| Show AGAINST annexation the presence in this city on thursday last of four envoys of the native hawaiian islanders is a matter of more consequence th than the simple announcement no of it conveys t to 0 the average reader the gentlemen themselves all natives well educated and are thoroughly informed regarding the political situation as between their own and this country and learning of the probability almost certainty of the united states senate taking early of the the annexation j action regarding islands they are on their way to washington to do so much enuch as they may to prevent affirmative measures being taken the aase case of the commissioners is an object lesson in the study or of ones relations to his country it shows at a glance how narrow and indistinct at times Is the lipe line between patriotism and treason might opportunity and sagacity not infrequently being the ax arbiters bIters por for contending for the continued possession of the land of their nativity by those to whom apart from legal abstractions it would seem to belong these men are arrayed against the government of the islands and therefore in a condition of insubordination which may be variously defined and enlarged th in accordance with the views and the will of the ruling power while those who look at the beginning of things and follow them along in a spirit of equity are likely to hold that the recalcitrant hawaiians Hawa Hawaii lians ans axe are imbued with the spirit of genuine patriotism the reader can make a selection to suit himself it should be borne in mind when considering the case from the ground up that these men are the race as well as the official representatives of people nearly all of whom are opposed to a union with this country or any other these constitute about one half of the entire population of the islands and are fifteen times as numerous as the american residents there it is undoubtedly true that the hawaiian senate ratified a treaty of annexation but it is also a fact that only members of that body who were likely to vote that way were permitted to have the opportunity but before this took place a great mass meeting of natives was held on palace square honolulu to protest against what was declared to be the openhanded robbery of their country two of the speakers at this meeting are members of the commission now in washington one of them mr J K kaulla kaulia president of the aloha aina society said we have been told over and over again by some people what a good thing annexation will be for these islands the land of our birth I 1 tell you if we ever get annexation to the united states we may consider ourselves in the position of being burled buried alive foreigners will pour in here and then my friends to what place will we be scattered answer from the people to the mountains if we are annexed today the morrow will bring us no good not so with the rich people the men in power today they will reap the harvest our profit will be where our gain will be from what source let us stand apart and against this measure that Is so obnoxious to us for if the people with the white skins come they will take everything you know that it Is the history of all times there is nothing fanatical bigoted or unreasoning in that surely and this is what the other mr said this to is our land we axe are the people and this is where we belong are you in favor of giving your country to another to allow yourselves to be swallowed up by another and lose your identity without a protesting voice in other words do you want annexation cries of no no shall we remain independent cries of yes yes to tell you truly it shall profit us nothing to be annexed we are under a republic now and we are getting no good if we go under another republic we may get worse whispers of the pate fate of the indians when we axe are thrown in the united states then the deluge both the speakers and doubtless a great majority of the audience were friendly in their feelings toward the united states and if they had to be annexed to some foreign power would probably choose this country in preference to any other but the fate of the indians indiana is evidently not what whal they ther covet there is a great deal of informs tion regarding the history of this country co ua together with no little pathos disclosed in that short sentence aal when we are made to know that the islands fully comprehend how they axe ar looked upon by their white neighbors neighbor as an inferior race possessing no rights which their superiors axe are bound to respect the pathetic feature ot or the case rounds out into a protest against what they can only consider as an unfair use of greater strength first to confiscate their possessions possession si then reduce them to serfdom ana finally to obliterate the race entirely they are not likely to be altogether quiet or inactive under such circum stances |
