The Hawaiian Gazette

Tells Hawaiians Advantages Annexation
KAWAIAHAO CHURCH CROWDED
Many People Listen to His Arguments.
As Residents of United States Hawaiians Will Have Same Rights as Americans.

When Senator Morgan, shortly after 7:30 o'clock last evening, ascended to the platform at Kawaiahao Church, accompanied by Judge Wilcox as interpreter, 700 people, of whom fully 275 at least were native Hawaiians, greeted him with applause. Members of the congregation, both annexationists and anti-annexationists, had requested the pastor to allow the use of the church for the meeting. The church was filled all during the hour and a half while Senator Morgan was speaking. There were about 100 people in the galleries, many of whom were Hawaiians. There were many who were unable to find seats in the church, and they gathered about the doorways. The crowd there shifted during the evening. At one time there were Hawaiians, Americans, Portuguese and a solitary Chinaman looking within and listening to the distinguished speaker, who has devoted his energies, and his forceful argument, in the United States Senate, to the cause of annexation.

The Senator's language was simple and plain. His arguments were convincing. He was ably interpreted by Judge Wilcox, and the applause with which his remarks were received were indications of the appreciation of his audience. Senator Morgan gave first a short history of annexation from the time when it was first perceived that the Islands could not exist as an independent Government. He traced the relations of the United States to the Islands during the past 100 years and showed the influence exerted by the United States to prevent the Islands from being absorbed by any other power.

The influence had been all the time exerted towards securing a higher civilization, until now the United States is willing and ready to receive the Hawaiians as citizens, all enjoying equal privileges and rights with American citizens. It was to show just what the status of the Hawaiian will be in the event of annexation that Senator Morgan was asked to address them.

When it was first announced that the meeting would be held, it was stated that only Hawaiians would be admitted. But others wished to hear the Senator as well, and for this reason many Hawaiians who stood about the doors were unable to find seats.

Senator Morgan's speech in full was as follows:

Ladies and Gentlemen: - I suppose no American Senator ever had a more important duty to perform than I have. Since I have been in Hawaii I have felt as though I were in a part of America to which I had never been before. This is an American country. It is not a European country. It is an American country, and when annexation takes place, its people will be merely coming to their own.

We had just completed a great war with our mother country - Great Britain - for the purpose of preserving the liberty of our race, when we first became interested in these Islands, as they were then termed - the Sandwich Islands. We went into this war of liberty with a population of less than 3,000,000 of people, now the same people number 75,000,000. The reason of this great increase was not by natural means alone, but by the immigration into the country of numbers who recognized in our Constitution the principle of liberty.

In the beginning our States numbered 13, containing, as I said, less than 3,000,000 of people; now we have 45 States, and several other Territories ready to go into the Union. The South American States, under the rule of the Spanish at one time, have, after successful revolutions, followed our example and are today prosperous and free Republics. Our greatest interest in the Hawaiians is that they shall not relapse again into that condition they were in 100 years ago, before Christianity was introduced into the Islands. We are not anxious to recruit soldiers from the 50,000 or 60,000 people here. We are not anxious to secure your land. We are anxious only for one thing - to secure you from aggression from foreign powers.

Other countries besides Hawaii have endeavored to secure annexation to the United States, but with the exception of Texas all have been refused. In these instances, the countries would have been grand possessions, but we declined their offers, because we considered them able to work out their own destinies. In the case of Texas there were more Mexicans in the country than white people. The people of the United States were quite willing to accept the additional taxation in order to allow this young Republic to come into the Union and for the same reason the people of the United States are willing to assume your debt as they divided the burden of Texas among themselves taking them by the hand and assisting them to a higher position. What information we had of these Islands was derived from visitors. Senator Morgan ten years ago met natives and was impressed with their intelligence. The signing by Kamehameha the Great of an accession to Great Britain tried Vancouver. And ever since that time no other power has had a chance to absorb these Islands. Our own opinion is that the only salvation for the Hawaiian Islands is in annexation to the United States. The 60,000,000 people in the United States are not going to permit foreign aggression in these Islands. There has been four offers of this country to the United States, but until Hawaii became a Republic we could not consider one of them. A Republic like the United States cannot have a kingdom or an empire as a colony; the entire Government from end to end must be Republican, it cannot be royal or anyways royal. We cannot recognize anything monarchial.

The speaker then read from Alexander's history and the protest of Daniel Webster to the annexation of Hawaii by Great Britain. He continued: You can see from these the Americans' value of liberty. We would never leave our shores to approach Hawaii in this manner. We would come here and direct and advise you, because you are a Republic, but we would never come to conquer you. It was the presence of the Boston in Honolulu in 1843 that saved the country from conquest by Great Britain. American officers protested against such a course. This protest completes the second chapter of the people of Hawaii.

The third chapter opens with another offer of annexation, made on account of French irritation of the people here. The King was so discouraged by these acts of Great Britain and France that he had a deed of cession drawn out, signed and sealed. He took it to the American Minister, read it to him and handed it over with the remark: "When you see the American flag hoisted over that of Hawaii, understand that these Islands belong to the United States."

Now, here are two distinct offers on the part of the King of Hawaii to hand these Islands over to the United States, but in both cases we refused them. When Mr. Marcy was Secretary of State in the United States, the King and his Cabinet agreed with our Minister here upon the terms of a Treaty of Annexation, and that treaty was lost simply through the fact that King Kamehameha III died before he had an opportunity to sign it.

