The record-union., 1893-12-11
THE HAWAIIAN SITUATION.

The probability is that the American
people will presently discover that two
blunders have been made in this Haw-
allan matter. First, when President
Harrison with haste acknowledged the
Provisional Government, recognized it as
a Government before it had demonstrated
through some considerable time that it
had capacity to maintain itself. That is
to say. President Harrison recognized a
revolution projected against Govern
ment with which our country was at
peace and whose Minister was at our
Capital. And this hasty recognition was
the outgrowth of sympathy with the
party rebelling and composed in part OF
subjects OF the Queen and in part of aliens.
For that the Queen was lawfully such can
not be denied. She had the recognition of
all the great Powers and her title was
disputed by none of them. If she was
not chaste, we had not protested or made
that reason for refusing to treat with
her; that she was black did not enter
into our estimate of her legitimacy. She
was then, as Queen, just what she is now;
Just as virtuous and chaste now as then,
no more, no less so.
Along with the recognition as a Gov
ernment of the rebellious subjects Of the
Queen ran the open scheme to annex the
territory involved to our own domain.
It was indeed offered by the revolution
lists in the same breath with the demand
for recognition, and it was received with
the friendliness that meant acceptance in
one guise or another. 1t will be recalled
that Germany attempted something OF
this kind in Samoa and that the United
States hotly protested, and finally sue
ceeded in defeating the scheme. Ger
many fostered in Samoa a revolution
under Tamassesse. The moment it was
begun Germany fastened to recognize
the rebel pretender, and to clinch the pro-
ceeding gathered up the lawful King and
deporting him put up Tamassesse, de-
clared his revolution success and he the
rightful ruler.
That scheme fell through, and NAL
leotoa was brought back and reinstated
through intercession on the part Of the
United States, England and France, ac-
eompanied by an emphatic protest that
we would not submit to such doings.
So the first mistake was made by the
Republican President, and England re-
manned silent for a reason-to wit: She
was only too glad to see the United States
commit itself to a policy that would
close our mouth when England shall de-
sire at any time to gobble up some island
kingdom by like methods-the forma-
ton of revolution.
The next mistake was made by the
Democratic President, Mr.. Cleveland.
It consisted in assuming that the
recognition by General Harrison had
created a government. He proposed
therefore, to reverse the revolution by
withdrawing q recognition that should
not have been given when it was. To do
this, he resolved that the old condition
should be restored and the Queen re-
turned to her throne. That is to say, be
makes the same mistake the former ad-
ministration made by an attempt to undo
by recognition, the error committed by
the earlier recognition. But he finds tina
this will not be consented to quietly by
the revolutionists. So between these two
errors, there is but one thing to do, anG
that is for the United States to Withdraw
from the whole business. Perhaps it il
sufficient that Mr.. Cleveland has entered
his protest against the first recognition
and attempted to undo Git, to break
the force of what England and othel
powers grimly smile upon and hope vii
remain as precedent.
To restate the case: Mr.. Cleveland ha.
nroceeded upon the theory that the recog
milton by the Harrison administration wa,
all there was or is ofthe existing Hawaiian
Government-that is to say, that but fol
that recognition it would dissolve and fal
awav. But he finds that his Withdrawal
of recognition does not re-establish tn
Quesn upon her throne.