The Senators and Congressmen who have visited the islands declare that
there is no opposition to the idea. Some few followers of the Queen
Liliuokalani would prefer to have her once more on the throne rather
than to be under the government of a foreign president, but there is no
serious opposition to the treaty.
With this news comes the information that Mr. Spreckels, the Sugar King
of Hawaii, has offered to withdraw his opposition to the treaty when he
is convinced that his rights in the island are not to be interfered
with.
Mr. Spreckels is a millionaire who has made most of his money through
his vast sugar interests in the Sandwich Islands. He was so afraid that
his business would be hurt by annexation, that he threatened to spend
half his fortune to prevent it.
Besides his sugar interests, he owns a line of steamers between Hawaii
and San Francisco, and he controlled so many votes in Hawaii that he was
a dangerous enemy to the project.
President Dole of the Sandwich Islands has been endeavoring to break Mr.
Spreckels' power, but has made very little progress until the other day,
when he granted permission to one of the Pacific mail steamers to enter
into competition with Mr.
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