CONGRESS. (THE ANNEXATION OF HAWAII.) 



189 



President inay authorize the Secretary of War 

 to organize, under the terms and conditions of the 

 aforesaid act, a volunteer brigade of engineers from 

 the nation at large, to consist of not more than 8 

 regiments and not more than 3,500 men, possessing 

 the special qualifications necessary for engineer 

 troops, under such rules and regulations, including 

 the appointment of the officers thereof, as may be 

 prescribed by the Secretary of War : Provided, That 

 not to exceed three officers of the Corps of Engi- 

 neers of the Regular Army may hold volunteer com- 

 missions in any one regiment of the volunteer bri- 

 gade of engineers at the same time : And provided 

 further, That all officers shall be appointed by the 

 President and with the consent of the Senate. 



" SEC. 2. And the President is further empowered 

 during the present war, under the act of April 22, 

 1898, to authorize the Secretary of War to organize 

 an additional volunteer force of not exceeding 

 10,000 enlisted men possessing immunity from 

 diseases incident to tropical climates; the officers 

 thereof to be appointed by the President, by and 

 with the advice and consent of the Senate. 



"SEC. 3. The provisions of the act of April 22, 

 1898, which provide that volunteers called out by 

 jirocliimation of the President shall be apportioned 

 to the several States and the provisions of said act 

 which provide that the governors of the States 

 shall appoint officers shall not apply to this act." 



The Congress passed and the President approved, 

 May 17, a bill to provide assistance to the inhabit- 

 ants of Cuba, and arms, munitions, and military 

 stores to the people of the island of Cuba, and for 

 other purposes. It is as follows : 



" Be it enacted, etc., That while serving in Cuba 

 during the existing war officers of the army of the 

 United States exercising separate commands may, 

 by special order, cause subsistence, medical, and 

 quartermaster's supplies to be issued to, and other 

 aid rendered to, inhabitants of the island of Cuba 

 who are destitute and in imminent danger of per- 

 ishing unless they receive the same. 



" SEC. 2. That the President and general officers 

 commanding troops in Cuba are hereby authorized 

 to furnish to the Cuban people such arms, ammuni- 

 tion, equipments, and military stores and supplies 

 as they may require in order to increase their effect- 

 ive fighting force in the existing war against 

 Spain." 



The following were also passed and approved : 



A bill to protect homestead settlers who enter 

 into the military or naval service of the United 

 States. 



A bill to establish the rank and pay of volunteer 

 chaplains as that of a mounted captain. 



A resolution to facilitate the building of tempo- 

 rary fortifications. 



A bill to authorize the establishment of post 

 offices at military posts or camps. 



A bill suspending the limitation on the number 

 of hospital stewards during the war. 



A bill to organize a volunteer signal corps. 



A bill to provide for the increased volume of 

 work in the adjutant general's office due to calling 

 out of volunteers and the increase in the Regular 

 Army. 



A bill to reimburse the governors of States and 

 Territories for expenses incurred by them in aiding 

 the United States to raise, organize, and supply and 

 equip the Volunteer Army of the United States. 



The Annexation of Hawaii. May 17, 1898, 

 Mr. Hitt, of Illinois, reported from the Committee 

 on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 

 the following joint resolution to provide for annex- 

 ing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States. 



" Whereas, The Government of the Republic of 

 Hawaii having, in due form, signified its consent, 



in the manner provided by its Constitution, to cede 

 absolutely and without reserve to the United States 

 of America all rights of sovereignty of whatsoever 

 kind in and over the Hawaiian Islands and their 

 dependencies, and also to cede and transfer to the 

 United States the absolute fee and ownership of all 

 public, Government, or Crown lands, public build- 

 ings or edifices, ports, harbors, military equipment, 

 and all other public property of every kind and 

 description belonging to the Government of the 

 Hawaiian Islands, together with every right and 

 appurtenance thereunto appertaining: Therefore, 



" Resolved by the Senate and House of Repre- 

 sentatives of the United States of America in Con- 

 gress assembled, That said cession is accepted, rati- 

 fied, and confirmed, and that the said Hawaiian 

 Islands and their dependencies be, and they are 

 hereby, annexed as a part of the territory of the 

 United States, and are subject to the sovereign 

 dominion thereof, and that all and singular the 

 property and rights hereinbefore mentioned are 

 vested in the United States of America. 



" The existing laws of the United States relative 

 to public lands shall not apply to such lands in 

 the Hawaiian Islands; but the Congress of the 

 United States shall enact special laws for their 

 management and disposition : Provided, That all 

 revenue from or proceeds of the same, except as 

 regards such part thereof as may be used or occu- 

 pied for the civil, military, or naval purposes of the 

 United States, or may be assigned for the use of the 

 local government, shall be used solely for the bene- 

 fit of the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands for 

 educational and other public purposes. 



" Until Congress shall provide for the government 

 of such islands all the civil, judicial, and military 

 powers exercised by the officers of the existing 

 Government in said islands shall be vested in such 

 person or persons and shall be exercised in such 

 manner as the President of the United States shall 

 direct; and the President shall have power to 

 remove said officers and till the vacancies so occa- 

 sioned. 



"The existing treaties of the Hawaiian Islands 

 with foreign nations shall forthwith cease and 

 determine, being replaced by such treaties as may 

 exist, or as may be hereafter concluded, between the 

 United States and such foreign nations. The 

 municipal legislation of the Hawaiian Islands, not 

 enacted for the fulfillment of the treaties so extin- 

 guished, and not inconsistent with this joint resolu- 

 tion nor contrary to the Constitution of the United 

 States nor to any existing treaty of the United 

 States, shall remain in force until the Congress of 

 the United States shall otherwise determine. 



" Until legislation shall be enacted extending the 

 United States customs laws and regulations to the 

 Hawaiian Islands the existing customs relations of 

 the Hawaiian Islands with the United States and 

 .other countries shall remain unchanged. 



" The public debt of the republic of Hawaii, 

 lawfully existing at the date of the passage of this 

 joint resolution, including the amounts due to 

 depositors in the Hawaiian Postal Savings Bank, is 

 hereby assumed by the Government of the United 

 States; but the liability of the United States in 

 this regard shall in no case exceed $4,000,000. So 

 long, however, as the existing Government and the 

 present commercial relations of the Hawaiian Is- 

 lands are continued as hereinbefore provided said 

 Government shall continue to pay the interest on 

 said debt. 



" There shall be no further immigration of Chi- 

 nese into the Hawaiian Islands, except upon such 

 conditions as are now or may hereafter be allowed 

 by the laws of the United States: and no Chinese, 

 by reason of anything herein contained, shall be 



