{"1": {"fulltext": "i\\nu", "height": "4008", "width": "2670", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0001.jp2"}, "2": {"fulltext": "LIBRARY OF\\nCONGRESS\\n019 944 320 3\\nHoUinger Corp.\\npH8.5", "height": "3536", "width": "2163", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0002.jp2"}, "3": {"fulltext": "ANNEXATION OF HAWAII.\\nSPEECH\\nHON. RICHARD P. BLAND,\\nOF MISSOURI,\\nHOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,\\nMonday, Juni) 13, 1898,\\nWASMINOXON.\\n1898,", "height": "3536", "width": "2163", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0003.jp2"}, "4": {"fulltext": "Co\\n72965", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0004.jp2"}, "5": {"fulltext": "w\\nSPEECH\\nOF\\nHON. II IC HARD P. BLAND\\nThe House having under consideration the joint resolution (H. Res. S59) to\\nprovide for annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States-\\nMr. BLAND said:\\nMr. Speaker: In entering upon a discussion of this important\\nquestion at the present time, we shotild not forget the situation\\nthat confronts us. Whatever may be said with regard to the\\nultimate policy of this Government toward the Hawaiian Islands\\nor as to the importance of that people and that country in rela-\\ntion to our own, this is not the time to enter upon any final dis-\\nposition of that question. We are noAV in the midst of a war the\\nprosecution of which was entered upon for a certain purpose,\\nThe resolutions that passed this House and the other branch of\\nCongress declaring war against Spain committed this Government\\nexpressly to the sole policy of freedom, disclaiming any intention\\nof an aggressive warfare. Cuba, almost a part of our own terri-\\ntory, the most important island south of us, would be, as a i^art of\\nour own territory, a means of defense in time of war far more im-\\nportant than the Hawaiian Islands. Yet in order that the civ-\\nilized world might know, as well as our own people, that we had\\nentered upon this contest in the interest of humanity, in the in-\\nterest of freedom, and not in a spirit of aggression, we declared\\nthat the sole purpose of this war was to relieve the starving and\\ndistressed people of Cuba and to extinguish the barbarity of\\nSpanish rule in that island.\\nOur war resolutions explicitly stated that we entered on no war\\nfor conquest, and that we would not annex the Island of Cuba,\\nbut would give free government to her people. That was the\\nsm 3", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0005.jp2"}, "6": {"fulltext": "declared purpose, and that only. For that purpose, and that pur-\\npose only, have we voted to supply the Army and the Navy of\\nthe United States. For that purpose, and that purpose only, have\\nthe American people sanctioned unanimously this war as being a\\nholy war.\\nWhy, sir, if it had been contended here when we were entering\\nupon this contest that it was intended for aggression for the\\nseizure of the Hawaiian Islands, the maintenance of our sover-\\neignty in the China Sea, that it was intended to make alliances\\nwith other great governments in order to participate in the parti-\\ntion of China and to make aggressions in the Asiatic waters\\nmeaning thereby not only $500,000,000 of interest-bearing debt,\\nbut probably four times that amount, meaning thereby not only\\nincreased taxation upon the people of this country to the extent\\nof $150,000,000 annually for a temporary purpose, but a debt of at\\nleast $3,000,000,000 increased taxation for a purpose without limit\\nand without termination\u00e2\u0080\u0094 I doubt if this House or the Senate\\nwould ever have made a declaration of war under such conditions.\\nAnd, sir, to bring forward this policy now and to urge this measure\\nas a war measure is simply to write on the statute books of this\\ncountry a falsification of the very declarations that we made in\\ngoing to war.\\nA war measure! There is no Spanish fleet threatening the Ha-\\nwaiian Islands. No one pretends that the possession of those islands\\nis necessary now as a defense of our coasts. But, on the contrary,\\nMr. Speaker, we have assembled to-day at San Francisco a fleet\\nready to transport troops and supplies to the Philippine Islands;\\nall of our war ships are practically leaving that coast and going to\\nthe defense of Dewey in the Philippine Islands because we need\\nno defense on that coast.