The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-01-18
Thursday. January Is, 1891.
HIDING BEHIND WILLIS.

About the meanest thing in the whole
Hawaiian business up TO date Is the
hint. circulated from Washington. that
Mr.. Willis has exceeded his instructions.
and placed the administration in a bad
light by his superserviceable activity.
While Mr.. Willis might expect to bear
his share of the odium attaching TO the
transaction in which he consented volun-
tarily to take a part, yet he is known as
"A man of high honor and fine character.
and no attempt to shoulder uponhim the
discredit that the administration has
fairly earned ought 10 be successful. 1t
would be hard to imagine a more trying
position than that in which he found
himself placed by his instructions. He
left Washington fully informed Of what
was expected of him by his superior
officers. and definitely instructed as To
the course he was to pursue. The pub
lIshed documents leave nc doubt on
that point. Arrived at his destination.
he found that the theory upon which he
had been sent was not in accordance with
the facts. 1t is to be presumed that he
was Convinced by the state department
OF the substantial accuracy of the Blount
report and the deductions drawnfrom it
On the ground he found that matters
were widely different. But he was two
thousand miles from the nearest tele-
graph office that would put him in com
munication with his government, n he
must either do what he had peer ordered
to do or take the responsibility of mark
ing out for himself a policy of his own.
with all the inevitable consequences. No
man would have done that. No JUST
~fication could be found for doing it. 1t
would have peer personal and official
dereliction of the gravest character.
1t is not the fault of Nr. Willis that
he found the people Of Hawaii satisfied
with the existing government. 1t was
not his fault that the queen could not be
reinstated save by the troops Of the
United States. II was not his faultthat
the plot laid crafty at Washington
the worst Of all the o~tfenses Of the ad-
ministration-to excite the royal faction
to revolt bypublishing the sympathy with
IT of the United States. failed Of success.
1t was not his fault hat the people Of
this country. after his departure. were
50 filled with indignation at what had
been done, and what vas proposed to
be done that they compelled Mr.. Cleye-
land to bring the whole matter before
congress and try to wash his hands Of it.
1t is true that on the very day when Mr..
congress. and took the people into his
confidence. and promised that no other
move would be taken save by direction
Of their rep. esentatives. Mr.. Willis in
Honolulu was demanding Of the provis-
ional government its abdication in favor
Of the queen. Butthe bad faith implied
in such a coincidence does not reflect on
Mr.. Willis. There was nothing possible
for him but to follow to the end the
course laid out for him before he left
Washington. Like the commander of a
company of men who has been instruct
ed by his superior officer to execute a
certain movement in the field, he could
only obey. when separated from the rest
Of the command. 1t Is an ~ungracious
act that he has performed. and he
mast expect to bear always the conse-
quences incident to the acceptance of a
mission so unfortunate and disgraceful.
But the prime responsibility is o his.
Nor will the people permit the disap-
pointed and Inundated men at the CAPT
tai who engineered this performance up
10 its shameful failure, to hide behind a
subordinate who has only carried out
1oyally the directions with which they
furnished him before they sent him be-
yond the reach OF speedy warning or
recall-piopeer Press.