The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1893-12-29
TIE MESSAGE on HAWAII
THE HAWIiAN MATTER No" IN
TIE HANDS OF CONGRESS.
The President Gives nn Exhaustive
Review of the Situation in Ha"ah
a Recital Of the Facts in the Case
Based on UIuuEt'S Keport-A brleI
Synopsis of the NesAuE.


| lows:
To the Senate and House of Represent
atlNes: III my recent annual message 10
| the congress 1 briefly referred 10 Our re-
F, lationS with Hawaii aud expressed the IN
! tehtIon OF transmitting further infofsha-
| ton oa the sublect when additional ad-
vices permitted. Although / ajn not able
| to now report 4 G1i.nite change Ia the
actual situation. / &ll convinced that the
! difficulties Iateiy created. both here ana II
| HaWaI. and now standing IN tae VA! oL
| solution through executive acu81 OF
| the problem presented render ii proper
| and eypedent that the matter sAchid be
| referred to the broader authority and
| Direction Oi Congress.
| with a full explanation of the endeavor
| thus far made to deal with the emergen-
| cy and Il statement of the considerations
which have governed my action.
suppose that right and jflstlce should
determine the path TO be followed IN
| treating this subject. Ii national homes
| ty is 10 be disregarded and a desire tor
territorial extension. where dissatisfaction
with form of government not our own Is
| to regulate our conduct, | have entirely
! misapprehended the mission and charac-
| ter of our government and the behavior
which the conscience OF our people ue-
| mands of their public servants
When the present administration en-
tered upon its duties the senate had IN
| the annexation Of the Hawaiian islands
| to the territory of the United States
Surely, under the constitution and laws,
| the enlargement of our limits Is mann
| festation OF the highest attribute OF soy
/ ereignty. and il entered upon AS an exec
utive act. all things relating 10 the trans
action should be clear and free from Sis-
| picon.
Additional Importance IS attached TO
| this peculiar treaty Of annexation be-
| cause it contemplated a departure from
unhsoken American tradition III pro-
viding for the addition of territory OF
islands of the sea more than 1000 miles
removed from our nearest coast.
These considerations might not OF
themselves call for interference with
| the completion of Il treaty entered upon
by previous administration. But It
appeared from the documents accom-
panying the treaty when submitted 70
the senate that the ownership Of
Hawaii Was rendered to Us
by provisional government set ZIP to
succeed the constitutional ruler OF the
islands, who had been dethroned. and
did not appear that such provisional gov
eminent had the sanction of either pop
Iiar revolution Of suffrage. Two other
remarkable features of the transaction
naturally attracted attention. One was
the extraordinary haste-not to say prec-
ritancy cy-characterizing all the transac-
tlons connected with the treaty. 1t ap-
peared that Il so-called committee Of
safety. ostensihly the source Of the re-
volt against the constitutional govern
ment of Hawaii. was organized on Sat
urday the 14th day Of January: that on
Monday. the 10th. the United States
forces We're landed 1T Honolulu from
naval vessel lying in its harbor. that
on the 11.h the scheme of Il provisional
government was perfected. and a procla
nation naming its officers was OH 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 in a steamer especially
chartered for the occasion. arriving in
San Francisco on the oSth day Of Ianu-
airy. and in Washington on the Sd day Of
February: that next day they had their
first interview with the secretary Of
state. and another on the 11th. when
the treaty anneXing the islands was
practically agreed upon. and that on the
l4th i was formally concluded, and on
the 18th
Transmitted to the senate
thus between the initiation of the
scheme for the provisional government
III Hawaii on the 14th Of January and
the submission to the senate Of the
entire treaty OF annexation. concluded
with such government, The entire inter.
val was thirty-two days. fifteen Of
which were spent by the Hawaiian com
missioners in the Journey to Washington
In the next place. upon the face of the
papers submitted with the treaty. it clear
~ appeared that there was open and de-
te'Inlned an issue Of the most vital i'm
portance. The message of the president
,iA..l yal 1,ot
the overthrow of the monarchy was not
IN any way promoted by this govern
ment. and IN Il letter from the president
from the secretary of state. also sub
mitted 10 the senate with the treaty. the
following passage occurred
Al the time the provisional govern
ment took possession of the government
buildings no troops or officers Of the
United States were present or took any
part whatever in tha process .iings.
No Public Recognition.
was accorded to the provisional govern
ment by the American minister until
after the queens abdieation. and when
they were in effective possession of the
government Buildings. thu archives, the
treasury. the barracks. the police sta
tion and al the potential machinery Of
the government.
But protest also accompanied said
treaty. signed by the queen and her
ministers at the time she made way
for the prov isional government. which
explicitly stated that she welded to the
superior force Of the United States.
whose minister had caused United
States troops u b, landed at Honolulu
and declared that he would support
snel provisional government
The truth or f;lsity Of this protest
was surely Of the first Importance If
true. nothing but the concealment of It's
truth could induce our government to
negotiate with the senhlance Of gov
ernment thus created. nor could 4 treaty
resulting from the acts stated III the pro-
test have been knowingly deemed worthy
of consideration by the senate. Yet the
truth or falsity Of the protest had not
been investigated. / conceived Il my
duv. therefore. TO withdraw the treaty
from the senate for examination, to