Morning journal and courier., 1894-02-03
THE HAWAIIAN QUESTION.

A Lively Debate Begun in the House
 Again Attacking she Speakers n ul.
 ings.
 | WARRINGTON, Feb. 2.-As soon ss the
 journal was read in the house of represent. atives to-day the speaker recognized Mr. Catchings, dem., of Mississippi, from the committee on rules, to present from that committee Q report setting aside to-day and tomorrow for the consideration of the Mo. Creary Hawaiian resolution.
 MT. Boutelle, rep, of Maine, as soon as the report was offered, had begun clsmor- ing for recognition to call up his Hawaiian resolution, but the speaker declined to rec ognize him until the report was read. Then, being recognized, Hr. BouteIls said that he raised the point of order that the report of the committee on rules could not displace privileged resolution affecting the rights, nay, the very existence of the house itself. The very wording of the report, he urged, ought to demonstrate the incongru. ity of this proceeding.
 During the debate MT. Boutelle called
 
 statement that the rules committee were providing against Boutelle's fantastic and bedlamic gyrations on the Hawaiian ques- tion."
 MT. Boutelle made his demand amid much confusion. MT. Cstchings' words were taken down and read from the desk, but on vote MT. Catchings was excused. Mir. Catchings had no sooner resumed his speech than he was again called to or aY u tall lA fha afafo nk. ''The gentleman (Boutelle) Is afflicted with harmless mania for making an exhibi- tion of himself on all occasions"
 The words were read from the desk, and MT. 7Boutelle insisted on c ruling as to the propriety of the words. Speaker Crisp ruled that the language was not parlia- mentsry. A hot discussion ensued.
 MT. cCrssry finally taking the floor made the frst speech, in the course of which he censured President Harrison for his inde- cent haste in drawing up a treaty of an nexation with Hawaii and in submitting 1t to the senate before the people of Ha- vail had been heard from. He severely criticised the American representative in Honolulu and the United States naval com mander for their actions at the time of the so-cslled revolution, which, he said, was without parallel in diplomatic history.
 He stated that, as soon as the committee
 
 of Q provisional government they sent @ letter to the United States saying that they were unable to protect themselves and asking that United States forces be sent to protect them. Under that call troops were landed in Honolulu at o'clock on the evening of January 16, 1893. There wac, said Mr. MoCresry, no popular movement then against the government of Hawaii. The people were not in favor of a revolution. The troops landed at Hono- lulu because they were required to do SO by Minister Stevens and because the provisional government said 1t was unable to protect itself There was at anchor @ British man-of-war and there were on the islands 1000 British subjects. Yet the British minister nor the Jspansse minister did not know there was any danger to the lives or property of the British or Japan ese subjects and did not land troops. When Minister Stevens landed thess troops he committed an act of war.
 "I arraign him here, ,"said Mr. McCresry, "for that act of war"
 MT. McCreary declared that nothing in the record showed that the president of the United States ever authorized Mr. Stevens to land troops or to proclaim e protectorate.
 From the beginning to the end Mir. | Stevens was engaged in violating his in struetions and in violating international law. But, he remarked, Mir. Stevens was acting in the interest of the sugar planters. Il So long as the duty on sugar remained, and the sugar planters of Hawaii could | send their sugar to the United States free | of duty, there was no talk of annexation. | But ss soon ss the Mckinley act became @ law and all foreign sugar was admitted free l of duty, then they began to talk about an nexstion.
 Mr. Blair asked whether Mir. Stevens had | not given notice to his government.
 "Yes, sir," MT. McCreary replied. "The letters of MT. Stevens should have been notice to the government of the United | States of the plot on which he was en- gagged. And am amazed that the presi- dent of the United States and secretary of | state should have approved of the tre eaty of annexation sent by MT. Stevens"
 "I am very much obliged" said MT. Blair, "that the gentleman puts the issue on the administration where it belongs"
 "I am surprised," MT. McCreary con- tinued, "thst none of my republican | friends are willing to raiss their voios for | that annexation proceeding which Presi- | dent Harrison presented to the senate"
 "The gentleman is mistaken" said MT. Blair, .'there is at least one republican who is not for it."
 '.I am aware," said MT. MoCreary, "thst the gentleman from New Hampshire and the gentleman from Illinois (HitO have re- ported substitute for the pending reso. lution, but that substitute does say word about annexation"
 "My position in regard to these mat ters, said MT. Blair, ''is that all these things should be investigated; they should be proved; there should be evidence"
 MT. McCreary said he could not allow Mir. Blair to make speech in his time. He quoted from a letter of MT. Stevens to the effect that the Hawaiian pear was ripe and that the hand of the United States should be stretched out to pluck 1t.
 MT. Hepburn, rep, of Iowa, said that MT. Stevens had only quoted tha. sentence MT. McCreary Iersisted in crediting 1t to MT. Stevens. Referring to MT. Clevelsnd's withdrawal from the senate of the treaty of annexation be praised the wisdom of that act and was spplsuded by his own side of the house. He profsssed symps- thy with all movements, but said that the Hawaiian movement was not iu the inter ests of 6 republic. He criticised the foreign policy of the Harrison administration in the case of Samoa, the case of Chilt and the | csse of Hawaii. And he asked whether anyone would claim that with all the proof | that had been laid before President Hsrri son and the secretary of state 1t was an ex- hibition of wisdom on the part of Preei l dent Harrison to send to the senate @ treaty of annexat on asking cong sess to give away six and quarter millions in order to get three little islands, and asking congress to recognize what was done by few American citizens down there.
 l MT. McCreary asserted that that was not to the credit of the last administration. He said he would call as witness John H. Blount, who ranked among the best and ablest men who served in the American congress for twenty yeara. He then read extracts from MT. Blount's report and from the correspondence of Mr. Nordhof in the New York Herald. At the bottom of the whole movement, MT. McCreary | said, had bsen the representatives of sugar planters, sugar planters themselves and
 the missionaries or their representative 5.
 Just as the debate on the Hawaiian reso.
 lution began message was received from
 the president transmitting 6 letter from
 the secretary of state, accompanying some communications from Minister Willis e,
 Hawaii. The letter of transmittal and &C.,
 companying correspondence was read.
 MT. Boutelle inquired whether there was not letter from President Dole because he had heard that such letter had beer received. The speaker said that the cleri had read all that were sent. The house s , 5 o'clock adj journed.
 IN THE SENATE.