Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-10

the job. Honolulu, the great port Of
the Hawaiian islands, Is a little more
than 1000 miles from anywhere that
anybody ever hears about or goes to,
To the unthinking that fact may mean
a disadvantage, but Hawaii knows the
contrary. Ships sail by island ports
which are close to the mainland. but
| they are glad to stop In a good harbor
when two or three thousand miles out
on a six or ten thousand mile voyage.
BEING a place for ships to stop made
Honolulu in the old days of the whal-
ing industry, and 1t did not suffer from
the overthrow of the sperm candle by
the oil lamp, for 1t found great profit
in dropping Jumps of sugar into the
worlds coffee cup. But that was
business which concerned only Hawaii.
for the world doesn't ask whether its
morning sugar lump comes from Ha-
wall or Cuba or Java. l
Things are beginning to change now,
and Honolulu knows that 1t will not
be long before the whole United States
will wake UP to the fact that the ter
ritory of Hawaii is right in the middle
of the game. This same-United States
is spending some untold millions to cut
ditch across the Panama canal.
Why? To facilitate trade in the Pacific
ocean. This same United States is
showing the world a few things by
sending the biggest fleet of warships
ever got together for such cruise all
around the Pacific. Why? To show
to the world that the American trade
and prestige In the Pacific is to be
guarded. No one supposes that the
United States Is going to permit any of
it's Pacific prestige to be taken away
and everybody ought to know that
American trade in the great ocean will
mas nd
kee wit can g. complish 1t.
Where will the American battleships
stop on their way across the Pacific?
Honolulu Where will the merchant
vessels that carry the American trade
to the orient put in? Honolulu. Where
will the great stream of traffic that
will burst through from the Atlantic
when the ditch is dug first touch?
Honolulu Where will be the great
American naval base in the Pacific?
Pearl harbor, which is seven miles
from Honolulu. Where will be the
great military outpost which will be
the buffer between rising oriental am
bition and the maintenance of Ameri-
can dominion in the Pacific? Honolu-
In. Where will be the great American
empires reLdezvous-a Malta and Glib
raltar is one? Honolulu.
The Hawaiians have been out here
in the Pacific Watching anu
they knew tia answer to all these
questions long ago. They urged them
upon an unwilling American govern
ment for years when they were beg
ging to be annexed. One bright May
morning --ncle Sam woke up to find
a brown baby on his doorstep. The
Philippines came by the accident of
fate. and congress at last was per-
suaded that Hawaii might be worth
while as a stopover on the way out.
Therefore Hawaii was gathered into
the fold by joint resolution and, by
most of the people. promptly forgotten.
That was only ten years ago. What
now? There is a storm brewing in the
orient which will make the little scrap
of 1898 fade into children's quarrel.
If Hawaii was necessary to America
for such little affair as the brush
with the Filipinos. how much more
valuable will 1t be when there Is a
mans fight acoming? Ten years ago
Europe laughed at the little American