The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-06-19
FOREIGN RELATIONS.
Minority Report OF the Committee Pre-
sented TO the Legislative Assembly
by Hon. II. l.. Baldwin, June IL.

Minority Report OF the Committee Pre-
sented 60 the Legislative Assembly
by Hon. II. L. Baldwin. June IL.
1890.
Hon. J. s. Walker, President of the |
Legislative Assembly:
SIR: As a member oil the Foreign
Affairs Committee, to whom was re-
ferred, on June 2. 1880, documents relat-
ing to Treaty matters with the United
States OF America, and the proposition
made by the Hawaiian Government dur
ing the past year of modifying and ex-
tending the present Treaty with the
United States, beg leave TO state that |
was not able 10 agree with the inferences
and conclusions arrived at by the other
members OF the committee, and will
therefore bring in minority report.
On the 9th day OF May the following
resolution was passed by the Legislature:
Whereas, serious differences have |
| arisen between the respective members
OF the Cabinet with reference TO the policy |
| of extending our Treaty relations with |
| the United States OF America, and
| Whereas, the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT has |
| asserted in substance over his own sigma |
| ture In the newspaper press OF Honolulu, |
! that such differences We're owing 10 All
effort on the part OF his colleagues in the
| Cabinet to contract Treaty relations with
the United States prejudicial to the indie
pendence OF Hawaii a. Sovereign State,
therefore be it
Resolved, 1st That the Minister OF
Foreign Affairs, be, and he Is hereby in
structed to lay before this House with all
convenient speed, the entire correspon-
| dence between his Office and the Ha-
waiian Minister at Washington with
reference to such Treaty revision or ex-
| tension;
"2d. The entire correspondence, or
copies thereof, lin as far as it has come
to his knowledge or possession) between
the Department OF State of the United
States OF America and with the Hawaiian
Foreign Office or the Hawaiian Minister
at Washington, with reference to such
Treaty revision or extension;
Esd. Copies OF minutes OF all Cabinet
councils of the Hawaiian Cabinet where
in or whereat such Treaty revision or
extension has been discussed; such cor
respondence and minutes to cover the
period from January /, 1899, to the
} present time"
In response to the above resolution the
Minister of Foreign Affairs laid before
the Legislature all correspondence be-
tween the Foreign Office and the Minis
ter at Washington relative to the pro-
posed Treaty; also copies OF all minutes
of Cabinet councils OF the Hawaiian
Cabinet, wherein such Treaty extension
or revision had been discussed.
: Under the following resolution the
above papers were, on the I'd inst, re-
ferred to the Committee OH Foreign Re-
latiOns
''Resolved, that the Committee on
Foreign Relations be instructed TO in
. quire Immediately and report to the
House, whether the Treaty proposed by
. the Cabinet Tor any officer Of the Ha-
Waiian Government was or is intended
or calculated to in anywise prejudice or
jeopardize the political or commercial
independence of Hawaii"
Acting under this resolution your
committee, in order to supplement the
information In the documents, inter
| viewed each one of the Ministers separ-
ately.
UNDUE HASTE OF THE MAJORITY OF THE
COMMITTEE.
When the majority OF the Committee
, brought in their report, June 4th, we had
not fully completed our investigations
A, The committee had examined the four
Ministers. but had not examined extracts
from Mr. Austn's private letters, which
he had agreed to show the committee,
and letter No. 50 which the committee
were anxious to see, nor had they ex
amined the minutes of the Cabinet
| meetings which Mr.. Austin said he would
consult with his colleagues about show
5 ing. Nor did they have before them,
t when they made their report, the testi-
! mony of Mr.. Damon and part of Mr..
Thurston's testimony, both of which had
an important bearing on the question.
9 This was in the hands of the stenogra-
pher at the time, and they could only
> report on it from memory. 1t was agreed
: by the Committee on the afternoon OF
the LIST inst. that We obtain further infor-
: nation from the Foreign Office. The
8 next day, the morning of the 9Th, was
| informed by the chairman that they had
l decided to bring their report immedi-
: ately, and asked me if l would sign it.
@ feel that the four members OF the
committee who signed that report which
u bears evidence on every page OF beng a
u strong partisan statement got up tor q
q purpose deserve censure for bringing
q such hasty report on a matter OF such
q vital importance to the interests OF this
country: subject that brings into ques
ton the acts and motives OF the Cabinet
n Ministers Being urged by members Of
q his party, for reasons best known to
O themselves, to bring report lmmedi-
q ately, the chairman sat up all night to
write his report. This fact alone shows
that it was not the truth and the public
9 interests that actuated the committee on
@ so important subject. The report was
J. rushed through without opportunity OF
e consideration or examination by all the
other members OF the committee.
After the majority report had beer
q presented to the House, | requested the
d chairman OF the committee to meet me
:. with the rest OF the committee, as We
y, had agreed, in the Foreign Office to in
- vestigate further; this he replied they
g did not care to do l therefore pursued
q my investigations alone. L found The
, Minister of Foreign Affairs ready to show
n me all the minutes of Cabinet meeting
they had kept, in which Treaty matter:
had been discussed; he also showed me
e a letter No SO which had been found &
If letter marked "confidential'' and reIat
# ing almost exclusively TO various sub
n jects other than the treaty, from which
letter he read me all that had reference
Z, to Treaty matters. The letter does not
IL refer directly to the proposed Treaty
S but expresses a regret that in the presen,
70 Treaty with Hawaii the United State:
!. did not guarantee the independence oi
~.