Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-01-18
THE HAWAIIAN QUESTION.

The Hawaiian Question" as pop
ularly understood, is a most striking
illustration Of the tendency OF the
masses to miss the real point at issue
where the facts are complicated. and
of the generous spirit of sympathy
which always fires the American peo-
pie when they see others engaged in
a struggle for freedom and better
government. Other things have
Joined to obscure the true issue, OF
which the most important is partizan
misrepresentation, for the purpose OF
sustaining the illegal acts OF a former
administration.
Many diverse facts and principles,
of course, are involved, and many
conflicting interests are to be consid-
cred in reaching final and complete
solution of the problem. Yet the im-
portant and controlling fact bearing
upon the conduct Of the administra-
ton in the matter is, that the Queen
was dethroned and the Provisional
Government established by the inter
vention of the United States Minister
with marines at his back.
Does any one doubt that our ma
tional honor would suffer if we were
70 annex these islands through the
fundamentally of a government TO
which our own forces havedelivered
them? Even an ardent advocate OF
annexation, if he be fairminded, must
admit that the Presidents only honor
able course under the circumstances
was to withdraw the treaty from the
Senate as he did And the appiica-
tIon 10 international affairs OF that
spirit which animates man OF honor
in his private dealings equally die
tated an attempt TO undo the wrong
done to the late government OF Hawan
by he illegal interference OF our rep
resentative. Right and justice con
strain honorable men to undo or
make restitution for wrong as forci-
bly, as they prohibit them from reap
ing personal advantages therefrom.
AS the existing government OF Hawali
is a de facto government, the use OF
force against it would be levylng
war, which the President alone has
no power to do. Direct measures to
restore the Queen being thus out of
the question, it was only proposed to
secure her promise to grant general
amnesty to all concerned in the So
| called revolution, and then TO make
a peaceable demand that the Provis-
| iopal Government surrender their
authority to her, leaving affairs i'll
the same position "a before the reyo
luton. As the Queen failed TO accede
TO the conditions before the Presi'
dent relinquished the settlement OF
the matter to Congress, the episode,
so far as the administration is con
cerned, is closed.
The policy of supporting a mon
| archy against a republic is not i'll
volved in the case; for the present
government is as complete and un-
mixed an oligarchy as any to which his
| tory bears witness. The effort of
annexationists to attract support by
representing that the issue in Hawaii
is between intelligence, civilization
and christianity on the one hand,
and ignorance, barbarism and pagan
ism on the other, is entirely beside
the question and the same consider
ations could be urged with the same
force to induce us to interfere in the
affairs Of Dahomey or the cannibal
islands.
The agitation of this question has
produced one good result, though In
an indirect way: 1t has shown the
utter insincerity of the delnagogues
who rage on the alleged suppression
of the negro vote in the South; Tor
the same men have eioquently de
nounced the state OF affairs in Hawaii
before the revolution as being the
government of enlightened whites by
ignorant and irresponsible blacks-an
abomination not to be tolerated by
them.
We are fond OF talking OF the Amer
lean spirit of fair play and of felici
tating ourselves upon being the most
enlightened people of the world. We
venture the prediction that hsreaf.
fer, when partizan zeal gives place tc
impartial Judgment, no incident II
our history will be regarded rs snGw
ing this spirit and this enlightenment
in higher degree that the course o
the present administration in its deal
ing with Hawaii.