\\nIf we had any use or shall have any need of a base for coal sup-\\nplies and a harbor of refuge at Hawaii, we have all that now in\\nthe Sandwich Islands. By treaty we are in possession of Pearl\\nHarbor, the only harbor on the Sandwich Islands that is suitable\\nfor this purpose. We have the sole sovereign control of this har-\\nbor, even to the exclusion of the Government of Hawaii. We now\\nown and control a naval station on these islands. We need noth-\\ning more. Even admitting that there is or should be a necessity\\n3476", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0006.jp2"}, "7": {"fulltext": "for a coaling station there, we have that as completely and aa\\neffectually as we could have it by owning the islands.\\nCoal has never been found on the Hawaiian Islands, and a coal-\\ning station there must be supplied by transporting coal to the\\nislands and storing it in our station there\u00e2\u0080\u0094 a station that by treaty\\nwe have the exclusive right to fortify and hold against the world,\\nand Pearl Harbor is the only place on the whole coast of Hawaii\\nwhere such a station is at all feasible. No other nation can get\\nsuch a station on these islands, for there is no other practicable\\nharbor there to possess.\\nWhy undertake to deceive ourselves or deceive the world by the\\nhypocritical cry that Hawaii is necessary now as a war measure?\\nNo intelligent man believes such a statement.\\nNo, sir, we started out protesting against the system of coloni-\\nzation. We have from the beginning denounced the idea of col-\\nonization. We started out for the purpose of wresting one of\\nSpain s colonies from her rule, because our Government is hostile\\nto the idea of people being dominated as a colony. In vindica-\\ntion of our antagonism to colonization and our position in favor\\nof freedom our flag was to be planted by our Army and Navy\\nXTpon the soil of Cuba. Now, on the contrary, that same flag as\\na war measure, it is said\u00e2\u0080\u0094 is to be taken and planted upon the\\nIsland of Hawaii without the consent of the people of that island.\\nSuch a policy is indefensible; and the plea which is put forward\\nin excuse for it has no foundation in fact at the present time.\\nThe gentleman from Nevada [Mr. Newlands] who addressed\\nthis House a short time ago, undertook to put himself right on\\nthis question by disclaiming any idea of pressing this policy of\\ncolonization into the China seas or interfering with European\\ncomplications. But he ought to know that this movement for\\nthe annexation of Hawaii is simply an entering wedge for such a\\npolicy. If not, Mr. Speaker, why can we not wait until this war\\nis over and the people can take this question into consideration\\nwithout reference to any of the complications existing at the\\npresent time?\\nThe fact is, the Government of Hawaii as now constituted\u00e2\u0080\u0094 not\\nthe people of Hawaii\u00e2\u0080\u0094 has been knocking for some years at our\\ndoors. Dui ing two Administrations, or during a period begin-", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0007.jp2"}, "8": {"fulltext": "ning at the close of one Adininigtration and extending through\\nthe whole of another, that Government has been presenting itself\\nhere. But up to this hour, Mr. Speaker, there has been a steady\\nrefusal on the part of the Government of the United States to\\naccept their treaty or their entreaties. In time of peace, when\\nthis question could be considered calmly and dispassionately,\\nwhen no complications were involved, when no pressure could be\\nmade under militarism and military aggression, we have refused\\nthis offer.\\nBut now, sir, taking advantage of a declaration of war and of a\\ncondition of hostilities with the bankrupt Government of Spain,\\nunder that pressure and in violation of the spirit in which the war\\nwas entered upon, a policy of aggression and a policy of territorial\\nacquisition is urged. It will not do, Mr. Speaker. This Govern-\\nment, after having made its solemn declaration that this war was\\na war for humanity and for freedom, can not afford now to per-\\nvert it into a seltish policy of greed and oppression. It is dishon-\\norable. It does not become a great nation like ours to perpetrate\\na deception upon its own people and upon others.