ered upon him by his grateful and
admiring countrymen proved not only his clear title to the foremost rank
among the greatest naval heroes of ancient and modern times, but
attested the truth that the United States is not ungrateful, and that
there is no reward too exalted for her to bestow upon those who have
worthily won it.

[Illustration: ADMIRAL DEWEY'S FLAGSHIP THE "OLYMPIA."]

[Illustration: GEN. ARTHUR MacARTHUR.]

[Illustration: GEN. CHARLES KING.]

[Illustration: GEN HENRY W. LAWTON.]

[Illustration: GEN. FRED. FUNSTON.]

POPULAR COMMANDERS IN THE FILIPINO WAR.

CHAPTER XXVI.

ADMINISTRATION OF McKINLEY (CONTINUED) 1897-1901.

OUR NEW POSSESSIONS.

The Islands of Hawaii--Their Inhabitants and Products--City of
Honolulu--History of Cuba--The Ten Years' War--The Insurrection of
1895-98--Geography and Productions of Cuba--Its Climate--History of
Porto Rico--Its People and Productions--San Juan and Ponce--Location,
Discovery, and History of the Philippines--Insurrections of the
Filipinos--City of Manila--Commerce--Philippine Productions--Climate and
Volcanoes--Dewey at Manila--The Ladrone Islands--Conclusion.

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS "THE PARADISE OF THE PACIFIC."

The annexation of the Hawaiian Islands to the United States, by a joint
vote of Congress, July 7, 1898, marks a new era in the history of our
country. It practically sounded the death-knell of the conservative
doctrine of non-expansion beyond our own natural physical boundaries.
The only precedent approaching this act, in our history, is the
annexation of Texas. The Louisiana Territory, Florida, and Alaska were
acquired by purchase; California, New Mexico, and a part of Colorado
were obtained by cession from Mexico; Oregon, Washington, Montana, and
Idaho by treaty with Great Britain. Texas alone was annexed. The fact,
however, that it was a republic is the only circumstance which makes its
case analogous to that of Hawaii. Texas lay between two large nations,
and was obliged to seek union with one of them. It was within our own
continent and inhabited largely by our own people. Hawaii marks our
first advance into foreign lands, and ranges America for the first time
among the nations whose policy is that of expansion, by territorial
extensions, over the globe.

[Illustration: NATIVE GRASS HOUSE, HAWAII.]

Hawaii is called the "Paradise of the Pacific," and there is little
doubt that its climate, fertility and healthfulness justify t