The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-07
Has Mr.. Cleveland Been Tricky in the
Hawaiian Businessy

II the reports which reach us from Homo
| lulu. by way OF Auckland and San Fran
cisco. are well founded. it will be hard to
repel the inference that the President has
treated Congress with degree OF duplicity
and bad faith that will call for the severest
| reprobation. That the reports are we'll
| founded is indicated by the dispatches from
| Washington this morning.
According to the telegram from Auck-
land. Minister WILLIS had demanded the
| abdication OF the Provisional Hawaiian
| Government In favor Of the debauched col
| ored woman who had been deposed. Ac-
| cording to one Of the crew Of the revenue
cutter Corwin. there was big row on in
Honolulu" on Dec. 90. when the vessel
sailed. aud. according to the Captain OF the
Corwin. although LILIUoKA LAM had not
been restored on that day. she may be now"
The significance OF the date will appear.
when we consider what had previously oc-
Cured In Washington. One of the first acts
OF the Senate. after reassembling on Dec. 4.
was to call for all the papers connected with
the Hawaiian affair. q proceeding well I'M
derstood on all hands to be tantamount to q
warning to the Executive not to violate the
Constitution by committing an act OF war
without the previous sanction OF Congress.
The President waited two weeks before
obeying this legitimate demand. but,
when he obeyed it. he submitted a special
message indicating the tardy acquisi-
ton OF some knowledge regarding his
constitutional limitations. In this mes
sage he declared his willingness to
cooperate with Congress In settling
the Hawaiian affair. a declaration admitted
by his defender. Senator GRAY. to be equiv
alent to a statement that his individual eff
forts as President to that end had ceased.
But did Mr.. CLEVELAND mean that his
illegal efforts to upset friendly Govern
ment would cease on and after the day
when the Hawaiian documents and the ac-
companying special message were delivered
to the Senate or that they had ceased. as
they should have ceased. on the day. two
weeks earlier. when the documents were
called for. and lesson In constitutional law
was thereby administered TO the Executive
Which answer shall be given to the ques-
ton will make all the difference in the
world in the judgment Of Congress and the
people on Mr.. CLEvELASDs character and
conduct. There was ample time between
the day on which the papers were de-
manded by the Senate and the day after
Christmas, when Minister WILLIS is said to
have committed an unlawful act, for Mr..
CLEVELAND to instruct his emissary to let
the Hawaiian Government alone II he did
not do SO. he must be presumed to have
delayed for a fortnight answering the
Senates demand. from tine dishonorable
hope that while. In his special mes
sage. he would pretend a Willingness to re-
call his instructions. they might. In fact.
have been executed during the interval de-
liberately planned. IT, upon receiving the
Senate's demand for the papers, Mr.. CLEvE-
LAND did not Immediately notify Minister
WILLIS to refrain from summOning the
Hawaiian Government to abdicate. he must
have expected his envoy to carry out his
latest instructions. which were those OF
Dec. 8. Now those instructions OF Dec 8.
which were cunningly penned on the day
before Congress was to reassemble-on the
day. that is. before the Federal legislature
could arrest the Executives unlawful pur-
pOse-far from relieving WILLIS from the
duty primarily imposed. expressly directed
him to carry out the original programme.
Mr.. CLEVELAND had, indeed. by this time,
learned something about the constitutional
restrictions OF his powers. and. accordingly,
WILLIS is told TO inform the Queen that The
President cannot use force without the au-
thority OF Congress. But he is not told to
make any such admission TO the Hawaiian
Provisional Government, which. on the con-
trary. is left to entertain the natural sun
position that our war ships are in the haT-
Dor OF Honolulu for the express purpose Of
enforcing our Minister'S unlawful demand
for the Governments abdication. WILLIS.
in fact, is distinctly ordered in the in
structions Of Dec 8. in case the Ha-
waiian Government should repudiate the |