The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-11-25
PRESIDENT CLEVELAHD's COURSE.

Among the numerous adverse
comments regarding President
Cleveland's position On the Hawa-
iian question, the following de-
spatch possesses interest:
When ex-Presldent Harrison was
informed of the action Of the State
Department in repudiating the act of
the Harrison administration in the
Hawaiian matter he was much as
tonished and said: "Well, that is in
deed hard to believe. However, if
the present administration is satisfied
with its act, am satisfied with mine.
1t is my opinion that the Provisional
Government of the islands cannot be
removed except by force OF arms"
The Chronicle has the following
comments on the Presidents acts.
Hawaii is so small and insignificant
a country that it would make little or
no difference to the United States
whether it were annexed or not, or
what form of government should pre-
vail there; but small and Insignificant
as ~ -, IL Oeen big enough 20 as
sist Grover Cleveland to put himself
| into position which would result in
his Impeachment, were it not that the
Democratic House of Representatives
will be more interested in the dispen-
sing Of Federal offices and patronage
than in maintaining the principles of
the Constitution.
AS a distinguished Democratic law
yer said, in an interview in yester-
days Chronicle: "When Mr.. Cleve-
land rode down Pennsylvania avenue
to take the oath of office Oh the 18th of
last march, the Provisional Govern
ment of Hawaii had been recognized
by the United States, and its minis
ters were in the national capital. Mr..
Cleveland has no more constitutional
right to use the military power of the
United States to overthrow that Pro-
visional Government than he has to
direct the military and naval forces of
the United States to destroy any other
Government whose ministers he found
accredited to the United States and
recognized by this Government when
he took the oath of office"
That is a very clear and forcible
presentation of the situation. The
Provisional government was recog-
niZed while Harrison was president,
but the recognition was the act of
the United States in its corporate and
political capacity, not the act of Ben
jamin Harrison, and the United
States is bound by it, no matter what
may be Grover Cleveland's individual
opinion Manifestly, no other rule of
national conduct and policy can OBJ
tain. If Gladstone, for example,
should dIsapprove of some political
act of his predecessor, Lord Salisbury,
and should dare to attempt to over
turn it, as Cleveland is doing with the
Hawaiian affair, the whole civilized
world would stand aghast, wondering
whether Great Britain was to be di-
rected by general international
policy, or to be driven hither and
thither by the whims and fancies of
successive prime ministers.
1t has been pointed out very clearly
by q number of writer's that if Presi-
dent Cleveland has acted on the sug-
gestion contained in the Gresham
letter, he has virtually declared war
against Hawaii, and in that aspect of
the case we may we'll adopt the edi-
torial utterances of Democratic con-
temporary, which said yesterday
morning: eff Grover Cleveland has
done this thing-if while congress was
in session he scorned to consult it and
war between the United States and
the recognized government of the
islands, whose regular commissioned
minister has been officially received
at Washington, then Grover Cleve-
land should be impeached and ousted
from the presidency"