The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1893-12-15

tnori-y1or sucn ST. ~tcment. out the
! latter said ho was not at liberty Ia
give IT,
Mr. Vest Of Missouri. then spoke.
! But for the fact ne was ON the eve of
leaving the city and that be desired
! to avoid any appearance Of cvading
! any sponsibiity boo regard to the
question. Mr. Vest said hc would not
! detaiu the senate moment
10 was unnecessary for him to say
he did not speak as the advocate or
special defender of the adm ni,tra.
tion. il would be a degradation of
the issue invo we'd ln the question be-
fore the senate for him to take such
n position. lie spoke as an American
senator and American citizen in re-
gard tu questions involving the honor
and welfare OF the country. MIR Vest
regretted that partisan malvolcncc
had SO dietnctivelv shown itself in
debate of these great questions Re
ferring TO Mr. lloars argument and
that Of Mr. Frye hc said they had as
sailed everybody who had differed
from them ON the Hawaiian question
and had undertaken TO place before
the American people thrir side of the
issue iu order to take possession Of
the public opinion of the people of the
United States
Mr. stevens. hc said, was one OF
those who believed the earth be-
longed to the saints and we are the
saints Laughter. Mr. Stevens
and the Americans i'm Hawaii had
Christanizcd tine natives 50 they had
taken possession of the country under
the name of cod and had then divided
the land among them under a law
made 10y themselves Mr. Stevens
might be all his friend. Mr. Frye,
claimed for him--a goodly, sanity,
unobiectionab. Christian gentleman.
lie (NcsU proposed to treat him as
any other witness who entered court
and demanded his (Ncsts) vote upon
his evidence. lie knew Mr.. Blount
and while hc was not in the senate 10
defend him, hc had almost twenty
years intimate knowledge OF him
lie desired To state in the most pub
lie and emphatic manner that "a purcr
man, publicly aud privately, had
never appeared Iu the arena of Ameri.
can politics.
Mr.. Vest took up the defense Of Mr..
Blouut, and in strong terms pointed
out his sterling qualities. lie called
attention To the fact Mr. Frye had
omitted portions of Mr. Stevens
speech, from which he quoted: 81
suppose the senator from Missouri
does not think said MIR. Frye, that
| omitted that part of the address for
any special purpose
"Oh, no, replied Mr. Vest The
senator knows do not think he sup
presses anything. lie is as frank and
open an adversary as | ever met.
There is no doubt he has the same
opinion of me politically that have
of him, Laughter. Neither of rs
strikes below the belt
AS ! understand the condition Of
affairs in Hawaii, the provisional gov
ernment is a de facto government 1t
is to-day a de facto government, and
any assault upon it bv armed force
upon the part of the Uuited States or
any other country must be an act of
war which can alone 1e brought about
by the act Of congress. | do not
understand that Mr.. Gresham meant
tnat armed force would be employed.
He is an eminent iurist'
Coming to the instructions of Min
lister Willis, Mr. Vest said: IF 1t
should turn out that those instructions
were TO restore the queen bv armed
lpltts Aibut lll utpitttNt ~ dhQ hphc
will resist the doctrine TO any ex-
trcmty more than myself. | repeat
it would be an act of war.
"it seems to me impossible that the
secretary of state and the president
OF the United States should have con-
cluded that without the action of con-
gress they could do any such thing.
But, as | understand the position of
the admiuiStrati tiOn now aS rriven in
the instructions to Mr.. Blount, it is
simply a repe .ition and affirmation of
the time honored doctrine of our
country of every administration.
Mr. Vest closed with a statement Of
his conclusions He said: "If | had
the power, | would withdraw every
shadow of United States authority
from the Hawaiian islands except so
far as was necessary 10 protect under
international law, the property and
persons of American citizens