In the face of this evidence of friendship of the people of Hawaii, can any man of reason say the United States has any purpose of aggression or of growing rich by the possession of these Islands. When King Kalakaua visited the United States a ship of war was placed at his service to convey him to that country, where he was treated in a most royal manner, and upon his leaving our shores a vessel of war carried him again to these Islands. And now when Queen Liliuokalani came to the throne we recognized her authority and agreed with her upon the celebrated Treaty of Reciprocity, which act has cost us nearly $35,000,000 and has made you a rich people.

In the face of all this, can our conduct be called anything but upright and honest in every detail. When King Kalakaua was taken very ill in the United States and died in San Francisco, his remains were returned here in royal state upon an American ship of war. Such was the respect we had for your dead King. Could the Hawaiians themselves have done more?

Now, do you suppose that I, as an American citizen or a Senator of the United States, would have less respect for you or yours than I would show to Kalakaua, who was dead and gone? I reside in Dallas, in Alabama, a State larger than Hawaii and Oahu together, with a population of 50,000 people, out of which only 1,000 are white, the balance are negroes. They vote just as I do, and they enjoy the same opportunities as I, and are respected by the people amongst whom they live according to their merits.

In the United States we have about 180 different kinds of Indians, ranging from the utter savage to the civilized man, able and educated. Some of these Indians live in cities and some in Territories. Some have gradually sold their lands to the Government; others, in addition to having 320 acres of land, are worth no less than $30,000 per man, woman and child in property. Every man in the United States is entitled to his vote, and you cannot deprive him of it. In many of the States women are allowed the franchise also. In some States people are not allowed to vote unless they can read and write. In some States a man cannot vote for the Senate unless he owns a certain amount of property.

In the United States, numbering now 45, every one is an independent Republic united together, in order to protect themselves against foreign foes, to circulate mail and for the rapid movement of troops, etc., should occasion demand. Every State is an independent Republic. Now, whether you come as a Territory or as a State, you come as a separate Republic; you take no oaths, with this exception, you agree to become American citizens.

Chinese cannot vote in any State in the United States. Why? Because they cannot become citizens. Hawaiians can vote in any State or Territory. Why? Because annexation makes them American citizens. Do you consider it not worth your while to become an American citizen? My opinion is there is no man who has occasion to feel so proud as a citizen of the United States.

I have been a Senator more than 20 years and since I have been there I have sat side by side with negroes, good men. I have not sat by the side of an Indian, because the States have not elected them to office. I have sat by the side of men who have considerable Indian blood in their veins, but I have not seen them in the Senate.

There is no power in the Constitution of the United States to prevent a Hawaiian from becoming President of the United States it rests entirely upon his merit. Now, if there is any man in this building who is willing to exchange these privileges for that of going to China or Japan and bowing his knee before their potentates, I wish he would get upon his feet. I should like to see such a man. A landslide from one of your mountains smothering your home and family, would be almost as dangerous as an earthquake. It makes very little difference whether you are smothered by a landslide or by an influx of Asiatics the result is the same. You understand just as well as I do what is going on in Hawaii, but I cannot say enough. If this people refuse the opportunity to become citizens of the United States, they will simply be going to ruin.

Your country is changing very greatly. I notice in passing through your valleys the places where once were taro patches the people are moving into the city to be nearer a better form of civilization and permit their children the benefit of an education in the schools.

You know law, you know Christianity; the Chinaman does not. He does not understand; he is very hard to teach. You have the same opportunities as I have had, and I have been as poor as any man. Your prosperity depends, as I have already said, upon your own merits. Can you allow any man or woman who never wore a crown to rule over you and over your country? Can you not think of some one of your own race without going to some other country to find a king or a queen to rule over you. Why is it you are unable to name your own man, whom you think is by divine right entitled to rule over you? Because you cannot believe that God made you for any such purpose. He made you to be free men.

The difference between a republican form of government and any other is that in the former the power to rule comes up from the people. Just as the strength of the vegetable is from the land. We do not believe that any one is by divine right entitled to rule as in a monarchical form of government.

We think every man should take a hand in the management of his own country. After the destruction of the idols in your country, two missionaries came from America, and I have heard not one word of any harm having been done by them.

I have here a copy of the treaty as signed by your Government for ratification by that of the United States. I would advise that you ask your papers to print it, in order that every man, woman and child may read it. I think you will find that it is the very best that has ever been produced for the benefit of the people, not for the Government, for the people.

The United States is able to carry out any contract, and will do so. This provision will be a continual benefit to the people of Hawaii. If I told my colleagues all I have seen here, the intelligence, strength and excellence of the people, they would be as surprised as I have been.

You have got, so far as I can see, as excellent a Government as there is in the world. To say the 50,000 people in these Islands would make any difference to the 50,000,000 in the United States is absurd. If every inhabitant of these Islands were to die tonight it would make not a particle of difference one way or the other to the strength of the United States. Our regard for you is not on account of your strength or wealth, but on account of your progress and earnest endeavor to advance in the true lines of civilization, and of that no foreign people shall despoil you.

I shall take much pleasure in informing my colleagues in the Senate of what I have seen here, of the fertility of the soil of these Islands, the intelligence and physique of their inhabitants and also of their evident desire to continue in the march of progress and to impress upon them the joy I shall feel if we can clasp your hands as brothers of that great country to which we belong, but it will break my heart if, after all your suffering and endeavors, you should drift back to barbarism and oblivion.