Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-12-22
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
AS USUAL. AN UNANSWER ABLE
STATE PAPER.

STATE PAPER.
The Statement of Facts Leads TO 4,
Logical ConcIusion Ehr Treaty
Was Pushed Forward OH a. Wis.,
statement of the True situation
4 Great state Paper.
In my recent annual message to
+ Congress briefly referred to our rcla
tons with Hawaii, and expressed the
intention OF transmitting further infOr
nation on the subject when additional
/ adsiccs permitted. Though am not
now able to report Il change i'll the act
ual situation, ! am convinced that the
difficulties lately created, both here
and in Hawaii, and now standing in
the way OF solution through execu
! tive action, Of the problem presented
renders it probable and eXpedicnt thai
/ the matter should be referred to the
the proper authority and discretion o
Congress. with a full explanation o.
the endeavor. thus far made, to dea'
with the emergency, and Statement
! eff the considerations which have gov
erned my action.
l supposed that right and justic,
should determine the path to he fol
lowed in treating this subject, If ma
tional honesty is to be disregarded anC
the desire for territorial extension OIL
dissatisfaction with forms of govern
ment not our own is to regulate oul
conduct, / have entirely misapprehend
ed the mission and character of oul
government and behavior which the
conscience of our people demands o.
their public servants.
THE ANNEXATION TREATY.
When the present administration
entered upon its duties the Senate had
under consideration treaty providing
for the annexation of the Hawaiian is
lands to the territory OF the United
States. Surely under our constitution
and laws, the enlargement of our linn
its is the manifestation of the highest
attribute of sovereignty and if entered
upon as an executive act, all things re.
lating to the transaction should be
clear and free from suspicion. Add.
tional importance is attached to this
peculiar treaty Of annexation because
it contemplated departure from the
unbroken American tradition in pro.
viding for an addition to our territory
of the islands of the sea more than
two thousand miles removed from our
nearest coast. These considerations
might not, of themselves, call for in
reference with the completion OF a
treaty entered upon by previous ad-
ministration, but it appeared from doc
uments accompanying the treaty when
submitted to the Senate that the own
ership of Hawaii was rendered us by a
provisional government, set up to sue
coed the constitutional ruler of the is
lands, who had been dethroned, and it
did not appear that such provisional
government had the sanction OF either
popular revolution or suffrage.
SOME REMARKABLE FEATURES.
Two other remarkable features OF
the transaction naturally attracted at
tention. One was the extraordinary
haste, not to say precipitancy, charac-
terizing all the transactions connected
with the treaty. 1t appears that So
called committee of safety, ostensibly
the source of revolt against the consti-
tutional government of Hawaii was Or
ganized Saturday, the 14th day of jan
uary; that Monday, the 10th, the Uni
ted States forces were landed at Homo
lulu from vessel lying in its harbor;
that on the 18th, the scheme of the
provisional government was perfected
and proclamation naming its officers
was, on the same day prepared. There.
upon the United States minister recog.
nized the. provisional government thus
created; that two days afterwards, on
the 10Th day of January, commission
ers representing such government
sailed for this country by steamer spe-
cially chartered for the occasion, ar
irving in San Francisco on the 28th
day of January, and in Washington on
the Sd day of February; that the next
day they had their first interview with
the Secretary of State and another on
the 18th, when a treaty annexing the
islands was practically agreed upon,
and that on the 14th it was formally
concluded and on the 18th transmitted
to the Senate.
Thus between the initiation of the
scheme for q provisional government
in Hawaii on the 18th OF January and
the submission to the Senate of the
treaty of annexation concluded with
such government, the entire treaty
was concluded in the interval of thir.
ty.two days, fifteen OF which were spent
by Hawaiian commissioners in jour
neying to Washington.
THE QUESTION At ISSUE.
In the next place upon the face OF
the paper submitted with the treaty it
clearly appeared that there was an
open and determined issue of fact of
most vital Importance. The message
of the President accompanying the
treaty declared that " the overthrow Of
the monarchy was not in any way pro-
NOTED by this government" And in
q letter to the President from the Sec
rotary of State also submitted to the
Senate with the treaty, the following
passage occurred: CAT the time the
provisional government took posses
sion of the government buildings, no
troops or officers of the United States
were present or took any part whatev-
er in the proceedings. No public rec
ignition was accorded the provisional
government by the United States min
lister until after the queens abdication
and when they were in effective pos
session of the government buildings,
archives, treasury, barracks, police sta
ton and all potential machinery Of
the government"
YIELDED TO SUPERIOR FORCE.
But q protest also accompanied said
treaty, signed by the queen and her
ministers at the time she made way
for the provisional government, which
explicitly stated that she yielded to
the superior force of the United States,
whose minister had caused the United
States troops to be landed at Honolu-
lu and declared he would support such
provisional government.
The truth or falsity OF this protest
was surely OF the frat Importance. If
true, nothing but the concealment of
its truth could induce our government
to negotiate with the semblance OF q
government thus created, nor could n
treaty resulting from the acts stated
in the protest have been knowingly
dee med worthy of consideration by
Senate, yet the truth or falsity of the
nrotoat haJ mt boop spyost;oofod r