\\nNow, Mr. Speaker, so far as the Philippine Islands are concerned,\\nI do not believe there is a gentleman on either side of this House\\nwho is not more tlian willing and anxious to make complete and\\nperfect the victory so gallantly won by Dewey, the most notable,\\nprobably, in the annals of naval warfare. We will not abandon\\nthe Philipphie Islands until we get ready and in our own good\\ntime. But, sir, we do not need the Hawaiian Islands to hold the\\nPhilippines.\\nThe Philippine Islands were a part of the territory of Spain.\\nBewey and his fleet being in Chinese waters, and te,ving no other\\nplace where they could go, for the purpose of inflicting a crushing\\ndefeat upon the enemy and securing a base of operations, went\\ninto the harbor and fought that battle and won that glorious vic-\\ntory. That was legitimate war upon the enemy against whom we\\nhad declared war, war in the interest of freedom, war in the very\\nspirit of our resolutions. Being Spanish territory, legitimately\\nacquired, we will hold those islands until this war is over, and that\\nproblem can be then solved.\\nSolved how? I may not stop here to argue that question, but\\n347ti", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0008.jp2"}, "9": {"fulltext": "there is only one true way to solve it. We can not sell tlie islands,\\nbecause Ave have no right as a free people to undertake to sell a\\npeople or a part of a people we have conqtiered. They deserve\\nthe boon of liberty as much as do the people of Cuba; and if, in\\nthe providence of God, those islands are also freed and turned\\nover to their own people for self-government as Cuba must be\\nfreed, it simply adds to our luster and does not detract from it.\\nBut we can not honorably do anything else with those islands.\\nWe can not profitably hold them permanently, because the hold-\\ning of them would involve us in all the diplomatic relations with\\nEuropean and Asiatic politics, against which entanglements we\\nhave from the beginning protested.\\nSo far as Puerto Rico is concerned, I believe that it is the duty\\nof this Government to drive Spain from that island and forever\\nquit her dominion over it. Because we have begun a war against\\nSpain, that is the Government which is proper to vanquish as far\\nas possible in accomplishing our great purposes of liberty, and I\\nsay that the driving of the Spanish from the island of Puerto\\nRico is not only legitimate, but I believe it to be necessary for\\nthe peace and security of our country in the future.\\nSpain is a bad neighbor, but after we have extinguished the last\\nauthority of Spain in this hemisphere and practically established\\nthe Monroe doctrine, shall we abandon that policy and start upon\\nthe Asiatic seas, among Asiatic populations, in countries devoted\\nto Asiatic civilization, unnecessary in peace, wholly unnecessary\\nin war, and perpetrate the wrongs that will be perpetrated by the\\npassing of these resolutions?\\nWhy, gentlemen tell us that the Government of Hawaii favors\\nthis proposition. I use that word only as recognizing those hav-\\ning authority there the representatives of a few thousand, prob-\\nably three or four thousand among a hundred thousand\u00e2\u0080\u0094 the\\nwhite intelligent race ruling the Chinese, Japanese, and Portu-\\nguese, as the intelligent white Caucasian race will rule the infe-\\nrior race wherever they are brought together. You gentlemen on\\nthat side who have undertaken to make issues here against some\\nof the Southern States upon this proposition show where you\\nstand to-day when you are willing to countenance the govern-\\nment of an island by a few white people at the expense of extreme", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0009.jp2"}, "10": {"fulltext": "8\\ndomination over an inferior race. [Applause on tlie Democratic\\nside.}\\nHawaii is 2,500 miles from San Francisco, the nearest impor-\\ntant port on our seacoast. Hawaii has a population of pure, and\\nmixed natives, 39,50i; Japanese, 25,407; Chinese, 21,616; Portu^\\nguese, 15,291, or a total population of 101,818 that may be denomi-\\nnated as an inferior race. A lai*ge portion, of this population we\\nhave by treaty and statute undertaken to exclude from our shores\\nbecause they are undesirable.\\nThere are British residents on the island, 2,250; Germans, 1,432;\\nAmericans, 3,080. Of the Caucasian race, which dominates and\\ncontrols, there are only 6,762.\\nUnder the constitution of Hawaii no one can vote without swear-\\ning to support that constitution, and it so happens that this con-\\nstitution provides for annexing the island to the United States.