Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-02-27

| giving attention to Lilinokslani's claim that
this government bad alarmed her by the
| presence of its troops into the abiication of
her crown, believed that it was proper and
necessary in vindicaii,n of the honor of the
United States to appoint a commissioner to
Hawaii who would make careful investiga-
tlon into the facts and send the facts and
his conclusions to the President for his in
formation.
The commissioner, Mr.. Blount, went to
Haw all under circumstances of extreme
embarrassment and executed his instruc-
lions with impartial care to arrive at the
truth, ani he presented sincere and in
structive report 10 the President of the
United States touching the facts, the know
ledge of which he thus acquired. In the
agitatated state of opinion and feeling in
Hawaii at that time it was next to impos-
sible to obtain full, fair and free declafa-
ton in respect of the facts which attended
this revolution, and particularly was this
difficult to obtain from the persons who
actively participated in that movement.
The evidence submitted by the committee,
in addition to that which was presented by
Rlount, having been taken under circum-
stances more favorable to the development
of the whole truth with regard to the situa-
ton, has, in the opinion of the committee,
established the fact that the revolutionary
movements on Hawaii originated with I.ili-
uokalani. and was promoted, provided for,
and, as she believed, secured by the pas
sage of the opium bill AMI the lottery bill
through the Legislature, from which she
expected to derive a revenue sufficient to
secure the ultimate success of her purpose,
ioI IL po<l onJ IovscaI
to abolish the constitution of 1887, and to
assume to herself absolute power, free from
constitutional restraint of any serious char-
acter.
ga question has been made as to the
right of the President of the United States
to dispatch Mr.. Blount to Hawaii as his
personal representative for the purpose Of
seeking the further information which the
President believed was necessary in order
to arrive at a just conclusion regarding the
state of affsi,s in Hawa ali. Many precedents
could be quoted to show that such power
has been exercised by the Pres lent on vari-
ous occasions without dissent on the part of
Congress or the people of the United States
The precedents also show that the Senate
of the United States, though in session,
need not be consulted as to the appointment
of such agents, or as to the instructions
which the President may give them.
An authority was intrusted to Mr.. Blount
to remove the American flag from the gov
ernment building in Hawaii, and to disclaim
openly and practically the protectorate
which had been announced in the country
by Minister Stevens, and also to remove
the troops from Honolulu to the Boston.
This particular delegation of authority to
Blount was paramount over the authority
of Stevens, who was continued as minister
resident of the United States at Honolulu
and it raised the question whether the gov
eminent of the L nited States can have at
the same foreign capital two ministers, each
of whom shall exercise separate and special
powers.
"The committee fail to see that there is
any irregularity in such course as that, or
that the power given to Blount to withdraw
the troops from Honolulu or to lower the
flag of the United States was to any extent
either dangerous or interrupting to any
other lawful authority existing there in any
diplomatic or naval officer.
"There may be question as to the par
ticular wording of the order which Blouut
gave to Admiral Skerrett for lowering the
flag and the withdrawal of troops, but that is
because the substantial fact
was that Blount executed command of the
President in communicating to Skerrett
such an order As the order of the President
of the United States.
''In the public act by which the provis-
ional government of Hawaii was estab.
lished there was distinct declaration that
that governme mt was to continue until
Hawaii was annexed to the United States. |
That declaration, apart from every other
consideration, would have justified the
Unite States in an Interference for the |
protection of provisional government which |
would not have been tolerated under other |
circumstances.
"That declaration created an intimacy of |
relationship between the United States and |
the recognized government of Hawaii, |
which is entirely exceptional, and which |
placed within the reach and control of the |
United States very largely, if not entirely, |
the disposal of these que stions, collateral to |
that of annexation which might have inter
ferred with the peaceful and appropriate |
solution Of any difficulty which might arise
in its execution. So that the provisional |
government of Hawaii, having thus thrown
itself into the arms of the United States in
the first declaration of its existence, cannot
Justly complain that the United States
should scrutinize under the authority thus
given, all its pretensions of right thus to
dispose of an entire country and people.
"Under such circumstances the President
of the United States, believing the informa-
ton then in possession of the government
was not sufficient to justify summary an
nexation, could not have done justice to
himself, to his country, to the people Of
Hawaii, to the provisional government or
to Liliuokalani without having made an
effort to use his good offices for purpose of
whether it was practicable that
he Queen should DE restored to her author
ty, leaving the question to be determined
BY people interested in Hawaii whether res
oration should be acceptable to them or not.
"If Liliuokalani had been restored to her
hrone by the consent of members of the
provisional government, upon the terms
md conditions of the proposition which she
'igned and delivered to Mr.. Willis, the
Of the United States would not
iave been in a sense responsible for her re-
and would not have espoused the
nor would he have done any
hing that as contrary to American senti.
nent, opinion or policy. He would only
nave been mutual friend, sccepted really
L