New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-09
As TO roECE ar HoNoLrLC

In thc course Of the debate on the Hawaiian
resolution IN the House last Tuesday. Mr.
Outhwai,c. Of ohio. challenged the production
Of n scintilll Of evidence To show that the PrrSi-
dent ever contemplated the use ~ force to
overthrow the Provisional Government ana re-
,nstate Illiuokalani 1t is mn interesting cir
cumstauce tha, the written Instructions Of Dc
tober II. which MIR willis took with him To
Honolulu. contain not the slightest alluSi"n -
this point. and therefore disclose nothing as to
he Presidents knowledge or Ignorance ~ hiN
constitutional limitations. H. to his personal
inclination with respect Ia the employment oil
American ships aud sailors 10 carry ont his
policy The omission is perhaps suggestive. but
that Is all ON December ). however. dispatch
wns sent to Mr. Willis containing these woris.
Should The Queen ask whether. il she accrd"S
10 conditions. active Steps viii Ice taken by the
United Srir, To- effect her restoration or to
maintain her authority thereafter. You VIII say
that the President cannot use force without the
authority Of Congress" Whatever opinion.
therefore. Mr.. Cleveland may have held before.
he was aware ns early ~ December ) that he
and his Minister could do nothing more than
70 negotiate: and Mr.. Willis knew the same. at
least so soon rs his instructions Of that date
reached him.
But let us go as far as Mr. Cultivate wants
To have us and assume that the President never
contemplated the possibility of using force TO
restore the Hawaiian monarchy. We shall then
H. able to consider from a presumably official
point Of view the dispatch Of December :. AMI
,hc conduct of the American Minister at Homo
lulu after lis receipt Mr Willis was instructed
only TO reveal President Clcvclands limitations
I,. IluI,r-
stood that he was to conceal them from Prcsl-
dent Dole The Provisional Government. III"
citizens Of Honolulu. the representatives of
other Powers and even thc American Admiral
were 10 be- kept In the dark, 50 FAR rs possible,
by being left 10 draw such conclusions ~ III"
progress of events might suggest That WAS
Mr. Wilis's inevitable Interpretation Of his in
str1ictions, and he utilized them To the utter
most to produce conditions favorable to the
execution of his dctcstah- task. Official anxiety
and public alarm. which hal been increasing
In Honolulu for some time. were greatly NJ
gravatcd after the arrival Of the Corwin on De-
ccInbcr II. The activity Of the American Min
lister left no doubt that h. was preparing To
take some important step. aud the mysterious
silence which he maintained in his relations
to the Government to which he WAS accredited
erous purpose The tension became nj length
so dangerous to the public peace that president
Dole was compelled To ask the Minister for as
s,lrances which would restore tranquility. Hut
he could not obtain them. The popular agta-
tion was useful to Mr. Willis. or at least he
thought It was, and instead of speaking the
word which would allay II he deliberately pur-
suel n course by which II was certain to be
,.I n.t- mil pplt .Nn. trI
that marines would be landed from the Amcri-
can ships and the dread OF armed Intervention
on behalf Of the OK Queen steadily increased.
When finally worthless promise Of clcmcncy
had been cxtoricd from her. and when the OPP
prcssvc fear Of coercion was at It's height
among the supporters Of the Government Mr..
Willis delivered his message to President Dole.
Even then and for days after that impudcnt
summons to surrender had been rejected. he
did all that he could possibly do TO strengthen
the apprchenson that there was IN armed force
behind IL.
1t is impossible for any candid mind TO reject
thc conclusion that Mr.. Willis hoped to cocrcc
the Provisional Government by conccaling his
own weakness He wanted 10 make II virtual
use Of the naval force Of the United States ut
Honolulu by causing Il belief that he had the
power TO use il. IL must ne feared. indeed, mat
he even calculated upon an outbreak OF dis-
order which would warrant him in calling upon
the marines TO protect American citizens and
their property. in the expectation that the
monarchisfs would be able TO take advantage
Of such an Intervention TO restore the throne.
But II It IL still possible to doubt that he ever
conceived so base thought as that. his con-
duet is conclusive proof of his sinister and
treacherous purpose TO bctray the Government
to which he was accredited into compliance
with orders which he had no power to enforce
His whole course Of action. rs depicted In the
correspondence which he has sent home ana
In the undlsputed narratives Of numerous OBJ