\\nThis constitution was forced upon the people of the island by a\\nhandful of Americans, and has disfranchised all the inhabitants\\nof the island who will not swear that they wiE vote to surrender\\ntheirnative land to another government before they are permitted\\nto vote. This may be called a free ballot, bnt it has the appear-\\nance of a ballot of^pred to the voter in one hand with the condi-\\ntion of his voting that he surrender his birthright, and if he re-\\nfuses this condition a sword is held in the other hand to strike\\ndown the ballot and to disfranchise the voter. It is a Government\\nthus organized that presents the treaty that we propose to accept\\nby the resolutions pending before this House. I deny that the\\npeople of the island have been fairly consulted in this transaction.\\nIt is a scheme to force a robbery, pure and simple, that we are\\ncaJled upon to sanction and enforce.\\nMr. TAWNEY. WiU the gentleman allow an interruption?\\nMr. BLAND. I have but thirty minutes.\\nMr. TAWNEY. I simply desire to ask whether you know that\\nthe Senate of Hawaii which ratified the treaty is composed largely\\nof native Hawaiians?\\nMr. BLAND. Oh, Mr. Speaker, I am not speaking of natives\\nor foreigners. There are a few white natives. I am speaking of\\nthe population of that island, and especially the population to\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0whom that island by nativity belongs. When the gentleman", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0010.jp2"}, "11": {"fulltext": "9\\npresses thft^CLuesticm*, it is an admission that he has disfranchised\\nthem by the wholesale, and the pretense that they are presenting\\nthis treaty here voluntarily is a fratid and a lie npon its face.\\nMr. TAWNEY, Do yon not also know\\nThe SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentleman from Mis-\\nsouri yield to the gentleman from Minnesota?\\nMr. BLAND. I can not yield any further. I have not the\\ntime. The gentleman can speak in his own time.\\nMr. TAWNEY. I simply wanted to call attention to the\\nfact\\nMr. BLAND. I do not want to be discourteous to the gentle-\\nmen, but I have only thirty minutes.\\nNow, Mr. Speaker, I am not here to denounce the American\\npeople upon that island for their Americanism. I am here, so far\\nas justice and right will permit it, to uphold them and to turn to\\nthem our support for whatever sympathy they have given us in\\nthis struggle. If they have violated any of the principles of neu-\\ntrality, if they have subjected themselves to any claim of damages\\nfrom Spain, this great Grovernment of ours stands ready to foot\\nthe bill four times over, if necessary.\\nWhen we come to treat with Spain we may have a much larger\\nbill of damages than Spain can possibly present to Hawaii.\\nGbntlemen know, and the ruling powers in Hawaii know, that\\nthey are perfectly safe in any favors they give to this great Govern-\\nment. Not only that, but they know that in the future,, as well\\nas in the past, this Government intends that no hostile power\\nshall ever dominate over those islands.\\nThat has been our pledge and om* policy from the beginning.\\nThe resolutions to be offered by us as a substitute for annexation\\nprovides that we shall forever guarantee independence to the Sand-\\nwich Islands. This is a mere pretext thrown in here under the\\nwar spirit to perpetrate upon the people of this cotmtry what I\\nconceive to he a wrong; not so much now in the acquisition of\\nHawaii as in what it looks to in the future for the acquisition of\\nterritory beyond.\\nWhy, they tell us that the acquisition of territory is nothing\\nnew. That is very true. The policy of oiir Government hereto-\\nfore, and its practice, has been to admit territory that was contig-\\n3476", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0011.jp2"}, "12": {"fulltext": "10\\nuoiis. vintil we have become a homogeneous people. All of our\\nterritory, except that which we acquired from Russia, is connected\\nby land and subject to defense. The great land power of the\\nworld to-day is this country. The next great land power is Rus-\\nsia. No Government since 1812 has ever attempted to invade the\\nUnited States of America.