The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-12
The President Cannot Shirk the Re
snonsibility,

The President Cannot Shirk the Re-
sponsibility.
Recent interviews with friends Of the Ad-
mipistration in Washington show that an
attempt may bc made to make Minister
WILLIS bear all the odium Of the impudent
demand for the surrender OF the Hawaiian
Government. demand pressed at the very
time when Mr.. CLEVELAND was pretending
to leave the whole Hawaiian affair to Con-
gress. That the attempt will fail is clear
from tho emptiness of the excuses and apol-
| ogies put forward by the Presidents de-
| tenders.
Let us glance at some Of the pleas on
which we are invited to believe that Mr..
CLEVELAND was dlspleased or even sur
prised at the course taken by his envoy on
Dec. 10. in announcing that the President OF
the United States had decided that Ms.
DoMINIs was the sole lawful ruler OF Hawaii.
and that the Provisional Government. al
though formally recognized by the United
States and other foreign powers. must at
| once abdicate in her favor. 1t is not dis
puted that the announcement was made. and
was backed by threat OF violent coercion,
the American war ships at Honolulu having
been prepared for action. and the fact that
use force having been carefully con-
cealed. and kept concealed until the ar
rival OF the Alameda on Dec. %. 1t is
equally undisputed that tho demand
made under such circumstances for the
abdication OF recognized de yfacto
Government was. In ITSELF an act OF war.
and. being unsanctioned by Congress. was
| therefore violation of the Constitu-
bat M i'm ~; n
| ton on tho part OF the Executive far more
| fagitious and more dangerous than any OF
| the transgressions imputed to ANDREW
| JOHNSON. there is no doubt that GROVER
| CLEVELAND ought to be impeached by tho
| House OF Representatives. II is beyond
| question that. In and through the act COM
| mitted by his agent In Honolulu on Dec. 10,
| unless he can manage to absolye himself
| at that agents expense. GROVER CLEvE-
LAND has been guilty OF high crimes and
misdemeanors.
That his partlsans are alive to the gray
ity OF his predicament is plain from their
desperate efforts to shield him from re-
sponslbility. Thus we are told In the Her.
aid. the Presidents zealous champion. that
"press dispatches indicate that Minister
WILLIS not only presented the final offer OF
tnc IIcSiuOuI W RlNo thC OuCCu ucI COubIl-
tutional rights. but urged her to accept
them. The officials hardly believe there
was any need for such urgency, and they
certainly hope not. II there was. they say,
Minister WILLIS did not grasp the true
spirit Of the Presidents last instructions.
and to that extent displayed bad judg-
ment" 1t is difficult to extract any distinct
meaning from these sentences except
ali 10 .,I
sort: but il they mean anything. they sig
nifty that, by devoting. as We know he did.
the five days preceding Dee. 10 to urging
Mrs. DoMISIs to accept the President 8 offer.
Minister WILLIS misconceived the spirit of
Mr., CLEvELAND's last public instructions.
and. TO that extent. proved lacking in the
judgment expected OF an envoy. The COM
ment is cruelty unjust to an upright aud
able diplOmatist. whose conduct during
many weeks after his arrival In Honolulu
revealed misgiyings touching the wisdom Of
his instructions, and an honorable anxiety
10 have them made more definite. The
"last Instructions" referred to by the
Herald. were dated Dec. 8. and they have
been printed In THE Sun. There Is not a
word in them which can be construed as
authorizing Mr.. WILLIS to give up his
Efforts 10 lnuuco hIs. DOhlNlS TO Onef a
hollow pledge OF amnesty to her former
subjects; not word which would Justify
Mr.. WILLIS in inferring that in case Mrs
DoMISIs should accept the conditions i'm
posed. he was not bound to carry out his
original orders to demand the surrender Of
the Provisional Government.
As a matter of fact, these last instruc-
tions" reiterated the Presidents notion
that Mrs. DoMISIs is the sole lawful ruler
of Hawaii. and ought to be restored; and.
II there was any point OF difference between
them aud previous orders, it lay In the SEN
tence bidding the envoy to inform Mrs. Dom
MS. in the event OF an inquiry on her part.
that he had no power to use force To effect
her restoration. He was not told TO inform
any one else of this constitutional restric-
ton. aud he was as well aware as the man
who instructed him. that II his inability to
use force were once known at Honolulu, his
demand for the surrender OF the Govern
ment would be derisOry. 1t is further to be
noted that in these instructions of Dec.
there Was not word about the Presidents
intention TO relegato the Hawaiian affair TO
Congress. although the President knew that
Congress would reassemble the next day,
and that one Of its first proceedings would
be to call for all the papers in the case, and
thus virtually take the matter out OF the
hands Of the Executive, II must. IN a word.
DO manifest 10 any one who will take the
trouble to read the instructions Of Dec. 8.
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