The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-02-02
THE PRESS AND THE DIPLOMATS.


posed to take any action regarding
the treatment of foreign diplomats
and the head of a foreign power, by
the newspaper press of this city.
The Attorney General and the
President replied in very sensible
way, expressing their regret that
the heat of politics should lead any
one into expressions which there
might later be occasion to regret.
w. o. Smith stated that there had
been occasional complaints by dip
lomats, and the Government had
been compelled to tell them that
the Administration had no official
organ, and no control over the
newspapers beyond what was con-
tanned in the general law of libel.
President Dole said that in the
peculiar and anomalous relations
existing between Hawaii and the
United States it was almost i'm
possible to avoid the use of strong
expressions in the press.
The whole question opens up
most interesting topic for discus
sion. We do not find much to
quarrel with in the theory of Mr..
Browns enquiry. No doubt dip!o-
mats are entitled in general to
courtesy a. the hands of the foreign
press. They cannot assume the
manners of the staggering street
BLACKBOARD and adjust their differ
ences according to the code of foot
pads. Common decency and self
respect preclude them from such
course. As a consequence the
newspapers should treat them as
considerably as possible, and
especially should avoid the use of
language which might involve the
home Government in international
complications.
At the same time it is very diff
cult to make any application of
these principles to the present sit
uation, just because this situation
is itself without all precedent. 1t
would certainly be impossible to
say that President Cleveland and
his Minister have conducted them
selves in a diplomatic manner to-
wards this country. On the con-
trary, they have grossly and
wantonly violated not merely
every usage of diplomatic courtesy,
but every principle of international
law. The United States Minister
Plenipotentiary and Envoy Ezra
ordinary has actually entered, in
behalf of his own Government and
without the knowledge or consent
of the Hawaiian Government, into
a negotiation with a private person,
with a view to placing that person
at the head of the Hawaiian Gov
eminent. This was more than
violation of diplomatic usage. 1t
was an outrage, which never would
have been attempted toward any
nation but a weak one, nor en-
dured by any other. 1t is not our
present purpose to discuss this
matter, but merely to show that it
estops the United States from
complaining of what might other
wise seem an unwarranted license
of the press.
1t is interesting to note that so
far as the ADVERTISER is concerned,
the bulk of its severe comments on
Minister Willis or President Cleve-
land has been clipped from the
American papers, frequently of the
Administrations own party. More
over, we have rejected much of this
comment, on the ground that it
was too harsh and too unsparing
to be In harmony with our own
milder manners aud methods. By
comparison with the waters of Bit
terness which flow from the Ameri-
can papers, our own gentle utter
ances must come to the wincing
diplomats as consoIingly as Mother