\\nNo one has ever attempted to invade Russia since the disaster\\nthat overtook Napoleon in his retreat from Moscow. Here we are\\npursuing a policy of our own under the teachings of our fathers\\nto abstain from all trans- Atlantic aggressions, complications, or\\nalliances, building up for ourselves a compact territory, as far as\\nhonor will permit remaining at peace with all the world, and we\\nhave grown ujj to be the most ]powerful nation in the world by\\npursuing this policy.\\nTo-day we are at war with Spain. And what has been the pol-\\nicy of Spain? Precisely the policy that we, by these resolutions,\\nare invited to enter upon. But a short time ago in modern his-\\ntory Spain was the most powerful nation, probably, on earth. She\\nhad her colonies in every land and fronting on every sea. In\\nEurope was her great Kingdom and its dependencies. Tlae whole\\nof South America practically was hers, and part of our own North\\nAmerica was under her flag.\\nThese colonies and the support of them have brought Spain to\\nriTin and bankruptcy. She is unable longer to continue that policy.\\nThe last of her colonies upon this continent are about to be taken\\nfrom her, and nearly all upon the other. This is the i)olicy which\\nhas brought ruin and disaster to her, so that she is hardly a re-\\nspectable enemy in a conflict with a nation that has piirsued the\\nopposite policy, that has eschewed colonization and eschewed the\\nidea that we must go over the world in order to map out colonies\\nhere and there as a place for American settlement and on which\\nto plant the American flag, and by which we will be involved in\\nlarge expense in order to maintain and defend them.\\nHere is the conti ast of the two nations to-day. Let us not de-\\npart from our policj This is a departure, and a dangeroias depar-\\nture.\\nSome one asked the question a while ago how these islands\\nwould be governed if we acquired them. It could not be answered.", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0012.jp2"}, "13": {"fulltext": "11\\nNo gentleman has undertaken to answer that question. It is left,\\nI suppose, for the future consideration of Congress.\\nSuppose yoii had that question here now, as you will have it if\\nyou annex them. How are you going to govern them? Is it to\\nfi-ee a people? No. You know you do not intend to do it. Do\\nyou intend to give the ballot to the people of Hawaii? You\\nknow you do not, although the Constitution declares that every-\\none born in the United States shall have the right to vote, that\\nhe is a citizen, at least, and shall not be disfranchised on account\\nof race or previous condition.\\nNow, the question arises; When it becomes a part of the terri-\\ntory of the United States, and there are those born on that ter-\\nritory, what are you going to do with them? Are they citizens\\nor not?\\nMr. LANHAM. If the gentleman will permit me to interrupt\\nhim, woiild they rot be subject to taxation if annexed to the\\nUnited States? And if so, would they not logically be entitled to\\nrepresentation?\\nMr. BLAND. Well, I think, as a matter of course, if we are to\\nannex the Hawaiian Islands, and they are to be governed as citi-\\nzens of the United States, we are bound to permit them to exercise\\nall the rights of citizenship and the right of the ballot; because\\nwe have no right to tax them without representation.\\nThe Constitution of the United States provides that every per-\\nson born in the United States is a citizen thereof. It also provides\\nthat no citizen of the United States shall be disfranchised on ac-\\ncount of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. An im-\\nportant question in this connection arises here. There are 39,504\\nnatives on the island, nearly all of whom are of the inferior race.\\nThere are only 3,000 Americans. When Hawaii becomes a part\\nof the territory of the United States what shall be said as to the\\nlegal status of these 39,000 natives? May they not claim the right\\nof native citizenship, because the territory would then be a part\\nof the United States? They would also be natives of that part of\\nthe United States.\\nIt is true that at the date of their birth they were not natives\\nof the United States, but so soon as the territory becomes a part\\nof the United States they woiild claim and reasonably insist that", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0013.jp2"}, "14": {"fulltext": "12\\ntliey are natives of this coviiitry. They would insist that the Con-\\nstitution did not intend to confine nativity to the territory be-\\nlonging to the United States at the time of the adoption of this\\namendment to the Constitution of the United States, but that it\\nnecessarily inclu(?es whatever territory might at any time come\\nwithin the jurisdiction of the Constitution.