The herald., 1893-11-12
THE HAWAIIAN MoUsE-TRAP.


The Hawaiian question has been made
to take on q new and most astonishing
phase. Mr.. Gresham, the secretary Of
state, has published letter purporting
to fairly review the whole history OF the
deposition of Queen Liliuokalani and
the setting up of the provisional govern
ment. According to this detailed sketch
OF the genesis OF the revolution which
deposed the island queen, it was accom-
plished by the show of force made by
landing armed sailors and marines from
the American man-of-war Boston,
backed by Gatling guns. and stationed
at point where they could effectually
resist or overswe any denomination
that might be attempted by the queens
troops and friends. This force obeyed
the orders of Minister Stevens, who
fastened to recognize the provisional
government in the name of the United
States.
Stevens denies the truth of some of
the material points in this statement !;
but that is of no consequences at this
stage of the question. What gives new
and astonishing interest to this inter-
national imbroglio is the position now
assumed by the secretary OF state. He
virtually holds that a great wrong has
been done to q feeble and independent
state by an abuse of the authority of
the United States, and that it should be
undone by restoring the legitimate gov
ernment. In other words, as the queen
of the Hawaiian islands was dsposed by
an abuse OF United States power, justice
can only be satisfied by restoring the
queen to the throne by the same power
that deposed her.
The HERALD has all along insisted
that the annexation of the Sandwich
islands presented insuperable difficult
les on account Of it's contract labor and
it's mixed and low-clsss population. To
incorporate them with the United States
wonld present political problems of
serious and insoluble character. But
we have thought that the islanders
could be satisfied, and the islands held
under our superior control, by some
sort of o protectorate. We would be un-
willing under any circumstances to see
this important naval outpost pass into
the possession of any Europesn power.
But Mr.. Gresham throws the whole
controversy into greater confusion than
ever by virtually taking the stand that
ho Gr1f nf m n
restore Liliuokalani to the throne. This
is most extraordinary proposition, and
one that cannot for moment ne enter
tanned, even ii our authority was
abused by Minister Stevens. To do so
we would have to resort to force, to sat
up an actually deposed queen, VINO, by
her perverse and despotic course had
given rise to the revolution from which
the provisional government sprung.
But how are we to undo the acts OF our
own government in regard to this de
facto government? We have recog-
nizsd it as the actual government OF
Hawaii, and we have receivediand recog-
nized its envoys to Washington as the
ernment near our own. These are acts
which we cannot ignore and which can
not be taken back.
We would rather leave the islands to
work out their own salvation in their
own way than to see our government
commit an act OF such egregious stulti6-
cation, and we should protest with all
our might against the United States un-
dertaking the q lixotic task OF setting
up deposed and repudiated queens upon
their forfeited thrones.
The secretary OF stete has delivered an
opinion in this case that savors more of
judicial summing up from the bench
than of state paper based upon the ex
igencies OF a diplomatic situation. A
court might ignore in it's decision the
deviations from the strict path of justice
in Law case. But in treating with the
practical evolution of events in a polit-
ical question that arises between two
nations, we must take into account all
the incidents that transpire, adjust
them to tine facts snd conditions that
are before us, give and take, yield and
compromise, and make the very best we
can out OF the manifold complications to
which human weaknesses, ambitions
and necessities are subject.
His conclusions in this imbroglio are
altogether inadmissable.