Jere Krischel at 07:49, 6 February 2006

2006-02-06T07:49:34Z

Ken Conklin at 03:25, 2 February 2006

2006-02-02T03:25:45Z

Jere Krischel at 05:12, 12 December 2005

2005-12-12T05:12:53Z

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1056 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
"ANNEXATION THE MOKE DESIRABLE.
"On the assumption that the United States ultimately means to do
anything with Hawaii other than to crush it or let it alone severely,
there are two solutions of the question pending. One is annexation,
the other a protectorate. Of the two, annexation is altogether the
more desirable to both countries. The better way would be to provide
for annexation on a plan similar to that by which Alaska was admitted.
Hawaii does not ask to come in as a State until the islands have grown
to somewhere near the stature, in population and importance, of a fullgrown
State. The older States, after the late experiences on the silver
bill and in other respects, feel like going slow in admitting any new
State with a population of, say, not more than 150,000, with two Senators,
whose votes in the Senate would equal the votes of the New York Senators,
who have a constituency back of them of now nearly 7,000,000, or
would have as great a voice in the Senate as Pennsylvania with its
more than 5,000,000, or Ohio and Illinois with their more than 3,000,000
of population each, or of five other States with more than 2,000,000 population
each, or of eighteen other States with more than 1,000,000 population
each, that would naturally object to admitting Hawaii as a State
with two Senators, until she grows up to a stature more nearly approaching
in population and resources the average size of all the States.
"The average population of these twenty-seven States is about 2,000,-
000 each, and the average population of many more than one-half of
all the States is more than 1,000,000 each. These larger States will
doubtless hereafter object to the admission of a new State that has not
a population of at least a quarter of a million. That the islands once
annexed as a Territory would speedly double in population and go on
increasing at a rapid rate there can be no doubt. But for the present
Hawaii, if annexed, should remain a Territory governed very much as
Alaska is governed.
"NOT A SOUND OBJECTION.
"Senator Perkins, of California, and other Western Senators desire
that the Hawaiian Islands should be acquired and annexed to California
as a county with a county government. That proposition will
do to think about, but is too large a question to be discussed here.
Honolulu, as to location, is 2,100 miles from San Francisco. The argument
is often used against annexation that the Hawaiian Islands are too
far off and too far west to be annexed to this country. Prom the center
of the American Union, now somewhere in the vicinity of Indianapolis,
Hawaii is not so far off as portions of some of our Northwestern
States, and is nearer than Alaska. Besides the Aleutian Islands, a
part of Alaska, are more than 300 miles west of the parallel of the
Hawaiian group. With fast railroads across the continent, and
steamers that regularly make the trip from San Francisco to Honolulu
in six days now, and could in four or live, the ' too far off' and ' too far
west' objection don't count. Honolulu is in point of time no further
from New York than Washington was from Boston when the Eevolution
broke out. As to a protectorate, Governor Marcy, when Secre
tary of State, was thoroughly in favor of annexing the Hawaiian
Islands, and ably showed the utter absurdity and folly of the United
States establishing a protectorate over the Hawaiian Islands or any
other territory. He said that a protectorate gave no sovereignty to the
protector. The protected got the substance, while the protector got
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 1057
only the shadow—and paid all the costs. And he was right. It is
notable that every American Secretary oi State, inchiding Bayard, who
has written upon the subject, except Gresham, and every President
down to Cleveland has favored the American acquisition of Hawaii.
"AREA AND POPULATION.
" The Hawaiian Islands have an area of 6,470 square miles—about
the size of Connecticut. The population in 1890 was 89,990. Of this
number the natives (of the Hawaiian race) counted only 34,436, being
in a minority in the population amounting to 21,115. There were 6,186
half-castes. Counting all the natives and all the half-castes as native
Hawaiians they still lack 4,373 of being half the population, and are
outnumbered by what are classed < foreigners,' by 8,746 in the population
table. All Hawaiians born on any of the islands of foreign parents
are classed as'foreigners,' although native whites born on the soil were
ignorantly styled as a class by Secretary Gresham as ' aliens.' These
1 foreigners,' Hawaiian native born, number 7,495, are all whites and
mostly the children of American missionaries. The other Americans
not born there number 1,928, so that the American native-born Hawaiians,
or those who have located there, in round numbers count up
9,500. Statistics show that about 91 per cent of all the business of
Hawaii and a proportionate amount of all the private property should
be classed as American.
"There were 27,661Japanese and Chinese, mostly coolies, employed
in sugar-making; also, besides nearly 9,000 Portuguese, mostly similarly
employed. These latter, being white, are admitted to citizenship and
may vote, while the Orientals are excluded from the ballot. The
Portuguese are almost to a man annexationists, are American in sentiment,
and have a representative in the executive and legislative body
of the Provisional Government. All of the other 'foreigners' of
Hawaii, exclusive of 588 Polynesians, number only 2,494, of whom
1,344 are Britons and 1,034 Germans. A majority of the Germans are
for annexation—the Britons are not. The latter compose all the real
substance among the white population opposed to annexation. It was
this body of 20,596 white'foreigners,' nearly all of whom are Hawaiian
citizens under the law and belonging to the constitutional voting class,
numbering about two-thirds as many as all the native Hawaiians, that
the ex-Queen undertook to disfranchise and to deprive of their civil
rights under the old constitution, by suddenly proclaiming a new constitution
putting all the political power and rule in the islands in the
hands of the natives, that caused the revolution in January last and
the deposition of the Queen.
"A CORRUPT LEGISLATURE.
"The last Hawaiian Legislature was guilty of notorious bribery and
3orruption. It passed the odious lottery and opium bills, which were
signed by the Queen. The Queen arbitrarily selected her cabinet in
defiance of constitutional principles, and the new revolutionary government
in justification of her overthrow made this assertion, which never
has been and can not be truthfully controverted: 'Her Majesty proceeded
on the last day of the session to arbitrarily arrogate to herself
the right to promulgate a new constitution, which proposes among
other Things to disfranchise over one-fourth of the voters and the owners
of nine-tenths of the private property of the Kingdom, to abolish the
S. Doc 231, pt 6 67

