The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1894-03-02
SIDE WITH STEVENS.
SENATE COMMITTEE ENDORSES
HIS ACTS IN HAWAII.
Majority Report on Hawaii Takes tho
President to Task = Senator Morgan's
Finding Not Endorsed by Messrs. Sher
man, Frye, Dolph and Davis.
Minority Blames Him.

The Senate's Hawaii Committee
submitted its reports-S00 printed
pages-Monday. The ma. ority finding,
written by Mr.. Morgan, justifies Mr..
Stevens actions except in prcclaiming
a protectorate, and finds nothing ir-
regular in the appointment of Mr..
Blount, but in effect avs the evidence
taken by the committee under more
favorable circumstances leads the COM
mittee to different conclusions than
those which he formed.
This report is concurred in as to all
its essential findings by the majority,
the Republican members of the COM
mittee- Senators Shell man, Frye,
Dolph and Davis. They condemn the
appointment of Con missioner Blount
as unconstitutional; say the executive
orders placing the navy in the harbor
of Honolulu under the orders of Mr..
Blount or Mr.. Willis were without au-
thority of law; that the order Of Blount
to Admiral Skerrett to lower the flag
was unlawful and susceptible of being
construed as unfriendly to the provis-
ional government, and regard the in
tercourse of Mr.. Blount and Mr.. Willis
with the depoSed Queen as viOlative of
international law and unwarranted.
They consider the President had no
right to reopen the predetermined le-
gality of the provis onal government,
and regard any discussion of the per
sonal Intentions" or good faith" of
eithe Mr.. Blount or Mr.. Willis as inn
material.
The report of Senators Butler, Tur-
pie, Daniel, and Gray dis ents from
that portion which declares:
The only substantial irreg ularity in the
conduct OF Mr. Stevens. the late Minister
was his declaration OF protectorate by
the United States over Hawaii
While exempt ng from censure Capt.
Wiltze of the Boston and his officers,
they add:
We can not avoid the conviction that the
Inopp rtune zeal Of Minister Stevens in the
project OF annexation caused him to eX-
coed the proper limits OF his official duty.
His C nduct was directly conducive to
bringing about the condition OF affairs
which resulted in the overthrow OF the
Queen. the equalization OF the provisional
government, the landing of the United
States troops, and the attempted scheme Ct
annexation; and upon this conclusion his
conduct is seriously reprehen ;ible and de-
serving OF public censure
Senat )rs Butler and Turpie file a
supp'e mental report, in which they
say they are heartily in favor of the
acoui ition Of these islands by the
United States in proper manner, but
not by taking advantage Of internal
discussions, for which they believe the
United Sta.es in some manner resrOn-
sible.
The conclusion OF the Morgan report
to which Messrs. Sherman, Frye,
Dolph, and Davis, the majority, dis
sent-is as follows:
Therefore your COMMITTEES concludes to
report that the Pre- -ident of the United
States has not. In this particular. in hny
wise been q party 10 any ire ,ularity or
any IMPROPERLY OF conduct I'm his high Of
fee. The committee also finds nothing
worthy of criticism in the negotiation OF
the treaty OF annexation with the provis-
ional government of Hawaii
In the opinion OF the committee, based
upon the evidence which accompanies
this report, the only substantial irregu-
larity that existed in the conduct OF any
officer OF the United States or agent Of the
President, during or since the time OF the
revolution OF 1893, was that of Minister
Stevens in declaring "A protectorate OF the
United States over Hawaii. and I'm placing
the nag VI our CouubrJ UPON lhe RoNcrn-
ment building of Honolulu. No actual
harm resulted from this unauthorized act.
but as n precedent IL IS not TO be coasid-
cred as being justified.
The committee has not considered it
necessary to present any resolutions
stating the conclusions indicated in the
report, and asks that it be discharged
from the further consideration of the
resolutions under which this report is
made.