From the INTRODUCTION to the edition of 1909: The Hawaiian Islands are a part of the United States lying 2,000 miles off the coast of California and several hundred miles easterly from the farthest western possessions of the United States in Alaska. These islands are now and have been for eight years (since June 14, 1900) an integral part of the territory of the United States. This fact seems to be not generally appreciated by the great mass of citizens on the mainland. As a consequence, the opportunities offered by the islands and the duties of the United States as a whole to the Territory have been quite largely overlooked. The opportunities are those offered by a rich soil, a highly developed civilization, and, most notably, by a climate ideal as regards comfort and suitability for high physical development.The duties of the nation to this Territory arise from the fact that this island outpost is the gateway through which passes most of the traffic to and from the Orient, and where diseases inimical to the human race, also the insect pests or blights injurious to animal and vegetable life, must be caught and destroyed or prevented from further progress. From the political standpoint the importance of keeping these islands thoroughly American in racial and social affinities can hardly be overestimated. There is not sufficient area to develop at once a State so great and independent that its demands will be prominent at the federal capital. It is therefore incumbent upon the National Government to see that this community is given the needed encouragement and support which will lead to its best development along traditional American lines.The health of the body politic demands that this small but important territory should have a full recognition and constant consideration. It is unnecessary to enter upon any argument along military lines. This has been widely discussed, but it is significant to point out that this gateway to and from the Orient is the abiding place for Orientals now comprising 56 per cent of the population. Counting with these the peoples from southern Europe-landless and largely migratory laborers, with no inherent loyalty to republican institutions-the total forms nearly three-fourths of the whole population of the islands. Add to this the fact that the natives, who comprise nearly three-fourths of the voters, are still uncertain in their civil attitude-are easily swayed by specious arguments-and there arises a condition where common prudence demands careful thought, resulting in a definite plan, followed by action. There is a striking deficiency in numbers of what have been called the "plain people"- citizens descended from generations of freemen-in whom thrift, energy, and civic virtues are inborn. This lack notably of the "small farmer" has long been recognized. It is the duty of the nation to assist in filling this need