The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-14
cleveland,s Hawaiian Policy.

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ton for the settlement Of the trouble in
Hawaii One of them calls Secretary
Gresham a renegade and declares that
American statecraft contains no chap
ter so disgraceful as that written by
Cleveland and Gresham" in this
Hawaiian business. They propose to dc
their utmost TO convince the country that
the Cleveland administration is doing a
great wrong to the people Of Hawaii and
that there should be such an outburst OF
popular indignation as would make it
hesitate to carry out the policy in respect
to Hawaii which it has adopted.
Epithets ald harsh and reckless Ian
! guage will not bring about the condition
of public mind they so earnestly desire.
/ The simple question which presents itself
is this Which is the right policy, that
which the Harrison administration un-
! dertook to carry out or that which the
/ Cleveland administration has adopted
| The American people want that done
/ which is right. They are not anxious to
acquire territory by a wrongful act, or to
/ be party to an act which cannot be de-
Tended
! The Harrison administration recog-
nized the provisional government of Ha-
wall for the alleged reason that the
Hawaiians had overthrown the monarchy
and established republic. But was
there a successful revolution by the peo-
pie of Hawaii The Harrison admins
tration assumed there was. Mr.. Stevens,
who was the American minister to Ha-
wall al the time, says there was. With
out making any investigation of the ac-
tual condition of affairs the Harrison ad-
ministration recognized the provisional
government, negotiated a treaty with it
and sent the treaty to Congress for ratiti-
cation. Everything was done hastily,
because it was hoped that Congress
would approve the treaty, and approval
was desired before the beginning of the
new Congress. No action was taken upon
the treaty, however, and when Mr.
Cleveland was inaugurated he recalled it.
He did not desire to become responsible
for the establishment of a new kind of a
government in Hawaii without being
satisfied that the people wanted it,
Before deciding upon policy, he recog-
nized the necessity for knowing exactly
what had occurred in Hawaii. He sent
ex-Congressman Blount to Honolulu, to
find out how the monarchy came to be
overturned, and to report upon the exist
ing condition of affairs. A better man
for the task could not have been
selected. That he did his work
well and conscientiously there can
be no reasonable doubt. The conclu-
sion he reached was that the monarchy
would not have been overthrow if those
who conspired against it had not had the
sympathy of United States Minister
Stevens and the support of the United
States marines. In other words, he dis
covered that the United States were re
sponsible for the overthrow of the queen
ana the establishment of the provisional
government. A.
Admiral Skerrett, who was the ranking
naval officer at Honolulu at the time of
the revolution, said to Mr.. Blount, speak
ing of the troops that were landed
from the American cruiser Boston: IF
the troops were landed simply to protect
American interests they were badly sta
toned at Arion hall, but if the intention
was to aid the provisional government
they were wisely stationed - and it is a
matter of history that Minister Stevens
made unseemly haste to recognize the
revolutiOnists. IT is said that he promised
them before the attempt to overthrow the
queen was made that as soon as they took
possession of the government building
and proclaimed the new government he
would recognize it at the government of
the country. Is it not a fact that the
Harrison administration repudiaUed the
act of Minister Stevens, although it took
advantage of the wrong he committed2
If it be a fact then, that the United
States brought about the overthrow of
the Hawaiian monarchy, and there seems
to be no doubt it is, what other honorable
course is open to this country than the
one decided upon by the President and
Secretary Gresham! Can this country
afford to have it said that it ignored it's
policy of non-interference in the affairs
of other countries and assisted
in setting up a provisional govern
ment in Hawaii against the wishes
of the great majority of the
people, On this point Secretary Gresham
says, SHOULD not the great wrong done
to a feeble, but independent state, by an
abuse of the authority of the United
States, be undone by restoring the legiti-
innate government? Can the United
States consistently insist that other ma
tions shall respect the independence of
Hawaii, while not respecting it them
selves2 Our government was the first to
recognize the independence of the islands
and il should be the last to acquire sover-
eighty over them by fraud and VIC
lence
The policy proposed by the Cleveland
administration is in striking contrast with
that proposed by the Harrison admins
tratiou. The latter made all possible
haste to get control of the islands 1t did
not take the trouble to find out what the
facts relating to the revolution were 1t
must have known the queen of Hawaii
would not have been deposed if the
United States had not given encourage
ment and aid to her enemies; and if it did
not know this fact it was because it
did not want to know it.
II wanted the glory Of aunexing
Hawaii to this country, and it did not
care, apparently, by what means its object