The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1893-12-21
SAUK CENTRE HERALD,
THURSDAY, DEcExBER 81, 1893.
TIE HARAIIM MESSAGE.

THE HAWAIIN MESSAGE.
President Cleveland has transmitted
to congress a special message on Ha-
waiian affairs, framed upon the ex parte |
report of his special commissioner to the
Island, Mar. Blount. whose sole purpose
seems to have been to discredit the ac
tion of the previous administration.
and especially of its minister to Hawaii.
Hon. ]. L. Stevens OF Maine. Asa special
plea for the deposed queen and her
claims, it is an admirable document. and
as the whole evidence deduced by COM
missioner Blount was from the royal
adherents, the conclusions are such as
any special pleader would frame for his
client. The message proceeds upon the
violent presumption that the support of
the forces of the United States were in
voked by Minister Stevens for the sole
purpose of overturning the legitimate
government then existing-that the
minister was in fact an active and most
efficient agent in setting up the provi-
sional government, and that the revoIu- |
ton would never have been attempted,
hardly conceived of, bat for the active
Intervention in its behalf of United States
marines. The country at large has been
sufficiently informed that charges of this
character have not been sustained. Mr.. |
Blount's report overweighs the testimo-
ny Of Minister Stevens, MINISTER Thurs
ton, President Dole. Commissioner Car
ter and a score of others who attest that
Mr.. Blount and the state department
not only never sought for, but actually
declined testimony and statements from
partiesin sympathy with the provisional
government.
Mr.. Cleveland touches very lightly up
on the provoking cause OF the revolution
the constitution which the Queen pro-
posed to promulgate. and which was
protested against by members of her
own cabinet, and which she merely
agreed to lay aside for the present, or
until an occasion more promising of sue
cessful issue should present. That con.
stitution provided among other incisive
features, for the disfranchisement of all
but native born citizens. To understand
the effect of such action it must be borne
in mimi that the natives OF the islands
are as class an ignorant, worthless,
weak and irresponsible people. wholly
incapable of self government; and
the commercial and material interests
and the morality Of the country is al
most exclusively with the white or for
eign born citizens whom the Queen-her-.
self snirched in private character-sought
to disfranchise. There was abundant
provocation. frevolution was ever jus
tihable it was SO in this case.
But Mr.. Cleveland, in his message,
after making his special plea, admits
his utter inability to carry out his pur-
pose of re-establishing the monarchy.
The Queen herself declines his friendly
Offices under the terms he offered.
She proceeds to dictate terms of her
own which, in the nature of things
can not be accepted. She will
resume the robes of royalty offered
her by president Cleveland upon con-
dition that the United States will
undertake to maintain the stability oil
the throne. after establishing it. In his
embarrassing" extremity, the president
washes his hands off the whole matter
and turns it over to congress. In the
parfance Of the street garnin: "He has
bit OF more than he can chaw," and he
practically admits it. Mr.. Gresham,
whose ear-marks are not wanting in
this remarkable document, seems to be
aetuated BY one consuming desire-that
OF discrediting his longtime political
enemy. ex-President Harrison, and in
his attempt to do SO he committed the
administration to a policy which is de-
nounced by the American people, save
only the cuckoo" element of the demo
cratic party. No one envies him or his
superior in their prominent embarass
ment.
Il