\\nAlso, what will be the status of the children born of Chinese,\\nJapanese, and Portuguese parentage? In other words, will not\\nthe native inferior race under the Constitution become voters so\\nsoon as the territory is admitted, and will not this fact place the\\nwhole Government in the hands of the inferior race beyond hope\\nof redemption? Will such a population add to the glory and se-\\ncurity of our institutions, or will not the superior race find some\\npretext to disfranchise the inferiors after they have been admitted,\\nsince we know they did that in order to form a treaty of ad-\\nmission?\\nMr. SMITH of Arizona. Do not we do it in the Territories of\\nthe United States?\\nMr. BLAND. But my friend must remember that in all the\\nadmissions of territory and annexation of territories, most of\\nwhich was done by the policy of Jefferson and his Democratic\\nconfreres, it had been territory the climatic conditions of which\\nwas admissible for the Caucasian race, admitted for the very pur-\\npose of settlement by our own people and our ovfn race, and all\\nthese admissions of territory of suitable climate and soil, and\\nbeing contiguous, it was a fit home for the American citizen; and\\nso it is with your Territory, and if you are not admitted as a State\\nit is not because you are Chinese or Japanese, but because you\\nproduce silver. That is yovir crime.\\nBut I say the same government would practically be introdiiced\\nin Hawaii as there is now a government that you on the other side\\nof this House have denounced iipon this floor. That is one where\\nthe intelligence and the property-holding element control. And\\nthey will find a way to control in that island as they have every-\\nwhere. But do you want any more such territories? Have we\\nnot enough now of race prejudice and race conflict in this coun-\\ntry? This race question is not settled here, Mr. Speaker. It is\\none of the most perplexing problems in the future of this Govern-", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0014.jp2"}, "15": {"fulltext": "13\\nment to settle, and the more perplexities you add to it the more\\ndifficult and the more dangerous it becomes.\\nBut, Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasing thing to jingoism, the idea of\\nplanting iipon the seas war stations for the American flag! They\\nbelieve that it is great and glorious: but it may end in a denial of\\nsuffrage to the people you acquire, to place them under the con-\\ntrol of military governors and improvised Congressional legisla-\\ntion.\\nNow, Mr. Speaker, I have said that the future o\u00c2\u00a3 Hawaii is\\nsomewhat perplexing. Of course we all understand that. We do\\nnot propose that they shall fall into the hands of another govern-\\nment hostile to ours. It is not necessary to annex them in order\\nto carry out that ijolicy. It is understood now. There is no\\ndanger of it.\\nThe prime movers for the annexation of Hawaii boldly assert\\non this floor, and we find it everywhere in the plutocratic press\\nof the country, that Hawaii is necessary to us in our new policy.\\nThis new policy is defined as being the permanent occupation of\\nthe Philippine Islands, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and whatever other\\nter- itory we may conquer during this war, and more still, they\\ntell us that we must make alliances with England and Japan, if\\nnot openly, then secretly, to the end that we may i^articipate in\\ncarving up and parceling out the Chinese Empire.\\nThey tell us that this must be done in order to push our trade in\\nthe Orient. We are to be brought immediately into conflict with\\nFrance, Germany, Rtissia, Italy, and Austria in these enterprises.\\nWe are solaced with the assurances that there are no dangers of\\nwar. We are told that even if war should come, that the United\\nStates, England, and Japan could hold their own against the\\nworld. This is called our new destiny. Every intelligent man\\nknows that all the nations that I have named are armed to the\\nteeth. They present a military camp and they have immense na-\\nvies. The laboring and producing people of these countries have\\nbeen taxed in order to keep up these military establishments until\\nthey are mere slaves to plutocratic power as represented in mili-\\ntarism. Millions of them have come to our shores because we were\\nexempt from the necessities of military rule.