St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-01
AID IT IS 40 GOOD, K0H0E. "
From the Sunday Globe.

From the sunday GLOBE.
WAsuINGroN, ID. c., Dec. 30.-The
Republican members OF the foreign at
fairs committee have completed the mi
nority report on the resolutions present
ed by Chairman McCreary Oh the day
congress adjourned, as a substitute for
the Hit resolution. The report was
prepared by Mr. Storcr. of Ohio, and is
signed by Messrs. Hit, Harmer, Blair,
Draper and Van Norhis, of New York.
1t is very voluminOus. and goes in detail
into the whole history OF Mr.. Blount5
appointment as commissioner para
mount and the course of the admins
tratiOn.
When President Cleveland was inau-
gurated March 4, 1898, says the report,
the IawaiianS were under the sover-
elgn control of republican govern
ment, already recognized not only by
the United States, but 10y every civil
lied nation. This government was i'll
name provisional, but in fact was to
remain in existence for an indefinite
period, until the time when terms of
union with the United States should
have been agreed upon. The minister
plemipotentiary of the United States to
Hawaii was in person at his post, and
the senate of the United States was in
session. The president sent to the sem
ate the name OF Mr.. Gresham as Secre-
tary OF state, and that body on March 5
confirmed the appointment. 1t was at
that time publicly stated, though rs yet
not officially known. that James NJ.
Blount started from Washington on
March on mission 10 the Hawaiian
islands with verbal
SECRET INSTRUCTIONS
from the president. Ii this be true, his
subsequent written instructions, rot
made public until November lasr, must
have been forwarded TO Mr.. Blount
after his departure from Washington,
as they bear date March II. The treaty
sent 10 the senate by the outgoing adj
mlnislratlon OH Feb. ii was withdrawn
by the president on March 9. between
the time of Mr.. Biount'S departure and
the date of his written Instructions.
Then follow copies of the instructions
TO Mr.. Blount, with Mr. Cleveland's
greeting to President Dole. The nara
i've then proceeds to relate Mr.. Blount's
action in hauling down the American
flag and the investigation which he
made. 1t then discusses at length the
presidents power to appoint diplo-
matte officer armed with powers given
10 Mr.. Blount without the consent of
the senate.
This, the report says, covers all that
is needed TO show how the president
ignored the plain language of the con-
stitutiOn. He has assumed to appoint
OF his own volition, without the advice
OF the senate, diplomatic officer
WITH PARAMOUNT POWERS.
To try to argue that Mr.. Blount was
not diplomatic officer of the United
States. but only my special commits
sioner," is idle. That would be to
sacrifice substance to form; to make the
bare title everything and the real facts
nothing. The powers assumed to be
granted constitute the real test of the
character of an agent. The minister of
the United States at that time at Ha-
wall mad been appointed under the con-
stitution by the president and confirmed
BY the senate. He had never been re-
moved. Leaving our minister nominally
in charge of the routine functiors, the
presidentsendsa a high diplomatic officer,
selected by himself alone. Should
the advocates of the presidents
policy try TO defend his action by
claiming that Mr.. Blount was only a
personal agent, and not public officer,
they must ignore the fact that Mr..
Blount was given supreme command of
both our navy and our flag. Can any