The Washington herald., 1908-05-10
HAWAII TO THE FORE
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN.

Honolulu. Hawaii, March ls.-Take
map of the Pacific Ocean and draw lines
across It from principal ports in both
Americas TO principal ports in Asia and
the Islands Of the Seas. Where these
lines cross you viii ind Hawaii, the
cross roads OF the Pacific. And. incident
ally, you viii have homemade map Of
the very kind that every visitor 10 Homo
lulu is confronted with every time he
meets an agent of the promotion commit
tee. wGieh is to say every time he meets
anybody at all
The United States as a whole may not
yet realize how rare and precious is this
chain Of jewels of the sea that has
shaken of the old name Of Sandwich
Islands. but the islanders realize it 10 the
full. They know that the value of Hawaii
Is not to be calculated by square miles
OF territory. They don't discuss area
But when It comes TO strategic maps and
applied geography, the Hawaiian IS on the
job
Honolulu. which is the great port of the
Hawaiian Islands. is a little more than
900 miles from anywhere that anybody
ever hears about or goes 10. To the IN
thinking that fact may mean disad-
vantage but Hawaii knows to the con-
trary. Ships san by island ports which
are close to the mainland, but they are
glad to stop in a good barber when 700
or 5000 miles out on a 5000 or 10,000-mile
voyage. Being a place for ships to stop
made Honolulu In the old days Of the
whaling industry. and it 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 a busi-
ness which concerned only Hawaii, for
the world doesn't ask whether its morn
ing lump Of sugar comes from Hawaii or
Cuba or Java,
Things are beginning TO change now,
and Honolulu knows that it will not be
long before the whole United States will
wake NJ TO the fact that the Territory
Of Hawaii Is right in the middle Of the
game. This same United States is spend
ing some untold millions to cut a 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 feet
Of war ships ever got together for such
3 cruise all around the Pacific. Why? To
show to the world that the American
trade and prestige in the Pacific is 10 be
guarded. No one supposes that the United
States is going TO permit any Of its Pa
ciAc prestige TO be taken away, and every
body ought to know that American trade
In the great ocean will be extended, Il
human means and Yankee wit can &C
cdmpllsh it,
Where will the American battle ships
stop on their way across the Pacific
Honolulu. Where will the merchant YES
sells that carry the American trade TO the
Orient put on7 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 sever
miles from Honolulu. Where win be tht
great military outpost. which viii be the
buffer between rising Oriental ambition
and the maintenance OF American domin.
ion in the Pacific? Honolulu, Where vii
be the great American empires rendez-
vous-a Malta and Gibraltar in one.
Honolulu
The Hawsiians have been out here in
the Pacific watching things and they
knew the answer TO all these question,
/ long ago. They urged them upon an un
willing American government for year.
when they were begging TO be annexed
/ One bright May morning Uncle Sam wok,
up to find a brown baby on his doorstep
I The Philippines came by the accident o.
I fate, and Congress at last was persuaded
/ that Hawaii might be worth while as
/ stop-over on the way cut. Therefore
Hawaii was gathered into the fold by
+ joint resolution, and. by most OF the peo
! pie. promptly forgot
/ That was only ten years ago Wha
now? There is a storm brewing in tn
Orient which viii make the little scral
of 1885 fade into a children's quarrel. I
Hawaii was necessary TO America 70
such a little affair as the brush with tn
/ Filipinos. how much more valuable vii
/ it be when there is a mans fight aeon
ing? Ten years ago Europe laughed a
the little American navy. II was goo
enough to get the best Of Spain all right
but America woke up to the fact tina
It wasn't good for much more Their
wasn't much fuss about it as It wen
along. but the United States turned t
navy building. Now it has the creates
fleet in the Pacific in the history OF tha
ocean; 1t has navy which ranks seeon
in the world in size and first in relativ
efficiency, and there is a feet left on tn
Atlantic seaboard that is stronger thal
the whole navy was at the time Of tn
war with Spain, So much for ten years.