a new situation upon
this nation, it became apparent that 1t
was necessary for the United States
to acquire the sovereignty of the Ha-
Waiian Islands, both for the protection
of the PaEific Coast and in order 10
make it possible to maintain any naval
base in the Far East.
But although this Government an
neXed the Hawaiian Islands for the
particular value of their strategic loca-
ton, they have permitted almost ten
years to pass without turning a sod or
laying one foundation stone toward
the actual construction of a naval sta
! ton at Pearl HarbOr.
1t is true that a magnificent site OF
over 600 acres of ground has been ac-
| quired for this purpose.
The 10 square miles of land-locked
waters in Pearl Harbor could easily
accommodate the combined fleets Of
this nation and Of Great Britain, but
that cal. never give shelter to a battle
ship till docks ale built and the chan
mel approach is Strengthened
The importance of Pearl Harbor as
naval and military base has been re-
Deatedly urged by men able and ex-
perienced in military and naval science
among them Captain Cnow AdmiraD
| A. Y. Mahan, who pointeI out with
unanswerable arguments The COM
handing importance Of Pearl Harbor
as the key to the Pacific.
Gentlemen Of the committee, this
government has for ten years neglect
ed the safeguard Of preparing a naval
| base in the mid-Pacific. Our relations
with other nations are such today that
| it would be ineXcusable neglect Of the
responsibility Of Congress to the nation
| to postpone the beginning of this work
another year.
The Navy Department and the Cen
eral Board are at last keenly awake to
| the urgent need of opening Pearl Har-
Dor and building a dry dock there at
once. Both these lines of work should
be carried on together and both should
be provided for in this bll
| would respectfully suggest that
your committee invite Admiral Dewey
or some member of the Naval Board
to appear before you and state to you
personally in an executive session some
of their reasons for the urgency of
work at Pearl Harbor, which they may
not care to transmit to you in writing
The development of Pearl HarbOr is
not a Hawaiian proposition; it is a
national need. But as my nation
gave over its sovereignty to this coun-
try ten years ago, we have a right to
ask and we do ask that adequate pro-
| lection be provided for our islands, so
that we could not be captured by a
single hostile battleship as could be
done today.
Coast Notifications alone are not suf-