The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-15
DIPLOMATIC JUGGLING.
Washington Waits for Willis To Do
the Hawaiian Trick.
THE FEAT SAID TO BE IN AID OF
BOTH KING AND QUEEN.

Spreckels, the Sugar King, Has an In
terest i'll the Performance-White Men
in Honolulu Reported To Be Drilling
Congress Likely to Demand an Ex-
PLANTATION of the Presidents Peculiar
and High Handed Course-The State
Departments News Bureau Closed
Washington, November 14.-The De-
partment of State heard from Minister
Willis by telegraph from San Francisco.
1t is learned that dispatches received at
the department. yesterday confirm the
press reports of Minister Willis's arrival
at Honolulu and the events up to the
time of the departure Of the China.
Secretary Gresham still declines to make
a statement touching Hawaiian affairs.
1t is believed if he had any intention
Of making public at this time Com
missioner Blount's report or Minister
Willis's instructions, that idea has been
abandoned and the next off cial state
ment to be given the public from the de-
partment will probably appear in the
communication to Congress of the entire
correspondence relating to Hawaii, which
has passed since President Harrison sent
his annexation treaty to the Senate.
The press dispatches from San Fran
cisco declare explicitly that Minister
Willis's credentials as this country's
agent in Hawaii are addressed to Presi-
dent Dole-an ind1sputable recognition
on the part of the United States, even
down to. Novem Der z, of the sovereignty
and authority of the existing provision
al government-and the newly arrived
minister is described as requesting Presi-
dent Dole to name a day on which he
may be allowed to present a certification
of the authority with which he has been
clothed by President Cleveland. Minis
ter Willis is thus, by the administration
formal confession, put in the position of
an envoy to a recognized foreign state,
and by what diplomatic legerdemain he
is suddenly to become invested with
plenary power to overturn the govern
ment to which he is accredited and to set
up in its place a semi-barbarou SOW
ereignty no one in public life here can
clearly see. it is known that in the
opinion of the leading Senators in both
political parties who have the direction
of the foreign policy of tie country in
the legislative branch, the President and
Secretary Gresham have grossly exceeded
their functions in executing in secret
deliberate assault upon recognized and
friendly state, with which, as far as the
exercise of the legitimate war making
powe OF the government is concerned,
this country is still on an undisputed
basis of amity and peace. It is, indeed,
fortunate for the undisturbed execution
of Mr.. Cleveland's programme of a
royalist restoration in Hawaii that Con-
greSS cannot assemb BILE until there is no
longer apostolic chance of its frustrating
the royalist re-entry, SO carefully and
surreptitiously matured, both here and
in Honolulu. The Democratic members
of the Senate committee on foreign
affairs are not likely to be backward In
expressing the grievance they have
against the Executive i'll concealing to
the last moment the tenor of Minister
W1llIs's instructions, and, after securing
his confirmation on evasive and noncom-
INITIAL information about his mission,
announcing it's true purpose only when
legislative protest against the wholly
unjustifiable character of the attack
planned upon friendly government, is
beyond the range of practicability.
Leading Democrats in Congress have
borne with impatience Mr.. Cleveland's
notorious habit of arrogating to himself
both legislative and executive functions.
his assertion of controlling authority
over the legislation to be passed by a
Democratic Congress. But they show
signs now of drawing the line, in the
( nate at least, when the Executive pre-
sumes to constitute himself the sole
arbitrator of international right and to
employ in secret and unauthorized politi-
cal projects the power to declare war re-
served to be exercised exclusively by the
two houses Ct Congress. 1t may be safe
ly predicted that two weeks from now,
when Congress meets again, the admins
tration's virtual proclamation of war
against the Hawaiian republic will not
go unchallenged or unrebuked, and that
the seal of legislative condemnation,
however Intellectual it may then be, will
be put upon the arbitrary and unlawful
treatment of an independent sovereignty
decreed by the administration through
a petty and discreditable zeal to cast op-
probrium on portion of the diplomatic
record of its more patriotic and public
spirited predecessor in Office
Considered in the light of subsequent
events. the Cleveland letter sent in the
hand of "my special Commissioner,
Blount, to.Mr. Dole, the President of the
provisional government..nn of Hawaii
which government Secretary Gresham
now advises should be overthrown by or
der of the President of the United States
for the purpose of restoring Queen
Liliuokalani to the throne-p1aces the
Cleveland administration in peculiar
and rather unpleasant sitution. The
latter constitutes at this time what Mr..
Greely would have styled "mighty in
teresting reading" 1t was dated March
IL, only week after the Inauguration,
and it is here represented as follows:
Great and Good Friend-I have made
choice of James H. Blount, one of our
distinguished citizens, as my special
commissioner to visit the Hawaiian
Islands and make report to me concern
ing the present state of affairs in that
country. He is well informed of our
sincere desire to cultivate and maintain
to the full extent the friendship which
has so long subsisted between the two
countries and in all matters affecting re-
lations with the government of the
Hawaiian islands, his authority is para
mount. My knowledge of his high
character and ability gives me entire
confidence that he will use every endeavor
to advance the interests and prosperity
of both governments, and SO render him