The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-26

United States, touching the facts, the
knowledge of which he thus acquired.
HARD TASK.
In the agitated state of opinion and feeling
in Hawaii at that time it was next to inn
possible to obtain full, Air, and free declar-
alton in respect of the facts which attended
this revolution, and particularly was this
difficult to obtain from the persons who
actively participated in that movement.
The evidence submitted by the committee,
in addition to that which was presented by
Mr.. Blount having been taken under cir
cumstances more favorable to the develop
nent of the whole truth with regard to the
sitnation, has in the opinion of the commit
tee. established the fact that the reyo-
lutionary movement in Hawaii orlgl-
mated with Liliuokalani, and was pro
NOTED, provided for, and, as she
opium bill and the lottery bill through the
Legislature, from which she expected to de-
rive revenue sufficient to secure the ultl-
mate success of her purpose, which was dis
tinctly and maturely devised to abolish the
constitution of 1887, and to assume to her
self absolute power, free from constitutional
restraint ST any serious character.
THE PRESIDENTS RIGHT.
A question has been made as to the right
of the President of the United States to dis
patch Mr. Blount to Hawaii as his personal
representative for the purpose of seeking the
further information which the President be-
lieved was necessary in order to arrive at a
inst conclusion regarding the state of affairs
in Hawaii. Many Eprecedents could be
quoted to show that such power has been ex-
ercised by the President on various occasions
without dissent on the part of Congress or
the people of the United States.
These precedents also show that the Sen :
ate of the United States, though in session,
need not be consulted as to the appointment
of such agents, or as to the instructions
which the President may give them.
An authority was intrusted to Mr. Blount
to remove the American flag from the Gov
ernment building in Hawaii and to disclalm
openly and practically the protectorate which
had been announced in that country by Min
lister Stevens, and also to remove the troops
sTom Honolulu to the steamer Boston.
The particular delegation of authority
to Mr.. Blount was paramount over the
authority of Mr.. Stevens, who was continued
as Minister Resident of the United States at
Honolulu, and it raised the question whether
the Government of the United States can
have at the same foreign capital two
Ministers, each of whom shall exercise
separate and special powers.
NO IRREGULARITY.
The committee fail to see that there is any
irregularity in such course as that OF that
the power given to Mr.. Blount to withdraw
the troops from Honolulu or to lower the
nag OIL UL9 Culb6Q 0Dduco Wtto " any SAoSAo
either dangerous or interrupting to any
other lawful authority existing there
in any diplomatic or naval officer.
There may be question as to the particular
wording ofthe order which Mr.. Blount gave
to Admiral Skerrett for the lowering of the
flag and the withdrawal OF the troops, but
that is hypercriticism, because the sub
stantial fact was that Mr.. Blount executed
the command of the President in communi-
eating to Admiral Skerrett such order, as
the order of the President of the United
States.
In the public act by which the Provisional
Government of Hawaii was established
there with a distinct declaration that that
government was to continue until Hawaii
was annexed to the United States. That de-
claration, apart from every other considera-
ton, would have justified the United States
in an interference for the protection of the
Provisional Government which would
other circumstances That declaration
created an intimacy of relationship between
the United States and the recognized Gov
ernment of Hawaii which is entirely excep-
tional, and which placed within the reach
and control of the United States very large
ly, if not entirely, the disposal of these ques-
tions collateral to that of annexation which
might have interfered with the peace
full and appropriate solution of
any difficulty which might arise in
its execution. So that the Provisional
Government of Hawaii, having thus thrown
herself into the arms of the United States
in the first declaration of its existence can
not justly complain that the United states
should scrutinize, under the authority thus
given, all its pretensions of right thus to
dispose of an entire country and people.
CLEVELAND JUSTIFIED.
Under such circumstances the President OF
the United States, believing that the infor-
nation then in possession OF the Govern
ment was not sufficient to justify summary
annexation, could not have done justice to
himself, to his country, to the people OF
Hawaii, to the Provisional Government, or
to Liliuokalani, without having made an
effort to use his good offices for the purpose
of ascertaining whether it was prac-
ticable that the queen shpuld be
restored to her authority, leaving tne ques-
tion to be determined by the people inter
ested in Hawaii whether such restoration
would be acceptable to them or not Ii Lii
iuokalani had been restored to her throne by
the consent of the membership of the Pro
visional Government, upon the terms and
conditions of the proposition which she
signed and delivered to Mr. Willis, the Presi-
dent of tho United States would not
have been in any sense responsible
for her restoration, would not have espoused
the Monarchy, nor would he have done any
thing that was contradictory of American
sentiment, opinion or policy. He would
only have been the mutual friend, accented,
really, by both parties, whose intervention
would have secured, with their consent, the
consent, the final solution of that question.
APPROVAL OF THE PRESIDENTS CONDUCT.
In the absence of such committal on his
part to the claims of L1liuckalani or resist
ance on his part to the recognized rights of
the Provisional Government there is no
reason for Withholding approval of the
conduct of the President of the United
States in thus accepting and executing a
function which he was entitled to per-
form, in submitting the question in due and
| final form to the contending parties or fac
tions in Hawaii, whether they preferred to
maintain the authority of the Provisional
Government, with whatever results may fol-
low from that, or return to the monarchy
under Liliuokalani.
Therefore your committee conclude to re-
port that the President of the United States
has not, in this particular, in any wise been
| party to any irregularity or any impro-
priety of conduct in his high office.
The committee also find nothing worthy of
criticism in the negotiations OF the treaty of
annexation with the Provisional Govern
ment of Hawaii.
STEVENS CRITICISED.
In the opinion of the committee, based
report, the only substantial irregularity that
existed in the, conduct of any officer of the
United States, ,sor agent of the President
during or since the time of the revolution of
1898, was that Of Minister Stevens
in declaring a protectorate of the
United States over Hawaii, and
=, x,loo;n1 tho Aao of oa,r ro11utru 11non