The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-12-22
ANOTHER MESSAGE
President Cleveland Has Enlightened
Congress on His Hawaiian
Policy.
In a Message of 5000 Words He
Tells What Has Been Done and
Why.
He Strongly Advocates the RestOra-
ton of the Queen as an Act of
Justice.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 19.-The special
message of the president regarding Ha-
waiian affairs has been sent to congress.
1tis as follows:
TO the Senate and House of Representa-
tives:
In nv recent annual message to the con
.Hress, I briefly referred to our relations
With Hawaii n expressed the intention
Sf transmitting further information on the
eubject when additional advices permitted.
Though ! am not able to now report a def
mite change in the actual situation, l am
convinced that the difficulties lately Gre
ated, both here and in Hawaii, and now
standing in the way of a solution through
executive action Of the problem presented,
render it proper and e%xpedient that the
matter should be referred to the broader
authority and direction of congress, with
full explanation of the endeavor thus far
made to deal with the emergency and a
governed action.
Right and Justice.
suppose that right and justice should
determine the path to be followed in treat
ing this subject. If national honesty is to be
disregarded and a desire for territorial ex-
tension here dissatisfaction with a form
Of government not our own, is to regulate
our conduct, l have entirely misappre-
hended the mission and character OF our
government and the behavior which the
conscience of our people demands OF their
public servants.
When the present administration en-
tered upon its duties, the senate had under
consideration a treaty providing for the
annexation of the Hawaiian islands to the
territory of the United Stares.
Surely under our constitution and laws
the enlargement of Il limits is a mani
festation of the highest attribute of SOW
ereignty, and if entered upon as IL execu-
tive act all things relating to the transac-
lions should be clear and free from sus-
picion. additional Importance is attached
&c this
Peculiar Treaty of Annexation
because it contemplated a departure from
unbroken American tradition in providing
for the addition to our territory of islands
Of the sea, more han 1000 miles removed
from our nearest coast.
These considerations might not of them.
selves call for interference with the com
pletion of n treaty entered upon by "A pre-
vious administration, but it appeared from
the documents accompanying the treaty
when submitted to the senate that the
ownership of Hawaii was rendered to us
by a provisional government, set up tC
succeed the constitutional ruler of the
islands who had been dethroned: and did
cot appear that such provisional govern.
haent had the sanction Of either popular
. revolution or suffrage.
Two Other Remarkable Features
Of the transaction naturally attracted at
.entiOn. One was the extraordinary haste
not to say NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
al the transactions connected with the
treaty. 1t appeared that "A SO-called com
mittee of safety, Ostensibly the source OF
the revolt against the constitutional gov
srnment of Hawaii, was organized on Sat
urday, the 18th day of January; that or
Monday, the 10th, the United States force,
we're landed at Honolulu from &
naval vessel lying in its harbor; tha1
on the 18th the scheme of a provisional
government was perfected, and a procla
mat on naming its officers was on the sam,
day prepared and read at the government
buildings: hat Immediately thereupol
the United States recognized the provis
,!onal government thus created: that tw,
'GdyS dlItEWdTus, Oh Tue l5tn OF january
commissioners representing such govern
-ment sailed for this country in a steame
especially chartered for the occasion, az
irving in this country on the 2sth day O
January, and in Washington on the 81
day of February; that on the next day the,
had their first interview with the secretar,
of state, and another on the 18th, when tn
treaty annexing the islands was practi
cally agreed upon, and that on the 14th i
was formally concluded, and on the 15tl
Transmitted to the Senate.
Thus between the initiation Of tn
scheme for a provisional government il
Hawaii on the 14th of January and tn
submission to the senate of the treaty O
annexation, concluded with such govern
ment, the entire interval was 80 days, l
of which were spent by the Hawaiia
commissioners in the journey to Wash
angton.
In the next place, upon the face of tn
papers submitted with the treaty it clearl
appeared that there was open and unds