Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-03-28

Ame1ican. mari e. from "a uding the Ha-
~ni1n eovelnm nj building. which COL sd
tuted the entirety Of Ill that was intended
BY the pro :lamalion of FeDru4rj l.
The BaJarL dispatch OF July, 1887, the
latest distraction then ON file at the Homo
lolu legation. held the Z lifted States minis
ter and naval comm 4nder, mot only respon-
sible for the protecri IN of American life
and property, but for the non-intefruption
of American commerce. and for the preser-
va'ion Of pablo order. This plainly in
plies kind of Uait.i States protectorat.
over the islands. Tits view Of ULited
States relations to Hawaii i, clearly stated
in the able report Of Senator Morgan, the
chair~an of the Senate. committee Of for
eign off sirs. That report says:
"Hawsii il an American state, and 10
embraced in the American commercial and
military rystem."
Referring to past .Uaited States official
declar ions, Senator Norgan's report says:
ssTbis 10 ut least moral suzerainty over
Hawaii"
Ags 10 the Senate report declares:
without stating the reasons for this
policy, which included very important COM
meroial and military considerations, the at
titude of the United States towards Hswaii
was 10 moral effect tina. of friendly pro-
tectorate."
"Apprehen.i ,ns civil disturbance 10 Ha-
wau caused the United States to keep ships
Of war in Honolulu for many years past. al
most without intermissiop, and the instfuc-
tons that we're given to our diplomatic and
consular officers and to the naval com mand-
ers on that citation, went bay 0nd the custom
ary instructions applicable to other coun-
tries. The cause of this departure from
our general course of diplomatic conduct is
the recognized fact that Hawaii has been all
the time under virtual SUI rainty of the
United States, u hich is by an apt and ia.
miliar definition, q paramount authority,
not ia any actual sense an actual sovereign
ty, but . de facto supremacy over the
country"
sin country where there is no power
,pf the law to protect the citizens OF the
United States there Gun be no law of ma
tons nor any rule of Gently that can right
fully prevent our flag from gicing shelter
to them under the protection Of our arms,
and this without reference to any distress
it may give to the Green. who generated
the confuti,n or any advantage it might
give to the people who are disputiog her
right to resume or to hold her regal power"
Report of Senate committee Of foreign
relations.
Thus it il plain and conclusive from the
long maintained policy of the United States
and from the ably elaborated views put in
form by Secretary Bayard and Chairman
Morgan, that the American minister and
naval commander at Honolulu, amid the crit
ical days and exciting events of January and
February 1898, were fully authorized to uf e
exceptional powers, and in no respects did
they exceed the limits of their authority
and duties in what they really did. Under
the brief proclamaii IN they did two things,
and only two, viz: they raised the United
States flag over the government building,
and guarded it by the marines who had
then been on shore two weeks, for this was
deemed the most effective means to pass a
grave crisis threatening American life and
property as well a. public order. This
was not protectorate in the
recognized European and technical
sense, and ii was expressly understood by
the provisional government and the Ameri-
can officials that it should not be. and the
subsequent instructions of Secretary Foster
we're that our authority went no farther
than that. The record therefore shows
conclusively, that Secretary Foster did not
order the taking down of the American flag
nor the removal of the naval marines from
guarding the government building. Thus
was maintained complete harmony between
the spirit and terms of the language of
Secretaries Bayard and Foster, Chsirman
Morgan, and the acts of Minister Stevens
and Captain Wiltse of the Boston.
1t 10 therefore clear and incoutrovertible
that the raising the flag of temporary pro-
lection over the Hawaiian government
building to maintain public order and Sc
cure American life and property cannot
justly be considered greater assumption
of United States authority than keeping
United States ships of war in the harbOr
within few hundred yards of the govern
ment building, with the express understand
ing and avowal that the armed force of
those vessels will land at the discretion and
order of the American officials, and take
the measures they deem most effective
for the maintenance of public or
DIR and the security Of American
life and property. Those are only
different ways of accomplishing the same
results. In either case they are exception
al exercises of American authority, arising
from the exceptional relations of the
United States to Hawaii. Certsin it il, the
United States intervention at Honolulu by
Minister Stevens and Captain Wiltse was
much less than what was continually TAX
ing place in the nine months immediately
following the arrival of Commissioner
Bl0unt at Honolulu.
john L. STEVENS.