The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1893-12-29
THE MESSAGE on HAWAII
THE HiWTyAN MATTER No" lN
THE HANDS OF CONGRESS.
The President Gives an Exhaustive
Review Of the situation III HAWAII
A Recital of the Facts in the Case
Based on Hlount's Rcport-A ErieI
Synopsis of the MesSuS.

sage ia regard to the Hawaiian difficulty
| was received ANA read. II was as iol-
| lows:
| To the Senate and House of Represent
ativcS: In NY recent annual message 10
| the congress / briefly referred TO our re-
! lations with Hawaii and expressed the IN
! tention OF transmitting further lnfofha-
| ton on the subject when additional aa-
| vices permitted. Although | am NOT abie
| to uoW report a Geiin.te caaaGe Ill tue
actual situal on, | aln eonviAced that the
| ditiicutles lately created. bod here ana IN
| Hawai-. ana now standing ia tne way OF
| a solution through executive acton OF
| the problem presented, render 1t proper
| and eapedent that the matter shoEld be
| referred to the broader authority ana
| Direction Of Congress.
with full explanation of the endeavor
| thus far made to deal with the emergen-
cy and a statement of the considerations
| which have governed my action. :,
| suppose that right and Justice should
determine the path to be followed III
treating this subject. If national homes
ty is to be dfsregarded and a desire tor
| territorial extension. where dissatisfaction
| with form of government not our own IS
/ to regulate our conduct. l have entreiv
misapprehended the mission and charac-
ter of our government and the behavior
which the conscience of our people de-
mands Of their public servants
| When the present administrator en
tered upon it's duties the senate had un-
der consideration a treaty providing TOR
the annexation of the HaWallan lsiahus
! to the territory of the United States.
Surely. under the constitution and laws
the enlargement Of our limits is mani
! festation of the highest attribute OIL SOW
ereiguty. and if entered upon as an exec
! utve act. all things relating to the trans
action should be clear and free from sHs-
| picion.
! Additional Importance is attached 10
| this peculiar treaty of annexation be-
| cause il contemplated departure from
| lnbroken American tradition IN pro.
vidins for the addition OF territory OF
islands of the sea more than -.Wb lhlles
| removed from our nearest coast.
These considerations might net or
! themselves call for interference with
| the completion of treaty entered upon
/ by previous administration. But Vt
appeared from the documents accom-
| panying the treaty when submitted 10
| the senate that the ownership of
Hawaii Eas rendered to -
/ by provisional government set up TO
succeed the constitutional ruler of the
] islands. who had been dethroned. ana
did not appear that such provisional gov
eminent had the sanction OF either pop
/ ular revolution of suffrage Two other
| remarkable features of the transaction
i naturally attracted attention. One was
the extraordinary haste-not to say preci-
cy-eharacterizing all the transac-
| 1ionS connected with the treaty. Ii ap-
peared that Il so-called committee Of
safety. oStensibly the source of the re-
volt against the constitutional govern
i ment of Hawaii was organized OH Sat
urday. the 14th day of January: that on
Monday. the 16th the United States
| forces were landed at Honolulu from a
naval vessel lying in its harbor. that
on the 18th the scheme Of provisional
| government was perfected. and procla-
nation naming its officers was on the
same day prepared and read at the gov
| ernment buildings: that Immediately
thereupon the United States minister
recognized the provisional government
! thus created: that two days afterward,
on the 18th day of January. commission
| ers representing such government sailed
/ for this country III steamer especially
chartered for the occasion. arriving in
San Francisco on the 18th day Of Ianu-
airy. and in Washington on the Sd day Of
J February: that next day they had their
| first interview with the secretary Of
| state. and another OH the 18th. when
| the treaty anne1ing the islands was
| practically agreed upon. and that on the
| 14th it was formally concluded and on
| the 10Th
Transmitted to the senate
Thus between the initiation Of the
! scheme for the provisional government
| il Hawaii on the 14th Of January and
the submission to the senate Of the
| ertlre treaty of annexation. concluded
with such government. the entire inter
val was thlrty-tWo days, fifteen of
which We're spent bv the Hawaiian COM
| missloners IN the Journey to Washington.
In the next place. upon the face Of the
| papers submitted with the treaty. it clear
| ly appeared that there was open and de-
! teImined an issue of the NEST vital i'm
| portance. The message of the president
/ accompanying the treaty declared that
the overthrow of the monarchy was not
in any way promoted by this govern
| menf.' and in a letter from the president
from the secretary Of state. also sub
| mitted to the senate with the treaty the
| following passage occurred.
| At the time the provisional govern
ment took possession Of the government
| buildings no troops or officers Of the
| United States We're present or took any
| part whatever IN IL. proree tings.
No Public Recognition.
was accorded 70 the provisional govern
ment by the American minister until
| after the queens abdication. and when
| they We're in effective possession Of the
| government buildings. thu archives. the
| treasury. the barracks. the police sta
ton and al the potential machinery of
| the government.
But 4 protest also accompanied said
| treaty. signed by the queen and her
j ministers at the time she made way
| for the provisional government which
! explicitly stated that she Welded 10 the
/ superior force Of the United States.
| whose minister had caused United
States troops to b. landed at Honolulu.
| and declared that he would support
/ sucl, provisional government.
! The truth or falsity Of this protest
was surely Of the first Importance. If
true nothing but the concealment Of its
I eOniI
negotiate with the senhlanee of 4 gov
i crnment thus created. nor could 4 treaty
resulting from the acts stated IN the pro-
test have been knowingly deemed worthy
Of consideration by the senate Yet the
| truth or falsity Of the protest had not