The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-12-22
FRIDAY, DECEMBER az, 1898.
The Presidents Message.
Information Concerning the Hawaiian
Question Sent to Both Branches of
Congress.


WASHINGTON, Dec. I8.-The Pres
iaents response to the resolutions
passed by both houses of congress, re
questing information Of the Hawaiian
affair and especially as to the nature
Of the instructions given to Minister
Willis, was sent IN to congress to. day.
In opening his message the President
says:
ain my recent annual message to
congress l briefly referred to our rela-
tons with Hawaii, and expressed the
intention Of transmitting further lnfor.
nation upon the subject when addi-
tional advices permitted. Though
am not able now to report a definite
change in the actual situation, l am
convinced that the difficulties lately
created, both here and in Hawaii, and
now standing in the way of solution
through executive action of the prob.
lem presented render it proper and
expedient that the matter should be
referred to the broader authority and
discretion of congress, with full tx.
PLANTATION of the endeavor thus far
made to deal with the emergency and
statement OF the considerations which
have governed my action. suppose
that right and justice should determine
the part to be followed in treating this
subject. If national honesty is to be
disregarded, and desire for territorial
extension or disaffection with a form
OF government not our own ought to
regulate oar conduct, have entirely
Inexperienced the mission and char.
acter Of our government and the be.
havior which the conscience of our
people demands Of their public ser
wants.
THE TREATY OF ANNEXATION.
When the present administration
entered upon its duties the senate had
under consideration a treaty providing
for the annexation Of the Hawaiian
island to the territory of the United
States. Surely under our constitution
and laws the enlargement OF our limits
is manifestation of the highest attri-
butte OF sovereignty, and if entered up.
on as an executive act all things relat
ing to the transaction should be clear
and free from suspicion. Additional
Importance Is attached to this particu-
lar treaty of annexation, because il
contemplated a departure from the
unbroker American tradition in pro.
viding for the addition to our territory
OF islands of the sea more than two
thousand miles removed from the near
est coast.
These considerations might not of
themselves call for interference with
the completion of a treaty entered up
on by previous administration, but
1t appeared from the documents ac.
companying the treaty when submitted
to the senate that the ownership of
Hawai- was rendered to us by pro.
visional government set up to succeed
the constitutional ruler of the islands
who had been dethroned, and it did
not appear that such provisional gov.
ernment had the sanction of either
popular revolution or suffrage Two
other remarkable features of the trans.
action naturally attracted attention.
One was the extraordinary haste, not
TO say precipltancy characterizing the
transactions in connection with the
treaty between The initiation OF the
scheme for provisional government
In Hawaii on the I4th day of January
and the submission to the senate Feb.
ruary IS OF the treaty of annexation
concluded with such government. The
entire interval was thirty two DAYS, If
teen OF which were spent by the Ha-
wailan commissioners in their Journey
TO Washington.
MINISTER STEVENS SCORED
The president then quotes the mes.
sage of President Harrison to the sen
ate, In which the latter says: "The
overthrow of the monarchy was not in
anyway promoted by this government"
lie then quotes from the correspon.
dence OF Minister Stevens and declares
that he (Stevens) evidently had an ar
dent desire that the annexation of
HAWAII to the United States should
become a fact accomplished by his
agency, and during his ministry, and
was not inconveniently scrupulous as
10 the means employed to that end"
Continuing the President says that
when the President (Harrison) was led
70 submit the treaty to the senate with
the declaration that "the overthrow of
the monarchy was not in any way pro.
NOTED by this government" and when
the senate was induced to receive and
discuss it on that basis both president
and senate were misled. The Presi.
dent says he therefore conceived it to
be his duty to withdraw the treaty from