The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-12-20

ence OF the United States forces in the I'M
mediate vicinity and position to AFFORD all
needed protection and support, the COM
mittee would not nave proclaimed the pro-
+ visional government from the steps OF the
I government building, and finally but Tor
I the lawless occupation of Honolulu under
+ false preteXts by the United States forces,
/ and but for Minister Stevens's recognition
! Of the provisional government, when the
! United States forces We're its sole support
= and constituted its only military strength,
/ the queen and her government would never
4 have yielded to the provisional government,
/ even iOr a time and for the sole purpose
I of submitting her case TO the enlightened
/ justice of the United States Believing,
/ therefore that the United States could not,
| under the circumstances disclosed, annex
| the islands without justly incurring the
! imputauon of acquiring them by unJusti-
/ fable methods, ! shall not again submit
+ the treaty of annexation TO the senate for
/ its consideration and in the instructions TO
/ Minister Willis, copy of which accom-
! panies this message, 1 have directed him
TO so inform the provisional government.
International Morality.
But in the present instance our duty does
! not IA my opinion, end with refusing to
| consummate this questionable transaction.
1t has been the boast Of our government
| that il seeks to do justice in all things,
4 without regard to the strength or weak
ness of those with whom it deals. I mis-
| take the American people if they favor
! the odious doctrine that there IS no such
! thing as international morality that there
| is one law for strong nation and an
! other for a weak one, and that even by
! indirection a strong power may with i'm
! punity despou a weak one OF ITS territory,
by an act of war committed with the par
! ticipation OF a diplomatic representative or
/ the United States. and without authority
| of congress-. A government of a feeble.
but friendly and confiding, people has been
! cverthrown. a substantial wrong has thus
! been done, which a due regard for our
national character, well as the rights
! or me INJURED people, re}TlIes .Tl a that we we
! government has not assumed republican
/ or other constitutional form, but has re-
| mained n mere executive councillor dig
drchy, step which IL TOOK without the
| assistance of the people. 1t has not sought
| TO find a permanent basis Of popular sup
] port and has given no evidence of an in
/ tenton to do so. Indeed, the representa-
| tives Of that government assert that the
| people Of Hawaii are unfit for popular gov
! ernment, and frankly avow that they can
| best be ruled by arbitrary power.
| The law OF nations is founded upon rea-
| son and justice, and the rules Of conduct
! governing individual relations between cit
| liens and suiects of a civilized state are
| equally applicable as between enlightened
| nations The consideration that interna-
tOnal law is without a court for its en-
] forcement, and that obedience to its COM
! mand practically depends upon good faith,
| instead Of upon the mandate of a superior
| tribunal, only give additional sanction 10
| the law Itself, and brands any deliberate
| infraction of Il, not merely as a wrong,
but as disgrace. a man of due honor
| protects the unwritten word which binds
! his conscience more scrupulously, if posi-
| BILE. than he does the bond, a breach of
! which subjects MIN to legal liabilities, and
| the United States, in aiming to maintain
itself as one of the most enlightened ma
tions, would do its citizens gross injustice
| If it applied TO its international relations
| any other than high standard of honor
and morality. on that ground the United
| States can not properly be put in the po-
| sition OF countenancing a wrong, after its
commission, any more than in that of
| consenting to il in advance. On that
II q HTFe~r~
| 10 redress an injury inflicted through an
abuse of power by officers clothed with its
! authority, and wearing its uniform, and On
! the same ground, If a feeble but friendly
state is in danger Of being robbed of its
| independence and its sovereignty by a
| misuse of the name and power Of the
An Act of War.
And so It happened that, on the 10Th day
of January. 1893 between 4 and : sols sclx izf
the afternoon, a--detaei1fhe efla g ssaaFasass
| from the United States stssfier Boston
with two pieces of artillery, landed at
Honolulu. The men, upward Of 1G0 in ALL
We're supplied with double cartridge belts
| filled with ammunition, and with haver-
| sacks and Canteens, and We're accOmpanied
| by a hospital corps with stretchers and
medical supplies. This demonstration upon
| the soil of Honolulu was Of itself an act
| Of war, unless made either with the con-
sent OF the government of Hawaii. or for
| the bona fide purpose Of protecting the i'm
|
| the United States. But there is no pre-
| tense of any such consent on the part Of
/ the government Of the queen, which was
| at that time undisputed, and was both
| dc facto and de lure government In
| point of fact the existing government in
stead Of requesting the presence of an
armed force, protested against it. There
| is as little basis for the pretense that
such forces were landed for the security
| of American life and property. If so, they
would have been stationed in the vicinity
| Of such property so as to protect it, in
stead OF at a distance and so as to com
| mand the Hawaiian government building
Admiral Skerret. the officer in command
| Of our naval force on the Pacific station
| has frankly stated that in his opinion the
| location of troops was inadvisable If they
| were landed for the protection Of Ameri-
| can citizens, whose residences and places
| OF business, as well as the legation and
consulate, were in a distant part of the
| city, but the location selected was wise
| one If the forces We're landed for the pur-
| pose of supporting the provisional govern
ment. If any peril to life and property,
| calling for any such martial array had
existed Great Britain and other foreign
powers Interested would not have been be-
hind the United States in activity 10 pro-
| tect their citizens. But they made no sign
] in that direction. When these armed men
were landed, the city of Honolulu was in
its customary orderly and peaceful condl-
| ton. There was no symptom OF riot or
disturbance IN any quarter Men, women
and children were about the streets as
| usual and nothing varied the ordinary
guilty except the landing of the Boston s
marines and their march through the town
| TO the quarters assigned to them. Indeed
| the fact that, after having called for the
| landing Of the United States forces on the
| plea of danger TO life and property, the
committee Of safety themselves requested
| the minister TO postpone action. exposed
| the untruthfulneSS of their representations
! Of present peril TO life and property. The
| peril they saw was an anticipation. grow
| ing out of guilty intentions on their part
and something which, though not then
| existing, they knew would certainly fol
| low their attempt to overthrow the gov
| ernment of the queen without the aid OF
| the United States forces. Thus it appears
| that Hawaii was taken possession Of by
United states forces without the consent
| or wish Of the government Of the Islands,
or of anybody else. so 1ar as shown, eN-
| cept to the United States minister.
Our Honor at stake.
The United States cannot fail TO vindi-
| cate its honor and its sense Of justice by
an earnest effort TO make all possible
| reparation. These principles apply to the
| present case with irresistible force, when
! the special conditions of the queens sur
render of her sovereignty are recalled.
| She surrendered not to the provisional gov
ernment, but TO the United States she
/ surrendered not absolutely and permanent
| ly. but temporarily and conditionally, until
J by the United States. Furthermore, the
| provisional government acquieseed in her
surrender in that manner, and on those
terms, not only by tacit consent, but
| through the positive acts OF some mem
bers of the government, who urged her
| peaceable submission, not merely TO avoid
| bloodshed, but because she could place
implicit reliance upon the justice OF the
United States, and that the whole subject
| would be finally considered at Washington.
| have not however, overlooked an in