The sun., 1894-01-11

were expected TO receive, &C the hanus OF
MIR. WILLIS. You can see. said the cuckoo
press. that by these Instructions. the Min
lister is explicitly ordered not to use force
in any event. while the special message
relegates the whole Hawaiian business TO
Congress. When we come. however. to
scrutinige the text OF the instructions in
question, we find that the only allueion to
the use OF force is this: Should the
"Queen." meaning Mrs. DoMISIs, the re-
pudiated native ruler, ask whether the
United States would forcibly reinstate
her in case the Provisional Government
should decline TO abdlcate. Mr.. WILLIS
was ordered to inform her that the Presl-
dent had no power to use force, with
out the authority OF Congress. That 10 nb-
solutely the only reference to force In the
document. We pointed out some days ago
that Mr.. WILLIS was not instructed or au-
thorized to inform the members OF the Pro-
| yisional Government also that he was un-
able to use force. although they certainly
were as much interested in learning tho
fact ne Mrs. DoMINIs. From this significant
omission we also draw the inference that
| MIR. WILLIS was authorized and expected
TO insure compliance with his demand for
the surrender Of the Hawaiian Government.
by carefully concealing from it what he was
permitted to tell Mrs. DoMIN1s. and by en-
couraging the belief that he could, and
would. use force to carry out the so-called
"decision" Of Mr.. CLEVELAND.
That this is just what occurred. we now
know by the latest news from Honolulu.
| From Dec. IA, when the Corwin arrived
bearing the instructions dated Dec. 8, until
Dec. "a. when the Alameda brought the
special message and the Presidents tardy
confession that he was powerless to use
| force without the sanction Of Congress.
| there was not soul in Honolulu. with the
| possible exception Of Mrs. DoMINIs. who
| had not reason to believe that the use
| OF force was intended In case VIII
LIs's insolent demand for the abdica-
| tlon OF the Hawaiian Government should
| be treated with the contempt that 1t de-
served Every reported word and act OF
WILLIS during the interval was calculated to
| siren & then the belief; and. on the 10th. when
| he ordered Mr.. CLEvELAND's great and
| good friend" President DOLE. to commit
| political suicide. the American war ships in
| the harbor we're ostentatiously prepared
| for action, the marines made ready for land
| Ing. and the guns trained upon the palace.
| It Is impossible for q threat OF force to be
more studiously and impressively made
| than one was made by WILLIS; and, cons!d-
| erlng tho inilammable state Of public feel
| ing In Honolulu. such threat OF force was
an atrocious crime against civilization The
| obvious and therefore. we must believe. the
| intended effect Of such threat was to pro-
| woke riot and bloodshcd on the part OF the
| partisans OF Mrs. DoMINIs. and thus to af-
| ford basis for the employment OF Ameri-
| can soldiers on the old pretext OF restoring
| order. 1t is amazing that, under such cir
| cumstances. no collision should have taken
place between the supporters OF the Ha-
waiian Government and the deposed
Queens adherents; We can account for the
fact only upon the ground that the phys
ical force and the moral influence Of the
Provisional Government are even more
overwhelming than has been supposed.
When the Alameda arrived on Dec. ~, and
the special message revealed the Presidents
reluctant recognition that he was q much
smaller parsonage than he had imagined.
and that. as q matter Of constitutional law.
he could not fire popgun against friendly
Government without the sanction Of Con-
gress. there came great revulsion OF feel
ing over Honolulu. 1t was then perceived
that the truculent words and acts Of Mr..
WILLIS had been OF the dime museum type.
and that the preparation OF the American
war ships for action had simply been stage
business Of an opera-bouffe complexion. In
other words. the great American republic
had been needlessly and wantonly degraded
through the attempt OF Its Minister to ter
rorize a weak State by threats which he
had neither the power nor the intention OF
fulfilling. For week, between Dec. IA and
Dec. %. Mr.. WILLIS stood forth n porten-
tous figure brandishing revolution and mas
sacre in his red right hand: at the end OF
the week the whole lime-light illusion had
vanished. disclosing the American Minister
as a scarecrow and a laughing stock.
1t Is not. OF course. possible for Mr.. VIII
LIS to escape his share Of the shame and
ridicule into which the Hawaiian business
has plunged the CLEVELAND Admlnstra-
tion. But his share is that of an agent, not
OF principal There Is not an atom OF evil
dence that he has exceeded or diverged a
hairs breadth from his instructions, either
In the letter or the spirit. On the contrary,
his judicious caution and discreet procras-
tination during November. frustrated Mr..
CLEvELASD's original plan. which was to
overturn the Hawaiian Government and to
replace the vicious Mrs. DoMISIs on the
throne which she had disgraced. before the
assembling OF Congress on Dec. 4. For the
threats subsequently made by the Minister
In word or act, and for the equally sinister
concealment Of his inability to use the force
which he displayed. there Is not doubt
that Mr. WILLIS can show ample and con-
elusive warrant in the written or verbal In
structions OF the President. He is not OF the
stuff whereof scapegOats are made. With
the means OF self-exculpation In his hands.
he will not let himself be sacrificed to shield
the ignorance. pig -headedness. or double
dealing OF an official superior.