The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-08-12
OUTLOOK SAYS NO STATEHOOD
FOR POSSESSION" LIKE HAWAII

time lee overcome, and the foreign
races, while remaining foreign, might
vet come 90 recognize, appreciate, and
maintain those principles which undcrlie
the free institutions of America The
fundamental difficulty is neither the
diversity of language nor of race; it is
diversity of interests. For example:
90 one of the great federal problems
which is pcrplexiug us is: How shan
our interstate railways be regulated so
rs to secure efficiency of organization,
reasonable profit 20 the owners, and
lust treatment to all the people7 II is
by no means clear that the same policy
should he pursued in n small island like
Porto Rico, Hawaii, or Luzon that
should be pursued on the continent of
North America, and II is certain that
tho people of Porto Rico, Hawaii, and
Luzon have no acquaintance with our
railway problem, no interest in it, no
ability to help us solvci It, and it is in no
sense their problem. On the other hand,
| 1t is equally certain that our house OF
representatives does not understand,
and can not easily be made to under,
stand, the highway problems of those
| islands In Porto Rico, for example,
| the development of good automobile
roads is far and away more important
than the development of railways, and,
so far as we can now see, the traffic
of that island will always have to be
mainly carried on by carriages and au-
| tomobiles, not by railways.
| ''The States in the American Union
are sovereign States with supreme pow.
ers of self-government within certain
| defined limits, but united together by
| federation in Nation for certain def
/ mite purposes The bonds of union
which unite them are several They are
united commercially by the provision
| that there shall be no tariff walls erect
I ed between the several States. They
are united iudiciallv by the provision
that questions which arise between
! different States shall be referred for
| settlement to a Supreme Court of the
| United states. They are united in their
foreign policy by the provision that all
| treaties with other nations shall be
made not by the States individually but
by the union of States or the federal
government. They are united politi'
! callv by the provision that they shall
| Jointly elect congress TO look after
their common interests and n President
who shall perform executive functions
for the union of States. 1t is perfectly
conceivable that any one or two of
| these bonds of union niuht be dissolved
and the other bonds remain. 1T is per
fectlv conceivable that Porto Rico, Ha.
wall, and the Philippines might be com.
merciallv united to the United States
bv absolute free trade; iudicially uni
ted to the United States by n provision
that all questions of justice arising be
tween them or their citizens and the
United States and its citizens might
be brought before the federal tribunal
or brought before special tribuna
created for the purpose; united in Their
foreign policy by provision that al
; treaties made for these insular commu
mites should be made by the fedora
government on their behalf. There
might even be provision that they
should have representation in congress
,, by delegates who should have, as dele
! gates now have, a voice, and wit
! should also have, as delegates have no
had, a vote on all questions directly
concerning the islands. Such mod
fed union. bringing these islands int
close political relations with the Uni
ted States, and leaving them absolutel'
free in the matter of self.government
might be entirely possible without Civ
ing them the right to help govern thu
States that now constitute the Uniol
"a government for which they are no
fitted. and are not likely ever to b.
, fitted by acquaintance with our prob
lens or participation in most of on
/ vital interests.