The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-19
The Hawaiian Message,

The Hawaiian Message.
If one had to characterize the great
est OF our Presidents by a single quail
ty, he might ascribe to Washington a
pure and noble love of freedom as his
most notable trait; the sturdy homes
ty of jackson predominated all his
other qualities; a broad and warm
hearted love of humanity for human
ity's sake might stand for Lincoln's
heart and mind. Grants immoveable
determination fixes his historic posi-
ton. For Grover Cleveland, the his
torian of the future will have to write
down, devotion to the right for the
rights sake. as the motive of his life
and the ideal of his activity.
This devotion lives and breathes in
every line of the remarkable message
which the President addressed to
Congress yesterday. From beginning
to end of this whole complication, he
has looked for only one thing, he has
set his heart on only one accomplish
ment. He has tried to find out what
was right-and it must be added he
las found it with %unerring instinct.
Having found it. he has done his full
endeavor to make ii prevail.
The President reveals himself to a
remarkable degree in this message.
He discloses not only something of the
operations Of his own mind, the pro-
cesses of study and reasoning by
which he reaches mis- conclusions, but
also something of the sentiments-we
had almost said the passions which
animate him. On one or two previous
occasions we have had occasion to
comment on the fire and energy of
Cleveland's conceptions of things
and of the resolves founded thereon.
In more than one of his public utter
ances something inside him has
burned, or at least glowed, through
the cold and weighted formality be-
hind which he commonly restraints
himself.
But in this Hawaiian message, as
never before, he gives something like
free vent to his impulses, and his
scorn of conspiracy. treason and the
lust of conquest come with a wither-
ing fervor from his very soul, while
his fine and dignified plea for right
and justice, made in the name of
American honor and American tradi-
tions is a yelling up of pure patriotic
feeling that must move every heart
with a responsive throb.
70 follow the Presidents argument
in detail is Unnecessary. He sets
down every essential fact with a mas
terly clearness, and deduces his con-
illusions with irresistible logic. He
shows that the revolt against Liliuo-
kalani would never have been under
taken but for previously obtained
guarantees of support from Benjamin
Harrison's Administration. He shows
that it could by no possibility have
succeeded but for that aid being given.
He shows that the Queen would not
have submitted even to our arms but
for her confidence in our Justice.
Surely this disposes of the moral
aspects of the case, and de termines
our primary obligations.
But President Cleveland. with char
acteristic breadth, sees that we have
incurred responsibilities also to the
Provisional Government. He sees
that we W them Immunity for the
crime to which they were encouraged
by our coliusion. He has endeavored
to protect them, and the very natural
reluctance OF the Queen to fall in
with his ideas has complicated the
situation.
What Congress NAV be called upon
to do, it is not easy to say. If the
Queen consents to the terms proposed
by the President, we should think
there was no honorable ourse open
but to restore her at any cost. If not,
perhaps ON way might be found to
compel the Provisional Government
to submit the whole question to a
vote of the people of Hawaii. This
country conld not go far wrong in
guaranteeing the effectiveness of such
a vote. It would certainly be offend
ing against no moral or conventional
law in lending the use of it's forces to
give full command of the government
of the islands to whatever party
might win in this appeal to the
people.
WONDER how much a line the
Journal or ON one on its staff gets
from the Gas Company for articles
booming that cooking class in the
High SCHOOL,
When the Wilson tariff bill comes to a vote in
the House of RsD resentatiyes. 1t will not get
many votes from New Jerseys representatives IS.
= Ecenf7g Journal.
Don't you think so? We will bet
you a big apple that it will get every
Democratic vote from this State.
There is not one of our representa-
tives so false Or so foolish as to go
back on his ante election pledges.