Page 66 - The Interest of America in Sea Power Present and Future

Hawaii and our Future Sea Power. 47 :

lies between them and the South Pacific, and
is the state nearest to Hawaii; but, the fact
being so, the interests of our sixty-five million
people, in a position so vital to our part in the
Pacific, must be allowed to outweigh those of
the six millions of Canada.
From the foregoing considerations may be
inferred the importance of the Hawaiian Islands
as a position powerfully influencing the com-
mercial and military control of the Pacific, and
especially of the Northern Pacific, in which the
United States, geographically, has the strongest
right to assert herself. These are the main
advantages, which can be termed positive
those, namely, which directly advance com-
mercial security and naval control. To the
negative advantages of possession, by remov-
ing conditions which, if the islands were in the
hands of any other power, would constitute to
us disadvantages and threats, allusion only will
be made. The serious menace to our Pacific
coast and our Pacific trade, if so important a
position were held by a possible enemy, has
been mentioned frequently in the press, and
dwelt upon in the diplomatic papers which
from time to time are given to the public.