New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-06
THE COCUIN orr FOR THE WAR.

THE COFFIN orr FOR THE WAR;
Congress should lose 10 time in proceeding
70 an investigation of the Hawaiian business
The sudden dispatching of the revenue cutter
Corwin TO Honolulu is proof conclusive 'ha'
the President is attempting to 1orcS'al INC
action of Congress and To complete MS act Oh
war against Hawaii before that branch OF our
Government TO which the Constitution commits
such high acts of sovereignty can INTERFERE
Tho,, was no other occasion for haste in com
r,,n;c,tinr with Minister Willis. 1t is clear
from the news brought from Honolulu ny inc
Alameda on November %. and confirmed ny the
news printed this morning. that MT. W HIS i
himself ignorant of any cmcrgcnt Sl'u''ioh'
and that he has no expectation OF nearing
from Washington until the arrival of the "a
madam Pacfic's ship Arawa, which S;liS from
Vancouver on December 1G Everything is now
,n;ot in Honolulu. The Provisional Govern
mcnt is administering public affairs in peace
and sufiicicncy. and not a cloud would ID" Oh
tbc situation there but for the mystery that
cnvclops Mr.. Willis and the fear of the ""V-
crnment and hope of the RoyaiiS'S 'h'' Nv
will soon proclaim war on President Doie-
If Congress permits President cleveland 10
90 ON usurpng its functions we shall soon nave
n personal and not a constitutional ''oN'in-
mcnt. The occasion for calling Il halt can come
no more suitably than when he delipera''!
undertakes TO arrorate to himself the war-mak-
ing power and TO employ 1T secretly ana sur
denly 50 as to accomplish ms uhiaWii P''J-
Get before body slow OF movement aS '""-
gress can begin 10 ask troublesome 4ueS"'"H'
That this is his purpose and the meaning OF 'hc
Corwjns midnight start for Hawaii Is beyond
all doubt Mr. Willis's statement in The la
woiian Star" exposes :he conspiracy. Inc
Washington authorities are trying 10 throw
doubt ON the authenticity of that statement
but they cannot do it successfully. For WHAT
Mr. Willis said 10 THE Star" is precisely III
limo with what he told the general press corrc-
spondcnts the day the Alameda left He had
then been in Honolulu n fortnight. and III OK
plaining why he had not communicated his ms
sion TO the Provisional Government, he salu
that he desired first to advise with the State
Department at Washington and That ho'ii'hs
would be done until he received an answer 10
the DISPATCHES he was sending by the Ahih'u''
This statement he repeats TO the local liohoiuiu
paper. adding. with great cl"arness ana soou
sense that contingencies had arisen OF Which,
the American Government was ignorant Wheh
II gave him his instructions. and that he shouiu
wait 10 hear from the Secretary of state Win
regard TO them before proceeding 10 carry out
his original plan.
Mr. Willis seems to have acted with excellent
Judgment and great prudence Ills information
of the contingencies he referred 10 reached
Washington Oh November "a. But from the
fact that the President on December declared
tn Congress his intention TO Overturn the Ia
woiion Government and 10 erect another In us
placc. which was the proposition of Secretary
Gresham and the purpose Of Mr.. Willis's with
held instructions, it is plain that neither these
now contingencies nor the overwhelming OPP
postion Of the American people has checked
their Iordly servant. With that con,emptuous
disregard of public opinion which he commend
cd to Mr. Van Allen, that insolent assumption
that the people are too dull to understand ther
own business, that arrogant dismissal OF their
protests as noise and clamor," lie has evil
IDENTIFY renewed his directions TO Wills 10 de-
clare war.
| For. no matter how expressed that Is what it
| ;so declaration of war;-eithcr that or just
empty sound 1t is intolcrablc that an Amcri-
| can President should deal in this high-handed
| way with the people and their Legislature
| What are these new contingencies OF when
| Mr.. Willis has advised the President! III 'hcy
are so important rs TO compel him 10 sehd Il
| revenue cutter at heavy expense 1000 miles
across the Pacific when Il regular mail steamer
will make the journey twelve days hence, are
they not important enough TO tell them to Con-
gress and the people? They were evidently OF
| such n character as TO lead Mr.. Willis to think
| that they might make necessary change from
the plan of war Perhaps Congress would
agree with Mr. Willis if it knew them; ana
since war is the business of Congress- and not
of the President until Congress has spoken it
has the right to know them. Mr.. Dolpli
speech in the Senate yesterday was precisely
correct in sentiment, but when Congress sees
the President rushing revenue cutters off III
! the plain effort TO do while it talks, there Is
not much time for speeches. RESOLUTIONS de-
| handing all the Hawaiian papers to date, ana
| requesting the President to defer all proceed
| ings looking to the restoration Of the Hawaiian
| monarchy should pass Congress ut once!