Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-12-21
cLEvELAnD's CONSERVATISM.
Che Presidents Sensible Conduct in the
Hawaiian Affair.

| Che Presidents Sensible Conduct In tn,
| Hawaiian Affair.
| Democratic administrations hay,
been persistently conservative in for
eign affairs. No attempt has ever &C
Cured under democratic auspices il
our more than century of history t.
| disturb the safeguards that detach u.
| from foreign entanglements. Repub
lican jingoists have been the banc
| hirers and jugglers in foreign policy
Every time attempt has been made il
has been foiled by the sober and ir.
resistible refusal of the country to sus-
tain bravado or approve fiibustering.
Mr.. Blaine had to give up his fantastic
if plausible South American scheme.
President Harrison has, it is true, tied
us up for the present with two Euro
pean powers in preserving the king OF
Samoa and paying his board and lodg-
ing as our common captive. Stevens
used our naval forces at Honolulu to
overthrow a lawful government, and
now we have to consider what we may
constitutionally do in righting our con-
science for Stevens and Harrison's un-
constitutional proceedings.
The constitution of country is not
altogether reducible to writing. The
document which the fathers contrived
with infinite labor, and that has disap-
pointed us partially on one or more oc-
casions by failure to define a clear
course in definite contingencies, does
not embody in its letter all that COM
prises the fundamental convictions of
the American people on constitutional
questions. One of its most conspicuous
omissions has become by common con-
sent constitutional obligation on our
federal government-that which is COM
monty known as the Monroe doctrine.
Equally binding on us is its companion,
also absent from the constitution, nom
interference in the domestic affairs OF
foreign countries. Washington and
jefferson were the authors of this con-
stitutional canon in their conduct and
writings, as jefferson and Monroe and
all after them for fifty years are a
phalanx against the impolicy of med
ding with other peoples business or
permitting others to NEEDLE with ours.
Conservative, according to the ira
ditions of his party, Grover Cleveland
will not take any reckless step even to
reverse unconstitutional conduct of a
predecessor. When Mr.. Cleveland with
drew the proposal of annexation of
Hawaii from the senate it was not for
the purpose of setting up an executive
responsibility where the constitution
ordains explicitly that the congress
shall be consulted. Mr.. Cleveland
could not be expected blindly to as
sumo a responsibility entered upon but
not completed by his predecessor near
the end Of term and involving grave
danger of material and moral error.
No president should be expected to
take up the unfinished business of
predecessor and shirk his own respon-
sibility by fiction of retrospection.
He was bound to investigate the Ha-
waiian incident for his own informa-
ton before taking any step making his
administration accountable for SO grave
a proceeding as annexation of distant
and undesira BILE islands.
II the president were reckless and in
sensible to his oath he might easily
have left the Hawaiian incident twin
with the Samoan imbroglio- He might
have written to congress that, mas
much as predecessor had seen fit to
contract the United States with two
European powers in the face of tradi-
tions amounting to Inhibition; and in
asmuch as a predecessor had seen fit to
violate other binding presidents in the
matter of invasion of friendly country
and overthrow of a lawful government,
it was, after all, not his concern What
was done was done. Instead of this lax
and profigate course, the president
has adhered to constitutional standards
and submitted himself to democratic
He cannot undo the knot
at Samoa. He was bound to inquire
into the incomplete transaction at Hon
oluIu.
Responsibility as to that now Lies on
congress. It will have before it for
of the facts Stevens Of
fetal letters, Blount's official report,
the instructions given to Minister VIII
lis before starting there as agent of the
and in a few days Will
lis statement of the actual condition
Of the country. 1t may be that the
accomplished unlawfully
by our connivance, is not susceptible of
reversal. At least the administration
has shown that respect for our prece-
dents and safeguards, which amounts
to moral Reputation of the transaction
and to acknowledgment that our
national name was defled by an UNI
procedure: If congress |
shall find on examination; of the facts !
Is existing now that we cannot go !
farther than this except by using vio4- |
ence a second time, it will be con-
,eded that President Cleveland has !
lone his duty in conscience and cannot |
De held to blame fer consequences |
Nor can the democratic party.
The proposal of annexation is. wholly |
apart from contentious about past |
political intrigues in the leprous |
stands. Annexation must be debated |
IN it's own merits. We have absolutely |
nothing to gain by annexing the |
stands. They are ours now Tor all |
Useful intent and purposes. We do not |
want a gratuitous AID costly political |
Herald.
Tariff Revision and Trade. |
We have had since the Wilsen bill /
vas made public another interesting |
llustra ton of how the stock market is
wont to discount the future. No subject |
las been more talked about on Wall |
treet during the last few weeks than
arifr revision. The claim was that as
oon as bill having that purpose in
view was, formulated and legislation |
to disturb existing rates
began to be ;.gitated there would be a
general industrial upheaval in which |
,he stock market would be sure to, suf-
Ter severely. just the reverse has hap