The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-24
Augusta, Nov. %, 1898.
The Conspiracy Proved.
New York SUM-


The Blount report and its accompany
ing documents are conclusive on one
point They prove that the Paramount
Com missioner went out to Hawaii, not
to hear both sides and weigh the evil
dence and arrive at an independent judi
cial conclusion, but to make up law
yer's case and ex parte argument suffi-
GENTLY plausible to afford working
basis for the execution of the predeter-
mined policy arranged and planned by
Mr.. Cleveland and Mr.. Gresham and
their administration.
That is to say, the Blount report is
the result Of the policy of infamy, not
the policy of infamy the result of the
Paramount gentleman's Investigations.
The incontrovertible evidence of this
is furnished by Mr.. Blount himself, and
to that extent he is entitled to the graft
tude of patriotic Americans. With
naivete as astounding as it was uncon-
scious the Paramount Commissioner put
himself upon record as having reached
his decision before he had heard any
part of the testimony.
On April 6 Mr.. BIount wrote to the
Department of State, announcing his ar
rival at Honolulu on March %. Two
days later, on April he wrote a letter
to the Department., which, according to
the synopsis now furnished to the press
by favor of Secretary Gresham, deplores.
the perverted influence of Minister Stew
ems and Consul General Severance, to
which he ascribes the existence of the,
Provisional government"
Therein is the whole story of Mr.
Blount's mission. On April s, at the
very thre-ho of his Investigation Of
the facts" almost before he has had
time to recover from the motion of the
ship that took him out to Honolulu the
Paramount Commissioner of Messrs.
Cleveland and Gresham writes back to
his principals announcing practically
the whole conclusion embodied IN his
final report of July II. The weeks ana
months which he meantime devoted to
the pretended labors of Importantly and
conscientious investigation were super
fluous, except in SO far as they enabled
him to find props for prejudice and fort :
fications for a foregone conclusion. S
an examination preliminary to an impal
tial Judgment. Mr.. James ID. Blount's
proceedings in the Sandwich Islands be
tween April and July II were pure
humbug. Heswas there as detective
agent. retained advocate, the -maker-up
of given case according to orders, not
as a Commissioner enooaVoilnY W asCef-
tain the whole truth. What fair-minded
person can attach any weight to the final
report report Of an investigator who reported
at the very beginning of his inquirysthat
his conclusions were already reached?
II the significance of Mr.. lBount's letter
of April had been perceived by the
promoters of the policy of infamy, they
binary document to emerge from the
archives The Paramount Commission
er has given away the Cleveland and
Gresham conspiracy to restore the rotten
monarchy. There would be something
irresistibly humorous in the manner of
this unexpected and unintentional dis
closure of the original animus and pur-
pose of Mr.. Blount's mission, if the con-
fession did not impeach the good faith
of an American administration and
bring shame to those who have believed
in the sincerity of it's professions.