The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-15
Txr HAWAIIAN SITUATION

Mfr. Vest stated the Hawaiian stiia-
ton with ruth and exactness In the
senate on wednesday. when he SAID
or had the power I would withdra"
every shadow OF United States authority
from the Hawaiian Islands. except so iar
rs /, may be necessary TO protect uHu.
international law the property anu ~
sons Of American citizens legiuihl'e'y
residing there / should leave 'ne W
1posing factions TO settle the questiui' y.
sovereignty for themselves 1heic ''''
be no solution Of this question 80 49,
lutte and determined az that W."
would then be had between INC 49,,
ents Of the Queen and those y. ~
provisional government me ~
The limited states through All our DIS,
-, hos bnen that the people should
determine their own goveTnfnehl-'V1 VI.
educated people. not the titled people hot
the opuIent people, but, under COO, u'e
roorle high and low. And j would IeaNe
the people OF those Islands, Of ali classes,
who are legitimate residents there ana
citizens to determine this question lor
themselves"
The true doctrine OF the case is cor
tained in this. We have nothing to DO
with Hawaii. except TO protect the pro-
perty. lives. and rights Of Americans who
may have been permitted TO domicile
themselves there under the laws Of the
country. and to assert and maintain such
rights as the country has ceded to
this government by treaty. What sort
.of government Hawaii shall have, is a
question 10 be fought out and deter
mined by the people OF Hawaii in such
way. either as the greatest number or
the strongest moral power that may be
able to enforce. But that IS none Of
our business. 1t is the business Of the
Hawaiians. Mr.. Vest performed a real
service also in calling attention to an
expression in one Of Dnlster Stevens
that the government OF the
United States had failed to seize the
Islands rs a Maritime prize" This
contains the whole case Of the advocates
OF annexation. We shall lay our hands
upon everything We find in the ocean
as Maritime prize" that we can cap
ture. whether we have any right TO it
or whether we have not. II il will put
dollars into the pockets Of Americans
This was the doctrine Of that celebrated
mariner. Captain Kidd. and Chief JUS
tice Marshall, presiding over the Circuit
Court Of the United States at Richmond.
sent several gentlemen to the gallows
here as pirates for processing this idenu-
cal doctrine and acting upon it upon the
high seas. 1t is popular doctrine in many
quarters both land and naval. but the
average honesty and good sense Of man
kind have united in afiXing TO it the
name Of piracy, and when It IS acted
upon by individuals it receives all over
the civilized world the punishment de-
ncunced for piracy. The serious ques-
ton in this case now, is how far Mr..
Cleveland is justified in pulling down the
provisional government, which had been
set up by the improper interference of
our minister. and restoring the Queen TO
her throne without the sanction OF Con-
gress. If that could have been done
without violence before the meeting Of
Congress it is perfectly clear to our
mind that ne would have been right to
do it. But the case is a very different
one now from what It was three months
ago. The provisional government is now
nearly eleven months Old its foreign re-
lations have been necessarily very much
more extended. and its hold on the peo-
pie of Hawaii has naturally been much
increased. Undoing injustice in the way
Of forcing an individual to relinguish
what he has unjustly acquired is a very
different thing from undoing an injustice
by overthrowing a government that has
been Improperly set up. And the reason
for It is, that the rights of innocent
third parties become involved in millions
Of ways in the second case, while the
rights Of none but the unjust individual
are involved in the first. Unless, there
fore. Minister Willis has already taken
steps to undo the wrong that Mr.. Harri-
son and Minister Stevens did in Hawaii,
1t is very clear TO us that Mr.. Cleveland
should stay his hand and turn the whole
matter over to Congress. which will no
doubt act as a great nation should
act when its honor and good name
are involved