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Debate in the Senate began June 20, when Senator Davis, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, called it up for consideration.

OUR COMMERCE WITH THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

With the exception of the year 1895, our commerce with the Hawaiian Isands has been steadily increasing since 1893. The following table shows the total importations, including specie, into the Hawaiian islands by countries, during the year 1897:

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The following table shows the most important articles exported from the United States to Hawaii in 1897, compared with 1896:

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The imports from Great Britain amounted to $865,781.25 last year, the most important among them being cotton goods, amounting to over $70,000; linens, $12,000; steam plows, $36,000; other machinery, about $26,000; cloth bags, about $170,000; iron and steel rails, $37,000; other railway material, $9,191; crockery and glassware, $12,107; roofing iron, $45,800; photographic material, about $8,000; woolen goods, about $50,000; lace, $10,049; ribbons, $10,245; linseed oil, $14,740. From Germany the imports during the past year amounted to $192,932.19, the principal articles being building material, about $25,000; machinery, $30,000; dry goods, about $15,000, and railroad material, about $9,000. ·

SHIPPING OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

During the year 1897, 427 vessels, with a tonnage of 513,826, entered the ports of this Republic. The United States still leads the whole world in the number of ships and aggregate tonnage engaged in the Hawaiian trade. Ships carrying the American flag numbered 286, with a tonnage of 270,045, while all other nation

alities only numbered 141, with a tonnage of 243,781. This is a good increase over the figures for 1896, but what will be particularly gratifying to Americans is the fact that the increase is almost entirely in our favor. Of the increase of 41 vessels, 39 were American, while all other countries had only 2.

The above figures would seem sufficiently gratifying to most Americans; but still, they do not fully show the preponderance of American bottoms, because they include steamers touching here only to discharge mail and a few passengers. The majority of these steamers are British, and, as they carry very little freight to and from these islands, it is misleading to include them in any report of the nationality of vessels employed by the Hawaiians in their commerce with the world. Only one steamer-the Australia— makes this place her port of discharge, and she is owned by Americans and has an American register. She plies between here 1 San Francisco, making thirteen trips each :

To fully appreciate how much of the products on these islands is carried in American bottoms, the steam tonnage should be deducted. In 1897, sailing vessels to the number of 291, with a tonnage of 215,262, entered the ports of these islands. Of this number, 237, with a tonnage of 164,406, or 82 per cent, were American, while those from all other countries only numbered 54, with a tonnage of 50,856. The following table shows the carrying trade by countries:

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HAWAII-ABSORPTION OF.

[From President McKinley's message to Congress, December 6, 1897.]

"By a special message dated the 16th day of June last, I laid before the Senate a treaty signed that day by the plenipotentiaries of the United States and of the Republic of Hawaii, having for its purpose the incorporation of the Hawaiian Island as an integral part of the United States and under its sovereignty. The Senate having removed the injunction of secrecy, although the treaty is

still pending before that body, the subject may be properly referred to in this message because the necessary action of the Congress is required to determine by legislation many details of the eventual union should the fact of annexation be accomplished, as I believe it should be.

"While consistently disavowing from a very early period any aggressive policy of absorption in regard to the Hawaiian group, a long series of declarations through three-quarters of a century has proclaimed the vital interest of the United States in the independent life of the islands and their intimate commercial dependence upon this country. At the same time it has been repeatedly asserted that in no event could the entity of Hawaiian statehood cease by the passage of the islands under the domination or influence of another power than the United States. Under these circumstances, the logic of events required that annexation, heretofore offered but declined, should in the ripeness of time come about as the natural result of the strengthening ties that bind us to those islands, and be realized by the free will of the Hawaiian State.

"That treaty was unanimously ratified without amendment by the Senate and President of the Republic of Hawaii on the 10th of September last, and only awaits the favorable action of the American Senate to effect the complete absorption of the islands into the domain of the United States. What the conditions of such a union shall be, the political relation thereof to the United States, the character of the local administration, the quality and degree of the elective franchise of the inhabitants, the extension of the Federal laws to the territory or the enactment of special laws to fit the peculiar condition thereof, the regulation if need be of the labor system therein, are all matters which the treaty has wisely relegated to the Congress.

"If the treaty is confirmed as every consideration of dignity and honor requires, the wisdom of Congress will see to it that, avoiding abrupt assimilation of elements perhaps hardly yet fitted to share in the highest franchises of citizenship, and having due regard to the geographical conditions, the most just provisions for self-rule in local matters with the largest political liberties as an integral part of our nation will be accorded to the Hawaiians. No less is due to a people who, after nearly five years of demonstrated capacity to fulfill the obligations of self-governing statehood, come of their free will to merge their identity in our body politic."

IMMIGRATION.

[From President McKinley's letter of acceptance.]

"While we adhere to the public policy under which our country has received great bodies of honest, industrious citizens, who have added to the wealth, progress, and power of the country, and while we welcome to our shores the well-disposed and industrious immigrant, who contributes by his energy and intelligence to the cause of free government, we want no immigrants who do not seek our shores to become citizens."

STATISTICS OF IMMIGRATION, WITH TABLES OF ILLITERACY, CRIME, ETC.

Total immigration, by decades, from 1820 to 1890.

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Prior to 1870 three-fourths of all immigrants came from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Scandinavia. In 1880 only three-fifths came from those countries, and in 1896 only twofifths. The same proportions are maintained for 1897. From 1880 to 1897 immigration from eastern and southern Europe rose from 8.5 to 51.7 per cent, while that from western and northern Europe fell from 64.5 to 36.7 per cent of the total.

The number of persons in each hundred immigrants over 15 years of age who can not write or can not read and write their

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