Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-01-18
Where It Belongs.

1t is now determined that the Ha-
wai.an question has been turned over
to congress, and there the whole mat
ter may be allowed to rest.
But for the desire of Gresham, the
Republican secretary of state, to make
a point against Harrison, who was his
competitor for the Republican nominal
ton, the Democratic administration
would not now have to bear the burden
of silly and farcical attempt to med
die with matters altogether beyond its
province.
Gresham, however, is Republican.
He had been a candidate for the Re-
publican nomination for president, and
his ambition had been crossed by the
success of Benjamin Harrison. As the
head of Democratic cabinet, Mr..
Gresham thought he saw favorable
opportunity to hit his old opponent a
blow with his western bludgeon.
Stevens, the American minister, may
have made a serious blunder by his &C
tivity in favor of the revolutionary gov
eminent, but it was blunder that
could only be remedied by ID congress
sional investigation having for its pur-
pose the censure of Stevens and the
disavowal of his action by the govern
ment.
There was only one course to be pur-
sued, and that was for the president to
turn the whole matter over to congress,
as the only power competent to deal
with such a complication. But this
did not fit the ideas of Gresham. He
outlined the policy to be pursued in a
letter to Mr.. Cleveland, and on the
strength of the representations made
in that letter, the Republican secretary
of state was permitted to formulate his
celebrated plan of righting one wrong
by committing the Democratic admin
istration te another wrong equally as
senseless and equally as Unnecessary.
Stevens, Mr.. Harrison's appointee,
was charged with pernicious activity
in aiding to depose the queen of the
Hawaiian islands and nothing would
satisfy Gresham, Harrison's old oppo-
nent for the Republican nomination,
but counter movement quite as out
rageous. Harrison's representative
having deposed the so-called queen,
Mr.. Cleveland's representative must
depose the provisional government.
Gresham, the Republican, must be
credited with some degree of shrewd-
ness. He foresaw, for instance, that
his policy would not be endorsed by
the people. He foresaw that if it
could not be secretly carried out it
could not be carried out at all. Hence
all this whispering in the cellar and all
this mysterious shuffiing of feet in the
Darkroom.
The whole business gives new point
to an old moral. There is nothing in
common between Republican policies
and Democratic policies. The Repub
licans represent the schemes of special
interests and the Democrats represent
the interests of the people. No Re-
publican leader can make a success as
a member of Democratic administra-
ton. Mr.. Gresham has already seri-
ously embarrassed his benefactor and
his benefactor's party. The Republic
can organs, protesting to misunder-
stand the situation, are trying to make
the Democratic president and the Dem
ocratic party responsible for Gresham
blunder in Hawaii.
If the secretary of state has any
gratitude, he will tender Mr.. Cleveland
his resignation Atlanta Constellation.