The herald., 1893-12-19

THIS peculiar treaty OF annexation, be-
cause it contemplated departure from
an unbroken American tradition, in pro.
viding for an addition to our territory oi
islands OF the sea more than 1000 miles
removed from our nearest coast. Thess
conditions might not of themselves call
for interference with the completion OF
the treaty entered upon by the previous
administration, but it appeared from
documents accompanying the treaty,
when submitted to the senate, that the
ownership of Hawaii was rendered us by
provisional govern ment set up to sue
ceed the constitutional ruler of the
islands, who had been dethroned, and it
did not appear that such provisional
government had the sanction of either
popular revolution or suffrage.
EXTRAORDINARY HASTE.
Two other remarkable features OF the
transaction naturally attracted atten-
ton. One was the extraordinary haste
(not to say precipitsncy) characterzing
all the transactions connected with the
treaty. 1t appeared that a so.called
committee of safety, ostensibly the
source OF the revolt against the consti-
tutional government of Hawaii, was or
ganized Saturday. the 14th day OF jan
nary; that on Monday, the 10Th, United
States forces were landed at Honolulu
from naval vessel lying in it's harbor !;
That on the 18th the scheme of the pro-
visional government WAS perfected, and
proclamation naming it's officers was
on the same day prepared; that there
upon the United States minister recog-
nized the provisional government thus
created that two days afterwards, on
the 10Th day of January, commissioners
representing such government sailed for
this country in steamer especially
chartered for the occasion, arriving
in San Francisco on the 2Sth day
OF January, and in Washington on the
cd day OF February; that the next day
they had their first interview with the
secretary of state and another on the
llth, when tresty annexing the
ielands was practically agreed upon, and
that on the l4th it was formally con-
cluded, and on the 18th transmitted to
the senate. Thus between the initiation
OF the scheme OF the provisional govern
ment in Hawaii on the 14th of January
and the submission to the senate of the
treaty of annexation concluded with
such government, the entire interval
was but SO days, Is OF which WAS spent
by the Hawaiian com missioners in their
Journey to Washington.
In the next place, upon the face of the
papers submitted with the treaty,
it clearly appeared that there
was an open and undetermined
issue of fact of most vital Importance.
The message OF the president accom-
panying the treaty declared that the
overthrow of the monarchy was not in
any way promoted by the government,
and in letter to the president from the
secretary of state, also submitted to the
senate with the treaty, the following
passage occurred: ''At the time the
provisional government took possession
of the government buildings, 10 troops
or officers of the United States were
present or took any part whatever in the
proceedings. No public recognition was
accorded to the provisional government
by the United States minister until after
the queens abdicaiion, and when they
were in the effective possession of the
government buildings, archives, treas
ury, barracks, police station and all the
political machinery of the government"
THE QUEENS PROTEST.
But a protest also accompanied said
treaty, signed by the queen and her
ministers, at the time she made way for
the provisional government, which ex-
plicitly stated that she yielded to the
superior force of the United States,
whose minister had caused United
States troops to be landed at Honolulu
and declared ne would support such
provisional government. The truth
or felsity of this protest WAS surely of
the first Importance. If true, nothing
but the concealment of its truth could
induce our government to negotiate
with semblance of government thus
created, nor could the treaty resulting
from the acts stated in the protest have
been knowingly deemed worthy of con-
eideration by the senate. Yet the
truth or falsity of the protest had not
been investigated.
WITHDRAWAL OF THE TREATY.
l conceived it to be my duty, there
fore, to withdraw the treaty from the
senate ior examination, and meanwhile
TO cause an accurate, full and impartial
investigation to be made of the facts at
tending the subversfon OF the constitu-
tional government of Hawaii ard the