Omaha daily bee., 1893-11-12

affairs of the Fifty-first congress and q
member of the foreign affairs committee of
the present house of representatives, said
today;
~ believe the policy OF interference by
our government in behalf of a monarchy,
and a discredited one at that, one that went
in a violent effort of the queen to
overthrow the Hawaiian constitution, is
contrary TO every tradition and impulse of
the American people.
L A 10 the question of veracity between
this administration on one side and Minister
Ste vens, Captain Wilt now dead) and the
five commissioners on the other side, all of
whom were witnesses, we ought TO have
very full testimony before holding them
guilty of false staten cnts and a conspiracy
to be carried out by force and fraud. MIR.
Stevens bore n high character as a discreet
ana able representative of this government.
AS a fact, he was in another island, and did
not reach Honolulu until about noon of Sat
urday, the day of the queens violent demon
s~tration. The meeting on Monday, January
l6, OF alarmed citizens is said to have been
the most important in number and character
ever held in the islands, representing prop
erty and business of all kinds, and the
diplomatic correspondence states that there
were many applications from Americans to
the minister to have marines landed to pro-
tect American interests and preserve order.
Not n Secretly Contrived Conspiracy.
"This does not look like n secretly con-
trived conspiracy by the American minister
and American commander to overthrow a
friendly government by suddenly landing
armed forces.
THE American people would have but one
opinion if they learn by the next steamer
landing at San Francisco that this cast-otf
monarchy has been set up again by our
armed forces, perhaps amid bloodshed, and
the provisional government, whose chief Of
tense seems to be that it is friendly to
the United States and American interests
overthrow. The instructions from our
State department by Webster, Marcy,
Evarts, Blaine, Freilinghuysen and Bayard
have held one tone. Our ministers have
been instructed to encourage rather than
discourage sentiments f~avoring the United
States and its interests and to impress upon
that government the overwhelming supe-
riorlty of the interests of the United States
in the stands ms compared with those of
other nations, and the manifest and ulti-
mate destiny of that government-annexa-
tion.n
Views of Others.
Representative Oates said certainly this
government would not be justified in TAX
ing any steps toward the restoration of the
queen if we were not directly responsible
for her overthrow.
Senator Faulkner of West Virginia had
only glanced at Secretary Gresham's letter,
but inferring that the main idea was the
restoration of the monarchy in the islands
he coulu not see how that could be brought
about by the United States under existing
conditions. THE provisional government is
the full power there, - he said. The United
States might do one of three %things-it
might keep it's hands off Hawaii; proceed to
annex it or declare a protectorate, but how
we can interfere to restore the monarchy is
beyond my comprehension.'
Judge Turner of Georgia. who is one of
the best lawyers in the house, said today he
was early opposed to the annexation of
Hawaii and was inclined to agree generally
with what the secretary of state said in con-
nection with the Hawaiian affair.
Representative Cobb of Missouri said he
was opposed to annexation, but that he did
not think we ought to in ;erfere to restore
the queen.
Representative Boatner of Louisiana said
he did not think this government had any
right to interfere in the former government
of Hawaii and that if the queen was deposed
with the assistance of this government we
should do everything in our power to correct
the wrong.
Disagrees with the Secretary.
James Hyde Pratt of Albany is in the city.
There Is a family relationship between
President Gle leland and Mr.. Pratt, Mr..
Cleveland's grandfather having been n
brother to Mr.. Pratt's mother. Mr.. Pratt
has family relationship in the Hawaiian
stands and feels much exercised at the
policy toward the islands enunciated in
Secretary Gresham's letter. He drove out
TO Woodley this afternoon and had q half
hour talk with the president on the subject.
He learned that Mr.. Cleveland approves
thoroughly and wholly Of Secretary
Gresham's letter and all that is contained in
it. Mr.. Pratt has lived much in the islands
and does not at all agree with Secretary
Gresham's ideas or with his belief as to the
facts of the case. He stated to the presi.
dent that Mr.. Gresham's letter read
to him like a special plea of an
advocate for his case. His statement
that the deposition of the queen was ac-
complished by aliens was sufficient TO dis
credit the whole letter, to his mind, for he
had knowledge that the most of the leaders
of the revolution were Hawaiians born and
the parents Of many of them were Hawaiian
born, though of foreign parents. He urged,
also, that the best natives approved of the
present government and only the disorderly
element desired Its overthrow. He stated
to the president his belief that in order to
re-establish the queen upon the throne II
would be necessary TO disarm every white
man in the islands, He did not believe tn
queen could be maintained on the throne q
day without the Influence of the armed
forces or authority OF the United States
Minister Stevens and Captain Wilt did ne
more, he asserted, than had been authorized
by the instructions of Secretary Bayard Il
Minister Merrill in July, 1887, for guidanc,
in Il similar period of disorder.
Cleveland Is Satisfied.
At this point the president asked Mr.
Pratt whether he thought he had as gooC
opportunities OF Information of the subjec
as he (the president), after a careful inyes
tigation and study of the subject for eigh
months. Mr., Pratt rejoined he thought h,