The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-04-10

sponge and reluctantly gave in its ad
hesion to the doctrine of non-interfer-
ence.
THE intense interest in our fate
which was displayed Throughout that
vast country, and the extreme avidity
with which every scrap of information
was sought for was surprising; but
what was more wonderful was the
fact that this interest was kept up
month after month without any de-
cline. Even the tariff question did
not displace it. 1t was the time for
campaign of education" Annex
ton was the favorite subject of debate
in all the literary societies and debat.
ing clubs in the land. 1t was certainly
the greatest advertisement these ISL
ands ever received. AT length, as
you remember, the regular session of
Congress opened, ana the Presidents
annual message was published, De-
cember 4th, the day before the Corwin
sailed on her memorable trip to these
islands. The succeeding events are
still fresh in your minds. Both houses
of Congress promptly called for in
formation, and nearly the whole cor
respondence of both the State Depart.
ment and the Navy Department re
lating 70 these islands for ten years
past, was laid before them and print
ed. Senator Morgan then had reso-
luton passed, authorizing an investi-
! CATION by the Senate Committee on
| Foreign A fairs, of whi:h he is chair
man, and commenced taking evi
dence January ID. You are all fami-
| liar with the work of that committee
and its final report in our favor. The
selection of that subcommittee could
not have been better, presided over as
| it was by the illustrious Senator from
Alabama, with such distinguished
representatives of his own party as
Senator Gray of Delaware, and Butler
of South Carolina, and of the Republi-
can party as Sherman of Ohio and
Frye of Maine. The examination
was conducted with the utmost cour-
tesy and fairness, but (as the chief
victim) I am sorry to say that the
reporting of the testimony was very
poorly done.
Nothing that L can say will add
or detract from the reputation
of Senator Morgan, but L can
not refrain from expressing my
admiration of him. A brave and
chivalrous officer in the Confederate
Army during the Civil War, he has
since won higher laurels as states
man and Il patriot. While he is gen.
orally considered the ablest member
of his party in Congress and high
authority on international law, he is
respected by all parties for the purity
and nobility of his character and his
fran1nnn a1
bigotry. No statesman since Seward
has taken broader or more efar-reaching
views of the interests of the whole
country, or is more jealous of the
honor of the national flag. The trou-
been the inevitable tendency to
make it the football of party politics;
to use it either to blacken the last ad-
ministration or to make party capital
for the next elections. Senator Nor
gan expects, during this Congress, to
carry through the Nicaragua Canal
Bill, with which the future of these
islands is so intimately connected
The so-called Turpie resolution,
agreed TO by eight out of the nine
members of the Senate Committee on
Foreign Relations,is all that we could
expect, and will undoubtedly pass the
Senate with but little opposition.
You are, no doubt, aware hat seven
out of the nine members of the COM
mittee have declared in favor of tie
principles of annexation.
A similar non-partizan resolution
which was proposed in the House of
Representatives by Holman, of Indi-
ana, was modified under pressure
from the Administrator into the self
contradictory and absurd McCreary
resolution, which was passed with the
greatest difficulty under the party
lash after two days vain attempts TO
muster quorum. The circumstances
attending the passage deprived it of
all moral weight. 1t called forth,
however, eloquent and statesmanlike |
speeches from Mr.. Hit, of Illinois,
and General Sickles, of New York. |
Mr.. Hit called attention to the fact |
that France was under a Provisional |
Government from 1870 to 1875, and |
General Sickles, after reviewing the |
annexation policy of the Democratic /
party in its palmy days, closed by |
saying: "No resolutions which we |
may pass now or hereafter can charge
the irrevocable decree of destiny that |
those islands shall become a part of |
the United States"
The result of the Corwin's trip
(which was not known until it Was |
telegraphed from Vancouver on Jan. |
9TH added fuel to the flame of popular
Indignation. AS the particulars gra-
dually came to light, the current of
public opinion became more over
whelming than ever, and the publica-
tion on Jan. 18th of Minister Willis
long-withheld despatch No. 8, of Nov.
18th, gave the finishing stroke to the
cause of monarchy. Thenceforth no
member of either house of Congress
dared to rise in his place and advocate
restoration. The country certainly
owes a debt of gratitude to the Amer
can Minister, whose dispatches have
such Invaluable service to
our cause. They evince a candor and
and an insight into
II 1Essar. .~.aNs Il T..l,