The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-16

ever, seems to be taken to keep it from
the ublic, which, we should think
would hardly be the case if it was such
a scorcher as the men who claim to know
what it contains, intimate.
--------
= The Baltimore Sun and the Argus
think the recent defeat of the Democracy
is good thing, as it will convince them
| of the need..of united action. The Argus
has been long time i'll discovering conso-
| lation, but with the assistance of the Bal
| timore Sun it has found it. Next the
Argus will announce that the defeat of
| Maynard was good thing, inasmuch
as it will tend to discourage the Democ-
racy from nominating thieves for judges.
Some of cur contemporaries seem in
| clined to switch off the discussion on
the Hawaiian matter from the real ques-
ton at issue to the question of annexa-
| ton The reason is obvious enough. 1t
| Is much easier to give strong reasons
| against annexation than reasons OF that
character in support of the Presidents
attitude toward the provisional govern
| ment. But the annexation question is
not the one pending at the present time.
The question now is whether the Presi-
dent has the right to undertake to de-
stroy by the employment of pressure OF
any kind the existing government. There
is but one government in the island at
| the present time-or rather there was
h,t ar, Caorof ru Groc hor outlined
the Presidents policy-and that was the
government of which Mr.. Dole was the
head. 1t is admitted on all sides that
the Queen had ceased to exercise any
executive functions, and had become
| simply "a claimant The government
of which Mr.. Dole is the head had been
officially recognized by our government
after full consideration Of the facts.
1t had been recognized by all the foreign
| governments who have interests on the
island except the English. 1t is, as we
1 have said, the only existing government
to day The administration is understood
| to claim right to demolish it on the
| ground that it was created by
| the United States, or, what is the same
thing, by official agents of the United
States. But, if it created it, which
we by no means admit, it subsequently
recognizedistsas an independent govern
ment, over which it had no control. 1t
accredited ministers to it, and received
ministers from it. Having done this
can we now treat it as our creation
, which we may destroy at our will.
1t would seem that after a govern
ment had formally recognized another
as the de facto government it was
estopped from inquiring into the manner
of its. formation, whether it aawas1grateful
to all the people or only part of them,
| whether interested nations at he time
of it's formation preserved strict neutral
ity or helped it along. These are ques-
tions that are PROPRIETOR consideration
before recognition, but after that, after
the government has been recognized as
an independent government that ques-
ton is closed. If we can go on after a
government is established and recognized
inquiring into it's title, and on the
strength of .some flaw which we may
think we have found can proceed to treat
it as if it never had any real existence
for that must be what we are doing in
this case, for the President has no right
certainly to interfere with it if it is 6
genuine de facto government-then we
fail to see how government can ever put
itself beyond the right of some other gov.
eminent to treat it as mere Spretence
without any real existence. Probably
the establishment of nine-tenths of the
governments on earth have been attend.
ed with some wrongs which ought not te
have been committed and which perhaps
ought to be righted. 1t cannot be posi-
BILE that the power Of other governments
to interfere on the plea of righting these
wrongs lasts forever. And if it does MOI
last forever, it must terminate at some
time Now when is that time? 1t
would seem clearly to he the time wher
such government isss recognized Jas d,
facto government. From that time il
has become anssindependent government
which other governments cannot pull
down without making war. These re-
marks are based upon the assumption
that the provisional government was es
tablished by the direct aid of the United
States, and that it would never have
been established but for that aid. The
first ass1mnti0n is not nr0van. the co.,