Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1894-02-21
D0LE'S ANSWER TO WILLIS.
He Makes a Sharp Attack on President
GIeVeand'S Policy in Hawaiian
Affairs
Affairs.

DAN FRANCISCO, Odl., rep. IO.-AC-
vices received from Honolulu to Feb
ruary by the steamer Alameda to- day
give the full text of President Dole's let
ter to Minister Willis in reply to the
latter's request for specifications of the
statements made in the previous letter
from Dole in regard to the attitude of
the United States government. Dole's
letter is very lengthy. He says:
In compliance With your request for GER
tain specifications concerning my letter Of
December %, / reply thereto as follows:
You enquire as to the meaning of the word
latitude" as used in my letter. | reply
that word was used by me in its or
dinarily accepted sense, meaning bear
ing posture os as Indicating nafdrEad the R1
further say, "will you point out where and
when and how the representative of the
United States assumed any attitude toward
the supporters of the provisional govern
ment or that government itself other than
one essentially and designedly expressive of
peace"' In reply | would say that the
attitude of the person is to be ascertained
only by differences drawn from the known
words and acts of such q person and the
conditions and circumstances under which
they take place
Dole then states the following:
/. The treaty of annexation had been
negotiated between the provisional govern
ment and the United States government and
presented to the Senate for ratification.
This treaty was withdrawn by President
Cleveland Immediately upon his entering
office, without prior notice to this govern
ment or its representatives of his intention
SO to do, or of his reasons for such action.
2. Immediately thereafter the President
appointed Hon. James Ill. BlOunt special
commissioner to Hawaii to investigate the
condition of affairs at Hawaii. knowledge
Of such appointment was withheld from
the representative of this government at
Washington. The press having announced
the appointment the Hawaiian representa-
tive applied to the State Department. for in
formation concerning the same. The Secre-
tary refused to state the objects of the mis-
S1onary or even to admit that a commits
sioner had been appointed
). On the 18th day Of June, 1898, Mr.
Thurston, the Hawaiian minister at Wash
lngton, addressed a communication to Mr.
Gresham, secretary of state in which the
following language Is used, viz: 81 am di-
rected by my government to represent to
you that while, the Hawaiian govern
ment has full confidence in the
good faith of the United States toward
Hawaii in and concerning its treatn ent of
the relations between the two countries it
seems proper that it should be informed as
tOthe effect the present uncertainty as to the
the situation in Hawaii. 1t is important
for the Hawaiian government TO know the
intentions of the United States government
concerning annexation at as early date as
possible; and if annexation is not to take
place, methods of treating the local condi-
lions in Hawaii must be radically different
from those to be pursued if annexation is to
take place" No reply has ever been made
to such communication.
4. Upon the arrival of Mr.. Blount in this
country he did not communicate in any
manner or communicate to the Hawaiian
government that his Investigations were to
be directed toward the right of the exist
enCe of the government TO whom he was ac-
credited. All of his investigations and eX-
amlnatOnS were private and such persons
only were examined as he chose to call.
3. Examination OF his report, since pub
lished, shows that there are statements by
approximately sixty royalist and twenty
supporters Of the provisional government;
that he had obtained no statement from the
four members of the cabinet voted out be-
fore the revolutionary attempt Of the queen,
although he has obtained an exhaustive
statement from their rOyalist successors.
Dole next refers to the final report
made by Blount and says that it is dis
tinctly hostile to the provisional gov
eminent, and that the provisional
government has never been requested
to give an explanation of the charges
preferred by BlOunt or any opportunity
to reply to them. In regard to
Gresham's letter to President Cleveland
last October, Dole says:
You have intimated that the foregoing
letter, being a domestic transaction, is not
the subject of diplomatic consideration. [
must submit, however, that a communica-
ton from the chief of the Department Of
State to the President, in which
he charged this government and
timidity and fraud, and recommends It's
subversion, which letter is officially fur
nished to and published by the public press,
without any information concerning the
same being afforded to this government is
not domestic transaction" and is an
eminently proper subject for inquiry
on the part Of this government as to the in
tentions Of your government concerning
subject matter. On November II Mr.. Thurs
ton, the Hawaiian minister at Washing
ton, called upon the secretary of state
and inquired if the above letter was au-
thentic, and was assured by Mr.. Gresh-
am that it was. Mr.. Thurston then
said: 81 wish then to further ask whether
1t is the intention of the United States gov
ern to carry out the policy therein indi-
Gated by force, or in other words, whether,
II the provisional government declines
to accede to the request of the
United States government to vacate in
favor Of the Queen the United States troops
viii DE used to enforce the request?" We
state that IhurstOn received no satisfactory
answer TO this question.