The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-01-04
PRESIDENT DOLE'S ANSWER.
A Most Polite Refusal To President Cleveland's
Request
VERY DECISIVE AND DIPLOMATIC DC
Demand for the PROVISIONAL
Government to Step Down and Ou-Published
For he

thority of the prevailing party with
out reference to the merits of the
original controversy"
This principle of international law
has been consistently recognized dur
ing the whole past intercourse OF the
two countries, and was recently re-
affirmed in the instructions given by
Secretary Gresham to Commissioner
Blount on March IL, 1898, and by the
latter published in the newspapers III
Honolulu in a letter of his own TO the
Hawaiian public. The words of these
instructions which / refer to are us
follows: "The United States claim no
right to interfere in the political or
domestic affairs, or in the internal
conflicts of the Hawaiian Islands other
than as herein stated (referring to the
protection of American citizens), or
for the purpose of maintaining any
treaty or other rights which they pos
sess." The treaties between the two
countries confer. no right of inter-
ference.
Upon what then, Mr.. Minister, does
the President of the United States
base his right of interference ? Your
communication is without informa-
ton upon this point excepting such
as may be contained in the following
brief and vague sentences: She
(the eX-queen) was advised and as
sured by her ministers and leaders of
the movement for the overthrow of
her government that if she surren-
dered under protest, her case would
afterward be fairly considered by the
President of the United States. The
queen finally yielded to the armed
forces of the United States then quar-
tered in Honolulu, relying on the
good faith and honor of the President
when informed of what occurred, to
undo the action of the Minister and
reinstate her and the authority which
she claimed as the constitutional
sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands"
Also, "It becomes my further duty
the Provisional Government and your
Ministers, of the Presidents deter
mination of the question which your
action and that of the queen devOlved
u2On him, and that you are expected
to promptly relinquish to her her
constitutional authority" / under
stand that the first quotation is re-
ferred to in the following words of the
second: Which your action and
him" (the President of the United
States), and that the President
has arrived at his conclusions from
Commissioner Blount's report. We
have had, as yet, no opportunity of
examining this document; but, from
extracts published in the papers and
for reasons set forth hereafter, we are
not disposed to submit the fate of
Hawaii to its statements and conclu-
sions AS a matter of fact, no MEM
Der of the Executive of the Provisional
Government has conferred with the
ex-queen either verbally or otherwise
from the time that the new Govern
ment was proclaimed till now, with
the exception of one or two notices
which were sent to her by myself in
regard to her removal from the palace
and relating to the guards which the
Government first allowed her, and
perhaps others of q like nature. i
infer that con gersation which Mr..
Damon, then member of the Adj.
visory Council, is reported by Mr..
Blount to have had with the ex-queen
on January 18th, and which has been
quoted in the newspapers, is the basis
of this astounding claim of the Presi-
dent of the United States of his au-
thcrity to adjudicate upon our rights
as a Government to exist. Mr.. Damon,
on the occasion mentioned, was al
lowed to accompany the Cabinet of
the former Government, who had been
in conference with me and my associ-
dtcS, W A1cOI tAc cA-QuCOLit ne W6uC
informally, without instructions and
without authority to represent the
Government or to assure the ex-queen
"that if she surrendered under protest
her case would afterward be fairly
considered by the President of the
United States" Our ultimatum had
been already given to the members of
the ex.cabinet who had been in con-
ference with US. What Mr.. Damon
said to the ex-9ueen he said on his in
dividual responsibility, and did not
report it to us. Mr.. Blount's report
of his remarks on that occasion furn-
ished to the Government its first in
formation of the nature of those re-
marks. Admitting, for arguments
sake, that the Government had au-
thorized such assurances, what was
''her case' that was afterward to ''be
fairly considered by the President of
the United States?" Was it the ques-
ton of her right to- subvert the Ha-
waiian Constitution and to proclaim
a new one to suit herself, or was it her
claim to be restored to the sovereignty,
or was it her claim against the United
States for the alleged unwarraptable
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