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{p|1056}}
+==="ANNEXATION THE MORE DESIRABLE.===
 "On the assumption that the United States
@@ Line 17: / Line 16: @@
 in as a State until the islands have grown to
 somewhere near the stature, in
-population and importance, of a fullgrown State.  The
+population and importance, of a full-grown State.  The
 older States, after
 the late experiences on the silver bill and in other
@@ Line 59: / Line 58: @@
 governed.
-"NOT A SOUND OBJECTION.
+==="NOT A SOUND OBJECTION.===
 "Senator Perkins, of California, and other Western
@@ Line 85: / Line 84: @@
 continent, and steamers that regularly make the trip
 from San Francisco to
-Honolulu in six days now, and could in four or live,
+Honolulu in six days now, and could in four or five,
 the 'too far off' and
 'too far west' objection don't count.   Honolulu is
@@ Line 104: / Line 103: @@
 {{p|1057}}
 only the shadow-and paid all the costs.  And he was
 right.   It is notable
 that every American Secretary of State, including
@@ Line 113: / Line 111: @@
 favored the American acquisition of Hawaii.
-"AREA AND POPULATION.
+==="AREA AND POPULATION.===
 "The Hawaiian Islands have an area of 6,470
-square miles---- about the
+square miles-about the
 size of Connecticut.  The population in 1890 was
 ,990.  Of this number the
 natives (of the Hawaiian race) counted only 34,436,
 being in a minority in
-the population amounting to 21,115.   There were 6,186
+the population amounting to 21,115. There were 6,186
 half-castes. Counting
 all the natives and all the half-castes as native
@@ Line 163: / Line 161: @@
 Polynesians, number only 2,494, of whom 1,344 are
 Britons and 1,034 Germans.
-A majority of the Germans are for annexation---- the
+A majority of the Germans are for annexation-the
 Britons are not.   The
 latter compose all the real substance among the white
@@ Line 183: / Line 181: @@
 deposition of the Queen.
-"A CORRUPT LEGISLATURE.
+==="A CORRUPT LEGISLATURE.===
 "The last Hawaiian Legislature was guilty of
 notorious bribery and

Template:1056-1057 - Revision history

Jere Krischel at 07:49, 6 February 2006

Ken Conklin at 03:25, 2 February 2006

Jere Krischel at 05:12, 12 December 2005