The Hawaiian gazette., 1893-05-30
THE FLAG QUESTION AT
HONOLULU.

The Republican friends of Ha-
waiian annexation should be very
careful not to be guilty themselves
of the sort of offense which some of
them sharply rebuked when COM
mitted by their opponents during
the last administration. 1t was
urged with much eloquence and
truth when the Italian and CHILEAN
questions were pending, that our
own government was entitled to
some consideration; and in the
moment of its attempt to secure
our rights and maintain our honor,
the bounding and carping of party
opposition ought to have enough
patriotism to restrain itself. To
many able and wise men in both
parties, President Harrison's Ha-
waiian policy seemed straightfor-
ward, honorable and sound. It
certainly seemed to us, as our
readers are we'll aware. But the
Senate hesitated and the change
of administration made the with
drawal of the treaty necessary. If
it had been ratified by the Senate
it would doubtless have been exc
cuted cheerfully and in good faith
by Mr.. Cleveland. Under the cir
cumstauces of the evident lack Of
the requisite two-thirds of the
Senate to support the treaty, Mr..
Cleveland seems to us to have done
the best thing possible in attempt
ing an investigation. He sent to
Hawaii, in the person of Mr.. Blount,
a man of cool judgment and APP
proved discretion. The moment is
not felicitous, therefore, for attacks
upon the administrations policy.
Mr.. Blount's decision that the
American flag which our minister,
Mr.. Stevens, had hoisted over the
government building at Honolulu
should come down, cost many an
American patriot a slight twinge
as he read the newspaper head
lines but it gave nobody any real
pain or anxiety. The flag had been
raised only for the sake of peace
and quiet at a critical moment,
and not in the assertion of sover-
eighty. 1t was to be construed as
an act of good neighborhood, for
the temporary protection of a
somewhat bewildered community
against the possibility of a civil
strife that would have harmed all
interests and benefited none. The
moment of crisis having safely
passed, the somewhat irregular but
practically useful interference Of
the United States need not take so
obtrusive q form. Mr.. Blount's
advice that the Hawaiian flag be
restored was therefore both tactful
and honorable and it need not by
any means imply a censure Of
Minister Stevens previous course.
Let it be remembered, however,
that Mr.. Blount at the same time
made it clear that our government
was really in authority to the ex-
tent that it would not tolerate the
intervention in Hawaiian affairs of
any other power. In our opinion,
this country will come short of its
duty if it insists upon having ex-
elusive rights in Hawaii without
being willing to assume open res
possibilities. The welfare of Ha-
wall deserves some thought; and
he must be a very queer sort of
American who would deny that
annexation to the United States
would immeasurably benefit every
deserving interest and every class
of people in the Sandwich Islands.
Meanwhile, President Dole and the
Provisional government are APP
parently managing affairs as well
as could possibly be expected with
so many clashing interests to con-
slider and so uncertain a future to
await.-RevieW of Reviews, May.