\\nThey love our country because they find freedom here from the", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0015.jp2"}, "16": {"fulltext": "14\\nenormous burdens and the degrading tyranny of the governmenta\\nof the Old World. Shall we enter upon a policy that requires im-\\nmense navies and standing armies and that mvolves the enormous\\ntaxation necessary to maintain them? If we are to prosecute this\\nwar for such purposes it will be a source of disappointment to\\nthe people who entered upon it in the interest of freedom and not\\nof slavery. Such a policy as this is intended and is urged by its\\npromoters for the purpose of building up in this country a cen-\\ntralized power of wealth with big standing armies and navies to\\nprotect this plutocratic control. When oiir people complain, as\\nthe taxpayer will complain, of the burdens thus imposed upon\\nthem, plutocracy expects to be able with military power to answer\\ntheir petition, if necessary, with an array of bayonets.\\nThe SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has\\nexpired.\\nMr. BLAND. I would like about five minutes more.\\nMr. DINSMORE. I yield five minutes to the gentleman.\\nMr. BLAND. And that is where this will lead to. That is\\nwhy I object to it at this time. It is because the promoters of the\\nannexation of Hawaii foreshadow a policy such as I have alluded\\nto that I most streniiously object to the admission at this time.\\nI would oppose,tlie annexation of Hawaii under any circum-\\nstances, but to annex Hawaii with the avowed purpose of using\\nHawaii as a precedent, and also as an aid to the acquisition and\\npermanent occupation of colonies everywhere and for the purpose\\nof entering upon schemes of imperialism, meets my earnest and\\nemphatic protest.\\nYou are simply on the road to despotism in this country in try-\\ning to free the little Island of Cuba. You are on the road to\\nimperialism, with a large Navy and standing armies and oppres-\\nsive taxation, oppressing labor by putting it down by the military,\\nand adopting a military government instead of republican insti-\\ntutions and constitutional liberty. That is involved in this very\\ndiscussion.\\nYou may go on for a while under the military spirit and excite-\\nment of war, but the day will come for reckoning when your bills\\nare to be footed, when your taxes are to be paid, when bond after\\nbond is to be issued, and when the starving labor begins to cry\\nU76", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0016.jp2"}, "17": {"fulltext": "15\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2Peace, when there is no peace. Your day of reckonhig Avill\\ncome, and I call a halt now, for now is the time.\\nSome gentlemen have spoken to me about leprosy and lepers.\\nWhy, Mr. Speaker, 1 have not time to go into all these questions.\\nNo intelligent man here can be deceived as to the population of\\nthe Hawaiian Islands. Any intelligent man here knows that they\\nare not our equals in any sense of the word. They do not com-\\nprehend our system of government. They are wholly incapable\\nof understanding it. Yet they are entitled to freedom.\\nIt does not matter whether they can govern themselves as well\\nas we can or not. They are entitled to try the experiment of self-\\ngovernment. It belongs to them, or else the Declaration of Inde-\\npendence is a lie in itself. And so it is with Cuba, so it is with\\nPuerto Rico, so it is with the Philippine Islands. We can do no\\nmore than to turn over whatever territory comes under our juris-\\ndiction to their people, free to do with it as they please. And if\\nin the providence of God they are capable of self-government, they\\nwill succeed. Above all our consciences will be free and our lib-\\nerties not endangered. [Applause.]\\n3i76", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0017.jp2"}, "18": {"fulltext": "LIBRARY OF CONGRESS\\nllllilllliliilllill*\\n019 944 320 3", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0018.jp2"}, "19": {"fulltext": "VII62J", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0019.jp2"}, "20": {"fulltext": "SlJ-S CONGRESS\\nHoUinger Corp.\\npH8.5", "height": "3498", "width": "2090", "jp2-path": "proposedannexati00blan_0020.jp2"}}