The Portland daily press., 1893-12-07
THE ADMINISTRATION AND HAWAII.

The sudden despatch OF the revenue
cutter Corwin to the Sandwich Islands
with instructions for Minister Willis
means probably that the administration
has changed it's mind within a week.
When the Corwin was ordered to prepare
for sea there had been no ss.recent arrival
from Hawaii, hence whatever instruc-
tions she may have carried could not
have been given in consequence of any
recent advices from Minister Willis,
showing change of situation on the
island or an emergency that had arisen
since the last steamer sailed from San
Francisco, for there has been no news
from the islands since that time. The
only explanation is that the policy of
the administration originally adopted
and which it apparently held to up to
the time of the departure of the last
steamer from San Francisco has sudden
ly been abandoned or essentially modi-
fed There is an impression prevailing
in Washington-and impressions prev all
ing in that quarter generally have some
foundation-that the new instructions
contemplate the maintenance of the
status quo until the whole matter can
be laid before Congress. If this be true,
it shows that President Cleveland and
Secretary Gresham. have at last come to
their senses. Both of them started off in
this business as if they were the actual
rulers, instead of the servants, of the
people, Blount was accredited to the
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ter or commissioner of the United States
government, but as the agent of the
President. What his written instruc-
tions may have been we know not.
but his performances in the island and his
letters to the State department make it
clear enough that he regarded himself
as little more than the personal attorney
of the Presi dent sent out to find pre-
text to support policy which had been
determined upon before he started.
Congress was in session when Secretary
Gresham completed his argument in
favor of Fighting the wrong"
which clearly contemplated the
restoration Of the Queen by force if
necessary, but the whole matter was
concealed from it and from every mem
Der of it. Furthermore it was entirely
concealed from the people also until
Willis was on the sea beyond the reach
of the telegraph when no protest however
loud or unanimous could arrest the pur-
pose of his mission All the circum-
stances surrounding Blount's appoint
ment, Gresham's argument, and Willis's
departure show as conclusive1y as cir
cumstantial evidence can ever show
anything, that the President intended
to re-establish the Queen upon the
throne from whichsshe had been driven,
without taking the American Congress
or the American people into his conf
dence and regardless of what might be
their opinions or feelings in the matter.
His procedure was just what we might ex-
pect Of. the Gear of Russia or some other
despotic ruler, and just the opposite of
what we should expect from the consti-
tutional executive of republic like our
own.
If the President has now experienced
change OF mind, as there is reason to
believe, and has finally awakened to
the fact that the war making power is
not lodged IN the executive it IS I'M
doubtedly due to the noise and clamorv
of the people. Obstinate and self-opin-
donated as the President is, contemptu-
Gus as he is prone to be of the voice of
the people when it disagrees with his
ideas, he is not, nevertheless, entirely
beyond tue reach of it. The constant
hammering of this Hawaiian policy by
the public press and by public men has
made an impression upon him, and grad
ually opened his eyes to the fact that the
government is composed of more than one
branch, that there is q legislature as
well as an executive and that the for
mer has right to demand that before
this country is committed to the policy
OF setting up monarchy either by di-
plomacy or force, it be consulted.