The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-05-05

guished citizens, as my Special Commits
soner. In all matters affecting rela-
tons with the Government of the Ha-
waiian Islands, his authority is para
mount"
Paramount is a word that has a pre-
else Specification. 1t means supreme;
of the highest ORDER above all others
as regards importance.
We do not know that power to this
extent has ever before been delegated
by President of the United States to
any inferior officer Of the diplomatic
service Mr. Blount, whether he be
styled Special Commissioner or Special
Agent, is an inferior officer Of
the Government for he was APP
pointed by the President without the
advice and consent Of the Senate; and
the Constitution clearly declares that
public officers merely appointed by the
President and not confirmed by the
Senate are inferior officers of the
Government
The functions of the special com
missioner or special agent have always
j been to collect information and report
the same to the Secretary of State; or
to carry out at a distance from Wash
ington instructions definitely and dis.
tinctly drawn at Washington. Mr..
Cleveland certifes to the Hawaiian
President that Mr.. Blount, appointed
by himself while the Senate was in
session, without the advice and consent
of that body, was sent to Honolulu to
out rank our regularly accredited Minis
ter Plenipotentlary there, and to exer-
else plenary and discretionary powers
in all matters affecting the relations
between the United States and Hawaii.
No question is likely to rise during
the term of the present Administration
more important than the question
whether a President can constitutional
confer upon an Inferior officer, practi-
cally his personal representative rather
than the representative of the United
States Government, such plenary and
Discretionary powers.
If he can do it in Hawaii, he can do
it in England, in France, in Germany,
and in any other foreign country with
which our Government has relations,
That is t. say, he can send to Lon
don, close upon Mr. Bayard's heels,
an agent, chosen by himself and never
confirmed by the Senate, who shall
have power to undo all that Mr.. Bay
ard may do, and who shall exercise
paramount authority in all matters af-
feCting our relations with Great Britain.
By few strokes of pen, and without
asking the advice and consent of the
Senate, he can set up over Mr.. Eustls
in Paris an agent or commits sioner of
his own unrevised choice, exercising
paramount authority in all matters af-
GeCting our relations with France.
He can render Mr.. Runyon's post in
Germany a sinecure without power or
responsibility, by sending to Berlin a
Special Commissioner with credentials
precisely like those which Mr.. Blount
took to Hawaii
And so on throughout the list OF
countries with which we maintain di-
plomatic relations. There is nothing
in the statutes to limit the terms for
which these special agents or special
commissioners are appointed. If one
Of them can constitutionally exercise
paramount authority in Hawaii for
f three or four months, another can eXer
else paramount authority in Rome or
ST. Petersburg for three or four years.
The only limit to the extension of the
Special Commissioner system of par.
amount authority, would be the size OF
the fund at the disposal of the Execu-
tive without specific appropriation by
Congress. Even this would be no effec
tive bar to the extension of the new di-
plomatic system, since it is reasonable tc
suppose that any President could find
plenty OF citizens willing to go abroad
at his command to exercise paramount
authority, to boss the Ambassador, and
to leave the matter of compensation &c
f be settled by and by.
In short, if the theory is sound upon
which Mr. Blount's credentials are
, formulated, there is nothing to prevent
an ambitious or an eccentric President
from erecting over and above the dip
lomatic service of the United States as
f established by the Constitution and
statutes, new and superior service
responsible only to himself personally
, superseding all of the Ambassadors and
Ministers who hold commissions from
f both the President and the Senate
and exercising paramount authority in
all matters affecting our relations with
the rest of the world.
Furthermore, the instant that thi:
, theory is accepted, the existing methods
of conducting our international bust
t ness must suffer paralysis. No Ambas
sador, no Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary, no Minister
=, Resident, can be sure of his ground
No matter how diligently, intelligently,
, and periodically he may work in the
nations interests, there may be at hi:
elbow, or living in the next street, 9
q master whose name neither he nor the
Senate has ever heard, who holds in his
pocket credentials of paramount author
ity, and who may disclose his superior
1 Al u