Hawaii Chronicles III: World War Two in Hawaii from the Pages of Paradise of the Pacific

Hawaii—49th State by ’49?

Hawaii—49th State by ’49? GEORGE H. MCLANE E Statehood for territories perhaps had its inception in 1787, when Congress, still under the Confederation, passed the Northwest Ordinance , bringing into existence the territorial form of government and providing conditions for transition from territory to state. Statehood for Hawaii has been brewing for more than a century. There was an American settlement in Hawaii before there was one in California. American civilization was transplanted to the Islands by American missionaries in 1820. Successive migration developed a harmonious citizenry of diverse origins. In 1854, during the period of monarchy in the Hawaiian Islands, a treaty was proposed, though never ratified, that Hawaii come into the Union as a state, enjoying the same degree of sovereignty as other states. Again, the Hawaiian Commissioners requested, in 1893, that the consideration for ceding the Hawaiian Islands should be admission to the Union as a state. The treaty of 1897 repeated the request. By the time the Islands were annexed in 1898, they were intrinsically American. Today, the people of Hawaii do not consider themselves in the nature of an adopted group, but one for whom statehood would mean a natural heritage. The Territory of Hawaii is a group of eight large islands and numerous islets in the Pacific Ocean, situated some two thousand miles west of California. The land area, 6,438 square miles, is larger than the combined areas of Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The islands are of volcanic origin. From northeast to northwest, they are Hawaii, Kahoolawe, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau. In addition, stretching northwestward beyond Niihau more than 1,100 miles is an archipelago of rocks, reefs, and shoals that include 337 First published August 1946. Midway. Likewise, 960 miles south of Honolulu and part of the City and County of Honolulu lies Palmyra, a coral atoll. The population of the Territory grew from 423,330 in 1940 to an estimated 502,122 in 1945, exclusive of military and naval personnel. Its population is larger than that of any state at the time of admission with the exception of Oklahoma. Compared with the several states at the time of the 1940 census, Hawaii exceeded the population of the states of Nevada, Wyoming, Delaware, and Vermont, and its population was almost equal to that of four other states. The racial origin of this population, in addition to the native Hawaiians and the Caucasians from the mainland, is Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and Portuguese. However, 86 percent of the population are citizens of the United States For more than a century Hawaii has had constitutional government . The first constitution was established during the monarchy, having been granted by Kamehameha III in 1840. The Republic of Hawaii was established in 1894, and annexation was effected in 1898. Annexation was by voluntary action of the people and government of Hawaii and was the culmination of many years of negotiations. As early as 1854, during the reign of Kamehameha III, steps were taken by him looking toward annexation. When Congress, by the Newlands Resolution, accepted the cession made on the terms that Hawaii should be incorporated into the United States as an integral part thereof and should be granted territorial status, Congress then and there committed the United States to the ultimate granting of statehood. It has been through no lack of effort on its part that Hawaii has thus far failed to achieve statehood. Fourteen times, either by petition or by resolution, it has brought the matter to the attention of Congress . Ten times the territorial legislature has made appropriations to cover investigations by the Congress. On three occasions Congressional Committees have responded with noteworthy results. As far back as 1935, the Congress authorized the Committee on Territories to visit Hawaii for the purpose of holding hearings on the question of statehood for Hawaii. That committee, in its report to the Congress, recommended that the House and Senate give further consideration to the problem. A thorough investigation of statehood for Hawaii was next made in 1937 by a Joint Congressional Committee. No stronger endorsement Hawai‘i Chronicles 338 of Hawaii’s qualifications need be devised than is contained in their report, which stated “that Hawaii has fulfilled every requirement for statehood heretofore exacted of territories,” but recommended that the question of statehood be deferred on two grounds: first, that a plebiscite should be held, and second, on the grounds of...