The Portland daily press., 1894-01-15
THE PRESS.
MONDAY. JANUARY Is.
THE PRESIDENT, NOT WILLIS, RE-
SPONSIBLE

A correspondent of the Advertiser I'M
dertakes to relieve the President OF re-
sponsiiblity for Minister Willis's demand
upon the provisional government by al
leging that Willis in doing as he did,
exceeded his instructions This is the
correspondents language:
He (Wiliis) followed This instructions
up to the point where the Queen refused
to sign the agreement which Mr.. Cleve
land insisted on as condition precedent
to any aid he was to give her, and in
forwarding his despatch to that effect to
Washington. Should he not then have
waited for further instructions before
taking any action whatever, no matter
what new move the Queen might make.
He should shaye, because he knew the
latest news the President had was that
of the Queens refusal which left Mr..
Cleveland entirely free from any obllga-
tions to her, and he. Willis, could not
know what would be done at Washing
ton until the reply to his despatch with
its further instructions should reach him.
One must think the President has a
right to blame Mr.. Willis for going ahead
without authority.
The Advertiser regards this as "a point
well taken," and so it would be, if lit
were true that Mr.. Willis did not wait for
further instructions after the Queen's
first refusal. But that is not true. Mr..
Willis's demand on the provisional gov
eminent was made in pursuance of def
mite instructions sent to him by Secre-
tary Gresham after the latter knew that
the Queen had refused the amnesty con-
dition of the President, after he knew
that the Queen had insisted that the
members of the provisional government
must be beheaded and their property
coniscated. The evidence of this fact is
conclusive, as we shall proceed to show.
On the nineteenth of December, Presi-
dent Cleveland transmitted to Congress
oil the Hawaiian correspondence except
ing two dispatches, one from Minister
Willis of the date of November 16, and
one from Minister Stevens, which has no
bearing on the question at ISSUE When
the correspondence was examined not a
single despatch from Willis was found in
it, showing conclusively that up to De-
Gem Der 10 Willis had sent none. except
the one of November 16, which was sup
pressed. The despatch of November 16
has now been made public and contains
information that Queen had refused to
accept the Presidents conditions
On Novem&si, "a, Secretary Gresham
telegraphed to San Francisco the follow
ing despatch to h. sent to Minister Willis
by steamer which was to sail the next
day:
The brevity and uncertainty of your
telegram are embarrassing. You will
insist upon amnesty and recognition of
obligations of the provisional govern
ment as essential conditions of restora-
tion. All interests will be promoted by
prompt action.
The Alameda had arrived at San Fran
cisco on the 23d. bringing Honolulu
dates of November 16, the date of Min
lister Willis's despatch. Nh Willis's
despatch detailing his inter-
view with the Queen in which she had
refused the Presidents conditions ca ne
on that steamer, and along with it as
appears from the despatch as now pub
lished telegram in cipher as follows:
"Views of first party SO extreme as to
require further Instructions
This cipher was telegraphed from San
Francisco to Secretary Gresham in adj
vance of the full despatch which was for
warded by mail and it was this he was
replying TO when he complained that it's
brevity was embarrassing Secretary
Gresham had forwarded his reply and it
had gone on the steamer which sailed the
twenty fifth when he got Willis's full re-
port of the interview with the Queen. He
then wrote these instructions to Mr.. Will
lis and forwarded them by the Corwin,
which sailed on December 4
Your despatch which was answered by
steamerson the 25th of Noveul Der. seems
TO call for additional instructions
Should the Queen refuse assent to the
written conditions. yu will at once in
form her that thesPresident will cease in
terposltion in her behalf, and that while
he deems 1t his duty to endeayor to re-