The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-12-26

ACt1On--Ine lte9pOnB1DtIlty tS NOW
Thrown Upon Congress.
The following is synopsis of Presi
5 dent Cleyeland's special message In
regard to Hawaii, which was sent tc
Congress just before adjournment last
week for the holidays:
10 the Senate and House of Repre-.
sentatives:
In my annual message to Congress /
briefly referred to our relations with
Hawaii and expressed the intention OF
transmitting further information on the
subject when additional advices per-
mitted, Though / am not able now to
report a definite change in the actual
situation. am convinced that the diff
ficulties lately created, both here and
lii Hawaii, and now standing in the
way OF q solution, through executive
action, of the problem presented, rem
derIt proper and expedient that the
matter should be referred to the
broader authority and discretion of
Congress, with a full explanation OF the
endeavor thus far made to deal with
& the emergency and u statement OF the
considerations which have governed
my action.
When the present administration
! entered upon its duties, the Senate had
under consideration u treaty providing
for the annexation of the Hawaiian
islands to the territory Of the United
States. Surely, under our constitution
and laws, the enlargement of our
limits is u manifestation OF the highest
attribute Of sovereignty and If entered
upon as an executive act all things re-
3 latipg to the transactions should be
clear and free from suspicion. Addi-
tional Importance is attached to this
peculiar treaty of annexation, because
1T itcontemplated a departure from un-
broken American tradition, in pro-
yiding for the addition to our territory
of the islands of the sea more than two
thousand miles removed from our near
est coast.
50 These considerations might, of them
selves, call for interference with the
4 completion OF q treaty entered upon by
peared from the documents accompany
& ing the treaty when submitted to the
Senate that the ownership Of Hawaii
was rendered to us by q provisional
: government, set up to succeed the con-
stitutional ruler of the islands, who
had been dethroned, and it did not ap-
G pear that such provisional government
had the sanction of popular revolution
Or suffrage.
NO TIME WAS LOST.
Two other remarkable features of the
(, transaction naturally attracted atten-
tion. One was the extraordinary haste
mot to say precipitancy-ch character
e izing all the transactions connected
with the treaty. 1t appeared that a
so-called committee of safety, ostensi-
bly, the source of the revolt against the
constitutional government of Hawaii,
was organized on Saturday, the 14th
, day of January; that on Monday, the
10Th, the United States forces were
l. I.t af l,,l,
'lss lei lying in its harbor that on the
+ S7th the scheme of q provisional gov
ernment was perfected and procla-
Qation naming it's officers was on the
\ 9Ame day prepared and read at the
Sernment building; that immedi-
thereupon the United States
II ister recognized the provisional
,rnment, thus created; that two
: afterwards, on the 10th day of
s harry, commissioners representing
's@ $3 government, sailed for this coun-
i'm q steamer especially chartered
pGhe occasion, arriving at San Fran
co on the 2Sth day of January, and
Washington on the 3rd day of Feb
& ary that the next day they had
l1<< Aeir first interview with the Secretary
|DSs State, and another on the 11th,
lien the treaty annexing the islands
as practically agreed upon, and that
.6n the 14th it was formally concluded
&and on the 18th transmitted to the
i Senate. Thus between the initiation
POT the scheme for a provisional govern
nlent in Hawaii on the l4th of January
and the submission to the Senate OF
the treaty of annexation, concluded
with such government, the entire In.
teryal was thirty-two days, fifteen of
which were spent by the Hawaiian
commissioners in their journey to
Washington.
CONFLICTING STATEMENTS.
In the next place, upon the face of
the paper submitted with the treaty, it
clearly appeared that there was open
and undetermined an issue of fact of
the most vital Importance.
S The message of the President ac-
companying the treaty declared that
'T The overthrow of the monarchy was
not in any way promoted by the gov
ernment," and in q letter to the Presi-
dent from the Secretary of State, also
submitted to the Senate with the
treaty, the following passage occurs ::
9 AT the time the provisional govern
& ment took possession OF the govern
ment buildings, no troops or officers OF
athe United States were present, or
Z took any part whatever in the proceed
Mugs
v But protest also accompanied said
treaty signed by the Queen and her
ministers at the time she had made
way for the provisional government,
which explicitly stated that she
yielded to the superior forces of the
United States, whose minister had
caused United States troops to be
landed ut Honolulu and declared that
he would support such provisional
government.
1t is evident that the American min
lister had an ardent desire that annexa-
.tion should become fact, accomplished
iby his agency and during his ministry,
and was not inconveniently scrupu-
4 Ilons az to the means employed to that
. end.
TO Minister Stevens, full OF zeal for
anne xatiOn, there seemed to arrive in
January, 1903, the precise opportunity
for which he was watchfully waiting
an opportunity which, by timely
/" deviation from established interna-
tid rules and preeedents," might be
! ved to successfully accomplish
s }eat object in view, and we are
y 7prepared for the exultant enthp-
with which, in a letter to the
Department dated February IL,
= he declares tho Hawaiian pear
4 $y ripe and this Is tho golden
for the United States TO pluck
:q lS.tliI Io,oo;d ont ,,roooeda tn datail how