Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-12-23
PRESS COMMENTS.
CIeyeland's Tangled Hawaiian Web.

Inter Ocean
The Presidents Hsw allan message recalls
the familiar coupl, about the tangled web
we weave when once we practice to deceive
| The document Is l4bored attempt to mis-
lead the American people by suppression
and inference.
| Not one word is said about the attempt
| of the Queen to abrogate by a royal fla,
the constitution of Hawai-, and of the opp
sition among her own c-bine. provoked by
| that attempt 10 overthrow the only safe
| guard Of liberty. Ii would not appear from
any thing contained in This message that Mr.
Cleveland regards that fact rs factor in
the situation. He ignores il as completely
AS if he were discussing the affairs of Bra
iii or China. Such suppression is the ira
| dtional policy of the ostrich with its head
stuck in the sand II really deceives no
one. The public know very well thst the
| II sw allan revolution was due TO that at
tempt to overthrow the constitution.
/ Thst the revolutionists were glad of y
chance to get rid Of their odious Queen is
undoubtedly true but that she and her i'm
me Hat fol 'o~ing furnished the very best
| of Just fi:ation is undeniabe. A monarch
could be guilty of no worse crime sxain't
the people than TO declare the constitution
| of the government abrogatea. For FIR less
serious offenses Charles lost his head 10
England and Louis in France. The Queer
was fortunate in beiog let off so lightly.
| The President discusses at great length
the question of annexa'ion, as if there were
no alternative but either TO restore the
| Queen or annex the il4nds. He NUT
| k ow that the two propositions are ditinct.
Mr.. Cleveland had right to
withdraw the treaty of annexation
| hich was pending before the ST nate
when be was inaugnra'ed, and to do as he
pleased with it. Whatever may be said of
| the wisdom or folly of his doing so, no one
can deny that in doing it he exercised su-
thority actuslly vested in him rs President
He could 20 farthrr and send MIR. Blount
or somebody else to Honolulu tn investi-
gate and report upon the facts and circum-
star ces of the case. But he had no right
to supersede a regular accredited minister
oy n personal agent charged with special
duty. That was clear violation IT the
law. The minister, and not the special
agent, was paramount Bat that usnr-
patton was so far eclipsei by subsequent
developments as to seem il. comp ,rison a
smsll mater. II was an encroachment ~
on the perogatiye of the Senate Of TIE
United States. But the Pref tents suisse
quent and main action, the ahdrtive attempt
/. overthros the existing government an /
re- stablish the monarchy, was an ioccm-
parably more serious matter.
The discussion OF til; Blonnt rerort takes
up great deal of space ia the message, but
is not III. vi,,l part of the situation in its
present stage of Development. That report
ha. been riiJlei by the bullets of criticism
until th.re is no; enough left of it to talk
about. Ii is p4rte and misleading.
But. passing by that rnoldy chestnut, the
message CONF to deal with the develop
.nents un tr Minister Willie. 1t is here
that the most reprebensiDle deception is at
tempted The Presidential weaver gives us
herein a rare specimen of web tangllng. He
could not bring himself TO incorporate with
the mes. age the confidential Instructions gis
en- 10 Willis whsn he deparsa d for his feel Of
duty, ard the press copies prepared by Sec
rotary Gresham were suppressed by White
House order. But all to no purpose. That
secret letter came out at the came time as
the mess &c and leaves no possible room to
doubt what was expected of Mr.. Willis.
He was to restore the Q iern, but at the
same time protect the revolutionists from
all punishment. the Cleveland Gresham
theory b. ing that President Dole and his as
sociatss were mere puppets in the hands Of
President Harrison and such of his subor-
dinate. - had TO do ia AIRY ssy 18th Hs-
waiian sffairs last winter.
The secretary of tate showed great irri-
| tasion ia his first dispatch ~ Willis after
the miscarriage of that Iragraun1e. and
| blamed him bitterly. he eyplana-
tons Of his fsiiure to carry il
out are withheld. The 5. nate and House
beth called for those letters among others,
but did not get them. The r-ss.n i, OBJ
vious. The President wants it opposed
that the reason ths Queen is nat on the
throne nov is bee use he refa.el to am
nesty Dole an hi. sssoeist q, when the
real fact is that che refused 10 resume the
crown unless guaranteed nr.,t -csipn against
the people of Haw-h, witch Mr. Willis
would not guarantee. That j. the plain
fact. and every word in the English Lam
guage might he ~ev, n into tsnal+ Of false
presenses without really d~cs iving the
American people As to the real reason
Cleveisnd's Hawaiian policy was an ute,
and disreputahle failure.