President McKinley has expressed himself as in favor of annexing Hawaii,
and has been considering the matter for some time. He did not wish that
anything should interfere with the Tariff Bill, and for this reason kept
Hawaiian matters in the background, along with Cuban affairs, until the
Tariff question should be settled.

The trouble with Japan has forced him to consider Hawaiian Annexation
before he intended to, and so the treaty has been drawn up.

He is more willing to give the matter his attention at the present time,
because he finds that Hawaiian affairs are really delaying the Tariff
Bill.

A great deal of our sugar is imported from the Hawaiian Islands, and
under a commercial treaty made between Hawaii and the United States this
sugar is brought into our country free of duty.

There is a clause in the treaty which says that the President can
terminate it whenever he wishes to, by giving due notice.

In considering the sugar tariff, it was necessary for the Senators to
decide whether Hawaiian sugar should still be admitted free of charge,
or should be subject to the same duties as other sugars.

The Senators could not come to any agreement until they knew whether the
President meant to end the treaty--abrogate it, as it is called.

Not wishing to delay the Tariff Bill, the President thought the wisest
thing to do would be to let the Senate know that he was in favor of