New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-31
1T rs An AMERICAN QUESTION.

1T rs IN AMIRIC1N QtEHfI"-''
President Harrison has acted with character
is,ic promptness and good judgment IN as
Matching the Mohican and Admiral -kcrrtt 10
Honolulu and in arranging Tor the luf'ner ~
cease Of our naval strength there. NO poil'I-
c,l importance is necessarily to be attached 10
This step other than that which requires tha'
4 purely American solution OF the liaWalian
clisis shall be had Whether we accept the
precise form Of offer which Mr.. Thurston and
his colleagues are here to present or not, the
government of the islands must be recon-
sltuted in strict conformity with the interests
Of the United States While not anticipating
the opposition of any European Power to this
obvious necessity of the situation it is still our
duty TO maintain a force at Honolulu when VIII
be equal to any emergency. 1t may be I'M
fortunate that Admiral Ghelardls squadron
has proceeded so far on lis voyage TO New
York, though present appearances do not Sug
cest that a greater representation VIII be need
cd in the Pacific than is there at this time
The sentiment Of public men in Washington
seems to be heartily in favor of accepting the
Hawaiian proposals. not indeed. because thai
course would be to all others preferable but
because they see manifold dangers to onr IN
forests in returning To the delegates hc>ltdt-
mo or nconclnsive answer. 1t is of course. as
cn,ncd ON all sides that the facts being cstab-
liShcd in substantial accordance with the press
DISPATCHES from San Francisco. we must 40
something. We cannot turn Hawai- adrli'. nor
can we allow its destiny TO be determined by
any foreign influence except onr own ana from
these two requirements it follows that our
action must be sufficient 10 establish orde? IN
Hawaii. and to render possible the maintenance
Of a government there which shall be ac-
ceptable to the people competent 10 perform
;ts functions and absolutely free Of European
restraint or menace. Our public men are evi-
IDENTITY in doubt whether this can be done III
any other way than by the formal annexation
of the group They fear that policy less
complete in its operations will fail to satisfy the
Uawaiians and will he interpreted abroad as
indicating on our part either irlc>olution or a
lack of interest.
England presumably is the only country
which can be suspected of any fixed purpose
10 prevent the success of the enterprise these
Hawaiian delegates are here TO conS',minaIe
The London press comments on the news OF
the revolution in tone chaiacteiistcally hos
tile 10 this country, and agrees in assuming tha'
Lord Rosebcry and Mr.. Gladstone viii en-
deavOr to place obstacles in the way OF an
nexation Probably, indeed. they will If our
treatment of the subject affords them the
chance. But it NAV be supposed that our
Government in whatever it says and does. as
well after the 4th of March rs now will be
consistent with the position assumed when the
final destiny of islands near our coasts hrSf
became the subject of international correspond
ence That position has been rcaiiirmed by
| successive Administrations, whether ing
Democratic or Republican, and has never been
in any way departed from or compromised
| Mr.. Everett stated it with great palticularty
| in his instructions to our Ministers at London
and Paris as 10 the answer they should make
10 the Joint note Of England and France pro-
posing that we engage with them in dSlam-
ing the intention Of acquiring Cuba ana III
guaranteeing combined resistance to such a
purpose wherever manifested.
Mr.. Everetts reply said, in effect, that the
ultimate sovereignty of Cuba, as Of all other
islands near our shores was an American and
not European question, except as IT might
affect the rights of particular nation claiming
the sovereign power III controversy that we
could recognize the right OF England ana
France to concern themselves WIN IL ON! I'd
that extent and under those conditions that
while dscaimng any disposition to extend our
political authority beyond our ocean boundaries
we should enter into no engagement on the
subject and should feel ourselves as free OF
European opinion to determine every such
proposition, as it arose, as England or France
would feel Of our sentiment concerning the
disposition of an island in the Mediterranean
This dispatch has been accepted as the basis
of all subsequent correspondence with Europe
on these matters, and, 10 Hawaii, we have
said distinctly and without a diSputng reply
to England, France and Germany, that il III
dispensably belongs to the American system
ard that if the movement of events renders it.
Independent station no longer possible, the
rights Of trade and the necessities of politics
alike require that it be left to our jurisdiction
II is not likely that this time honored position
will in tho present situation be amended noi
that England, with its presence in Egypt t
defend will seriously question our right to give
such an answer to the Ilawaiians as may best
dot nd