Year: 1868

doubtful whether. in any event, such = revolu-
tion is likely to occur, For under the train
ing Of the American Missionaries, the Hawai-
ian people are peculiarly peaeeable and law
abiding and the missionaries are here for no
other than purely religious purposes. They
would see the last vestige of liberty pesceably
crushed out, and would endure any amount Of
abuse and national odium rather than offer
any resistance to the porers that be, even if
those powers were usurpers, ruling without
a shadow Of right, and if they were as arbi-
trary and as tyrannical as Nero himself.


S. Let il be settled, then, in the minds of
the Cabinet, Senators and people of the United
States, that in no case could either the natives
or their missionary teachers be depended upon
to initiate or carry to q successful issue a revo-
luton in any interest or for any principle !;
and without the help Of the missionaries and
the natives, there is no class of foreigners
large enough and wealthy enough TO enter
upon the costly though it were n bloodless,
work Of revolutionizing in the interests of any
foreign power. But if revolution were fact
accomplished, the natives, the missionaries,
and the foreign residents of all classes would
be quite as aequiescent under English, French
or American dominion as they now are under
the Hawaiian. l mean acquiescent as respects
any resistance to the powers that be. what
ever the character or complexion Of those
powers.


6. If an honest expression Of the preferences
of the people were possible, and the question
were between annexation 10 England, France.
Prussia or the United States, nobody doubts
that the vote would be overwhelmingly in fa-
vor of the latter.


Z. An unembarrassed and honest expression
of popular preferences BY vote for annexation
to any foreign.pcwer is clearly impossible !;
for the ofice-holders who have the power will
take good care never to permit an unbiased
expression of the people on that question.


s. Annexation by purchase during the life
time of the present King is utterly impossible.
Such is the intense prejudice Of the King
against all true Americans and such his hatred
Of American institutions, that he would doubt
less much prefer to give the Islands away to
England rather than take any price for them
from the United States.


9. Even if the present King or any of his
successors were willing to sell the Islands for
81 ,000 900, more or less, this would, in my
opinion. be commercially bad bargain, for
the revenue and resources derivable from them
could not compensate for the expense of de-
Tending them. l speak now of their CONNER
OAAA foAuc a. plcCc Vi pIOpcTilb anu
not of their strategic Importance as q naval
depot, or as q base for the vast network of
American commerce which must soon be spread
over this wide ocean, and become the source
of untold wealth to the great civilized nation
best situated to control it. Commercially, in
this restricted sense, the Islands are not worth
buying, not worth stealing, not worth guard
ing, not worth watching. But of their strate-
gic Importance, the American Government
and people are better able to Judge than the
residents of these Islands, who may be quite
too much inclined to magnify the importance
and resources of the petty kingdom in which
they live.


10. If their strategic importance to the
United States is SO great that their cession on
any terms to any other foreign power would
be deemed a cause for war, then the very se-
rious humanitarian question arises whether it
would not be better to save the possibility of
such calamity, by vigorous armed diplo-
macy looking to the acquisition of the Islands
at the earliest possible moment, since it is
morally certain that if the Islands are once Sc
cured to the United States, no foreign Govern
ment will be likely to venture upon an unequal
conflict with great naval power now so well
situated to command this ocean.


IL. 1t is for the United States people and
their representatives to decide whether the
petty despotism now holding dominion here,
suppressing free discussion, abrogating consti-
tutions, jeopardizing vast amount of foreign
capital, and resting as an incubus upon all the
moral, intellectual and industrial interests of
the Islands, is to be accounted perpetual i'm
pediment to that broader and more benignant
policy, which under a great nation must at
once bring new life to this perishing people.


However poor a bargain it might be COM
mercially for the United States to purchase the
Islands at any price, most sincerely believe
it would be a great blessing to the poor, op-
pressed natives, and to all classes OF foreign
residents on the Islands, if by any means
free and strong government could without de-
lay be established here.


IL. If the United States has no strong policy
to urge, or do not desire the speedy acquisi-
tion of the Islands, it remains for the Govern
ment and people to consider whether il is any
longer good policy or good economy to keep a
Minister resident here to watch the plots of
other diplomats, when the rights of American
citizens here could be quite as well cared for
by Consul having diplomatic powers. Is it
not the effect of the present expensive policy
to magnify the Importance of a kingdom not
half so populous the city of San Francisco.
Are they not led by our complimentary and
most magnanimOus policy of over-acted friend
snip, anu IOrDearance 10 imagine tnat tine
maintenance Of this friendship. even when the
United States are snubbed and insulted, is SO
important that we cannot afford in any event
to lose their good will, lest it should leopard
the peaceful acquisition of these Islands at
some remote period in the future?


If a vigorous and rigorous policy in the
maintenance of American ideas here is not to
be pursued, then a little wholesome neglect
seems far more desirable than fawning, coax-
ing obsequious diplomacy, which makes Amer
leans here despised by all classes of foreigners,
and impresses the king and chiefs. and the peo-
pie, with the notion that we are comparatively
weak.-,S. F. Bulletin, Sept. 81


People may form their own conclusions as to
the authorship of the above delectable letter
and his ten years experience, but it may not
be amiss to inquire how long the valuable in
terests of these Islands are to be at the mercy
of such intriguing mischief-makers.


Our Chinese.