The Portland daily press., 1894-01-12

Mr.. Turpie, Democrat of Indiana, pro-
ceeded to address the Senate, opening
with an historical sketch. of the
Hawaiian islands. He spoke of the pro-
vlslonal government as an accomplished
| fact 1t had been recognized he said, by
the American minister very shortly after
| 1t was proclaimed Similar action was
| taken by representatives of other foreign
| governments at Honolulu. The recogni-
tion of government de facto had always
been accounted an act of the gravest inn
| poftance. 1t was the act of one power,
supreme and sovereign, respecting the
existence of another of like character
me power of the provisional government
was as full and plenary as the oldest
| established empire, monarchy or republic
IN the world. But it could not be as
sumed That any government, per Sc,
without. legislation or popular action,
was authorized to conclude treaty for
It's own destruction or for the extension
OF nationality which it represented,
| Coming down to Minister Stevenss
defense of his course at Honolulu, Mr..
Iurp1e said Mr.. Stevens wentson with
very lengthy magniloquence to have it
| inferred that two days of interregnum
We're very extraordinary and unex-
ampled thing. Such was not the fact.
1t was an ordinary occurrence whenever
a revolutionary condition obtained The
| period was usually much longer than
two days. 1t had been thirty or forty
DAYS IN Paris at the time of the deposit
zion OF Louis Philippe, and atssthe time
of the fall of the first Napoleon. There
was always period of political oscilla-
| tlon between the fall of one government
and the Su bstitution of another But
what principle, Mr.. Tglrpie asked. was
therein information al law, or what pre-
cedent, for an ambassador interfering at
spch time in the domestic affairs of
n w ba
stoned? On the contrary, the law laid
down plainly that at such @ period the
attitude OF minister should be one of
absolute and impartial indifference. Such
an interregnum was period made sacred
by the right of division. The right of
the Hawaiian people to alter or abolish
their form OF government and adopt an
other better calculated to secure safety
and happiness was not to be questioned
and above all not to be interfered with
by any American least, of all by the
American minister.
Commenting on Mr.. Stevens's state
ment that he had sent the
Marines to Honolulu
to preserve peace and public order, Nj.
Turpie asked whether the United States
was charged with the duty of keeping
the peace and preserving public order in
all countries where it had diplomatic
representatives. No rule of international
law, he said, existed which justified or
required such intervention by any
foreign minister or which recognized the
existence of such international policy,
The Hawaiian monarchy had ceased to
be. Foreign power that of
the American minister, engaged to
support and did support the revolt
against it, with the forces of the United
Inn INV f1r Il y, ~
government would have succeeded with
out that aid was outside the question.
The interference had occurred and the
best disclaimer, the most absolute dis
avowal of it, was the rejection of the
proposal for any further or closer rela-
tions with, Hawaii. Let the new govern
ment," Mr.. Turpie said, however formed
proceed in its career. Intervention
against it would be at this time as unlaw-
full as the intervention in it's favor was
when it occurred" Referring to Mr..
Stevens's frequent allusions to the Queen
of Hawaii as "the fallen Queen" THE
justly dethroned Queen,n 8 the late I'M
moral occupant of the throne" the
Queen and her paramour," Mr.. Turpie
assumed much Indignation of manner
We're those, he asked, the phrases OK
official correspondence, or was that She
polished language of diplomacy? Had
the fact that Mr.. Stevens, when he used
them, had ceased to be diplomatist
placed him beyond the pale of manly
civility oreof those ameniJies becoming
one who had been in such high and
gracious station? Was it necessary for
any purpose of state or for the success of
the provisional government that Mr..
Stevens should recur, with coarse and
callous iteration, to the misfortunes of
the dethroned Queen, or that he should
assail the listening ears of christendom
with his story of the frailty Of the fallen
I, "a l. L.
many months? No inference, Mr.. Turpie
declared. need be resorted to for the just
estimation of a minister who indited
dispatches of that fashion and tenor. His
official character was self-depicted and
self described. Who, he asked, would
attempt to touch, or amend that full
length, faultless portrait of an inter-
national spy, migrate and outlaw, drawn
in all the dark profusion of its native
hues? Mr.. Turpie told the story of the
Greek peasant stung to death by the SER
pent which he picked up stark and frozen
and placed before his fire until. it re-
vived, and, he said, when the wife and
children looked for the author of the
fatal mischief "the reptile guest had
crept away.n
Mr.. Turpie concluded with the state-
ment that the United States cannot, at
this time consider favorably either the
treaty or
Project of Annexation.
The UnitedsStates could not afford to in
sure suspicion of profting by public
wrong so abhorrent to the principles of
Justice No matter how desirable the
acquisition of the Hawaiian islands
might be that acquisition would have
to be attained in a different manner.
when we desire to enlarge our national
domain" he said, "by the acquisition OF
territory In the Hawaiian Islands or else
where, it must come to US in open hands
with the palm clean, pure and untainted.
Or ii it does not come and is taken, il
must be taken by the strong arm with
the sword drawn, in the eye of day, as q
prize of war waged against a public
enemy. Then shall the flag of the repub-
lie float as it often has before in pride
and glory, over many stricken field,
won in battle for the just, the free
and the braven Democratic applause.l
No action was taken either .on Mr..
Frye's resolution or on Mr.. Turpie's.
The Senate adjourned.