The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-12-14
FIFTY-THIRD CONGRESS.
WARM DEBATE OVER THE HAWAIIAN
MATTER IN THE SENATE.
Senator Hoar Wants Full Information Con.
corning the Subject and is Assisted
by Senator Hill Who Criticises
His Time Enemy.
SENATE.

cupied the senate today. The debate
arose over resolution offered yester-
day by Senator Hoar (Mass.) to request
the president to forward to the senate
all correspondence on the Hawaiian
question. Senator Hoar said the revo.
luton covered a period of three admin
istrations and hoped and believed the
instructions would show a settled and
consistent policy certainly down to a
recent time in regard to which there
had been no party or political differ
ence of opinions. If the presidents
message is properly construed it mean
that the president was meditating tht
question whether he should be
his own executive authority com
NIT the act of war against
a friendly power. If what apparently
proposed to be done had not been done
yet, Senator Hoar said, swift and in
dignant remonstrance of the American
people should make itself felt an6
heard The president was getting into
the habit of adopting rather extra
ordinary language in his dealings with
other branches of the government
Senator Mills (Tex.) opposed the
the resolution. It called for informa-
ton, but meanwhile its author (Hoar)
proceeded to "shell the woods" before
he got that information and charged
the president with meditating the act
of war. He mills denied the state
ment. On the contrary the executive
had respectfully submitted the ques-
ton to congress and given them the
the information at his disposal,
such as he thought appropriate
to submit in bis message the presi-
dents action in the matter mad been
strictly confined within the limits of
executive authority. The only ques.
ton presented was, Did the United
States government interfere and over
turn the existing government of
Hawaii? If it did. it was the duty of
the people of the United States, repre-
sented in the government, to make
restitution and reinstate the govern
ment which they had overthrow.
Senator Mills asserted that the entire
Hawaiian difficulty had arisen because
the sugar planters of Hawaii wanted
to obtain the bounty on sugar to be
paid them out OF the pockets of Ameri
can citizens. 1t was not in the presi
dents power, said Senator Mills, to
wage war against Hawaii and he had
not claimed it was within his power.
But all the power the president had in
his hands he had exercised. The ABB
sorption of the islands by the United
States was perhaps only question of
time, but if that was to come to pass
he hoped it would be done decently
and in order.
Senator Villas (Wis.) thought the
resolutions should not be adopted at
this time. He criticised the remarks
of Senator Hoar as to the reported &C
ton of the president being ready to
commit the act of war.
Senator Hoar moved the resolution
be referred to the committee on rela'
tions.
Senator Hill IN. W said he did not
propose to cross the Hawaiian bridge
till the bridge was reached, nor did he
intend to discuss the wisdom OF the
original procedure or of what had
been done recently by the present
He seldom agreed,
he said, with what the senator from
stated, but did agree
with him that this was simple routine,
asking for information from depart
meut of the government in reference TO
a most important matter, lntormatlon
which, he thought, the American peo-
pie wanted to know from the presl.
dents message and were disappointed
when it was not given them. It nad
been said, continued Senator Hill,
that instructions have been given, ne
did not say, however, and hoped 1t
was not true, from which it was in
ferred that force might be used to re-
store their previously existing status.
That brought up the question whether
the administration had power without
the consent of congress to use the army
or navy to restore previously exist
ing condition of affairs, even conced-
mo a government had been planted by
fraud or even by force. There were
three departments of the government
and executive department, but one OF
Them were reasons who this reforma.
lion should be given now. Perhaps at
his moment. possibly this hour, the
navy of the United States, co.operat
no with the United States minister.
was seeking to destroy the provisional
by force, and that was a
question the propriety Of which should
De determined by congress:
Senator Sherman, CO.,, favored the
resolution. One thing was very PLAIN;
rhe congress of the United States had
not been treated in the open and fair
wav in which the administrative part
If the government of the United
States should treat congress. 1t was
certain it was the purpose of the ad-
to restore the status that
,xisted before the revolution to put
;he queen in power again and con;
,ress has not been informed
# it. The president of the
United States and the executive
,fficers of the government might as
veil understand that the people OF the
United States did not like this. That
vas the feature of the controversy
which Impressed itself upon the plain
st people of the controversy: What-
yer might be the ideas or information
# the president it ought to be con-
,eyed to the public at large, not only
O congress, but also to the people.
there was no reason in the world for
aorecv All the facts ought to De