New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-10
TIE TREATY WITUERd I'm.

President C.eveIands withdrawal of the Ha-
vaiian Tr, aty from the Senate will OCCASION
general regret, though not entirely unex-
pected. When the Hawaiian Commissioners
arrived in this country with the news OF the
revolution at Honolulu and announced the OBJ
jcct of their mission. the expression OF public
opinion in favor of annexation was Immediate
and wel-nigh unanimous. No new face has
been put upon the situation here or i'll Hawai-
since then The statements of fact made by
the Commissioners were true and complete.
In no respect have they been contradicted.
Upon their full confirmation President Harrison
and Secretary Foster negotiated with the Com
mssoners a treaty which. to any one IN
favor of annexation, under any circumstances
must be. it would naturally be supposed,
wholly unobcctionable. Much more than
two-thirds majority of the Senate as then con-
stitutcd were in favor of ratifying the treaty
but action was delayed at the request OF Dem
ccratic Senators, to whom Mr.. Cleveland view
had been communicated that there was no need
of haste and that he feared there were hugo
financial schemes behind the movement for an
nexation. Public business was much behind
hand in the Senate, and Republican members
were indsposed to press the Immediate con-
sidoraticn Of the treaty in the face OF Demo
cratic opposition representing Mr.. Cleveland
They felt that there was not the time for snch
O. debate as would have been necessary under
these circumstances. They felt also that Mr.
Cleveland ought to have the opportunity OF
satisfying himself that 10 such scheme was i'll
volved in the matter As he suspected.
Al. &c rcif;za rnnx
rioSrer in their affairs in case we annex Hawaii
strikes us as curious argument against great
National enterprise. Moreover, it is undcubted
that those IIawaiians who most earnestly de-
sire political union with this country are moved
by the hope that it will bring to the material
interests Of the islands degree OF advantage
obtainable in no other way. To stSmltize
this as conspiracy" as Il few captions critics
have done, and to imply that il is il!cgltlmaic
and ought 20 be frowncd upon is surprising
exhibition of narrow mindedness. Two-thirds
of the CAPITAL invested in Hawaii is American
capital. Ninoty-scvcn per cent of the trade
with Hawaii is American trade. If this capital
will be rendered sccurer in its operations. if il
will be increased in amount, if opportunities
will be multiplied for its employment and if
the general trade of the islands with our IA
cifc Coast will be developed and expanded,
why is this net an argument in favor CT an
nexation rather than an argument against 1t ?
The commercial results Of annexation. what
ever they might be- arc n consideration OF only
comparative importance. The supreme con-
sdclation is political. II ought to be obvious
TO intelligent Americans that we cannot a1oid
to allow Hawaii to fall under any ether foreign
influence than our own Necessarily il our
influence is TO be paramount Our responsibility
cannot be small Affairs in Hawaii have reached
such situation that native autonomy can exist
only in form A foreign Power, the United
states. England or Germany, must in the nature
of things control. The two nations that might
dispute supremacy with us, and must. in the
oyent of our failure to assert IT, assume II them
selves. are so mindful of our superior right
that in the present situation they concedc it.
We can do only one OF two things withdraw
entirely from Hawaii or administer the gov
6fnmcnt there in such manner as will insure
social order, the security of capital and COM
mercial freedom. This we owe to the Ila-
waiians. And to ourselves il is due that la
waii shall play that part most conducive to our
political advantage and commercial interest
The statesman who preceded Mr.. Cleveland in
the Presidency solved the problem of how this
stable and sufficient government should be
furnished by treaty which converted Hawaii
into American territory, the Hawaiians into
American citizens. and which notified to all ma
tons of the world that the affairs of Hawaii
had now become the affairs of the United
States. 1t was a treaty expressive of American
sentiment and satisfactory to Hawaii. 1t en-
bodied the precise issue of the problem in
volved in our relations with Hawaii to which
generation after generation of American states
men has looked forward as both inevitable and
desirable. in Withdrawing this treaty Mr.
Cleveland assumes a grave responsibility. We
shall hope that his consideration of the case
will result in its return or in the substitution
of another treaty equivalent in effect.