The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-11-14
.THE HAWAIIAN MIDDLE.
Willis Presents His Credentials to
President Dole.
A STILL UNANswERABLB PROBLEM

tho Provisional Governments Insists on
It's Right to Govern. and VIII Insist
That Any Attempt to Overthrow Them
Would be an Act of War.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14.-The state do
partment received a communication from
Honolulu sent from San Francisco which
arrived by the steamer China. 1t Is writ
ten In the navy department cipher. Moth
ting was given ont as TO tho substance OF
the dispatch.
II. P. Hastings, secretary Of the Ha-
waiian legation, was shown the dispatch
from San Francisco containing the news
Of Minister Willis arrival in Honolulu
and his appointment to present his ere.
Sentials to President Dole. This news was
obviously great..relief to the minds of the
members of the legation. They declined
10 talk about the matter as usual, but'the
satisfaction expressed at the presentation
by Minister Willis OF his credentials to
President Dole suggested that they might
have feared that the minister would be
found to have been accredited to the
queen.
The plan of the Hawaiian representa-.
tives is TO stand rigidly on the rights they
have acquired by the recognition Of their
government. Minister Thurston touched
the marrow of their hopes when he said
yesterday that any attempt to overturn
the present government by a foreign
power would be an act of war.
An act of war requires the consent OF
congress. Congress will undoubtedly take
up the subject OF Hawaii in some wa y i'm
mediately upon assembling in December.
ha nerh ia uniI NEil la .1a ba
administration policy on this line, that it
hrs declared war without the consent of
songress, and therein done an unlawful
act.
What effect 1t would have on this pro-
posed policy if the present government
should peacefully yield to the persuasions
OF the American minister are also dis
eussed. The question involved is whether
- peaceful proceeding could be re-
Ksirded as an act of war. 1t is argued
That it would be an act Of aggression on n
sovereign power none the less, because the
power peacefully yielded to the threat of
90 overwhelmingly superior force.
1t still remains an unanswerable prob
lcm to those OF diplomatic experience how
the American minister accredited to the
Hswaiian government can, Immediately
upon presenting his credentials set about
to aestroy that government. This gives
rise to many surmises, such as that the
real policy 10 be pursued by the stnte de
partment has not hitherto been announced
at all, but that Secretary Gresham's re-
port to the president was simply designed
10 give an opportunity to read the public
seatiment on the subject. It is not at all
probable that this is true, but it shows
kisat the policy of the Gresham report Is
sonsidered so entirely extraordinary that
incredulity and speculation cluster about
Il.
There is shrewd surmise in Washing
ton that the restoration of Queen Iiliuo-
kalsni TO the throne may not be followed
by the entire Withdrawal of the influence
ef the United States, but that with the
wurk of the last administration once un-
done protectrate may be established
over monarchy.
One clear and certain result of the pres
sul incident would seem to be that annex
alton will never be proffercd to the United
States by the llawaiians again. If there
b syer to be annexation the movement will
originate in this country.