New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-11
rBy TELEGRAPH TO THE TeIBuxH.I


OF THE MESSAGE.
rBy TELEGRAPH TRIBuxK1
Washington. Jan. 10.-Mnster Willis's ex-
pected message mailed from San Francisco had
evidently not reached the State Department this
afternoon, and the President and Secretary
Gresham thus gained another days delay in the
preparation of their almost hopeless apology u
Congress for the extravagances committed -
their orders In the Quixotic project Of monar-
chical restoration in Hawaii. Every hours res
pite must of course, be welcome to advocates
SO hard pressed for pretexts and excuses. for
the extreme desperation OF the Administration
can scarcely be exaggerated when so stanch .
defender Of its policies as The London Tines
Is driven to marvel as TO the conceivable
sophistry" with which Mr. Cleveland is to recon-
cile before Congress and the country the fla
grant contradictions and ludicrous absurdities
Of his opera bouffe Hawaiian programme
The message I'm which the President is to at
tempt to square himself with opinion in Con-
gress, perhaps by shifting the responsibility for
the ludicrous climax Of his policy In Honolulu
upon the shoulders of his defenceless agent, Is
row announced for either tomorrow or Friday
the date depending wholly on the arrival OF Mr.
Willis's packet of dispatches through the mails
Mr. Gresham seems TO have come at last to q
somewhat painful realization Of the folly Of his
efforts to conceal long possible from the
public all official news of occurrences In Hawaii
and he is quoted this afternoon as saying
very humbly that "all documents, reports and
other communications expected by the State De-
partment will be transmitted to Congress, and
receive publicity through that source as soon as
they come to hand. Furthermore ali communi.
cations Of an official nature addressed 10 Mr..
Willis will go TO Congress soon as mailed to
the Minister"
IN A REPENTANT FRAME OF MIND.
This notable condescension the part OF the
Secretary must be taken to mark a becomingly
repentant frame Of mind. and there seems to be
some slight hope now held out at the Depart
ment that the authors OF the Administraton's
blundering diplomacy have at last recovered
from the delusicn that mendacity and trtckery
are the chief elements Of success in the manage
ment Of countrys foreign relations. There
to be a tacit consent, too. among Ad-
ministration officials that Minister Willis's un-
fortunate activity IS to be repressed hereafter
at any cost. Secretary Gresham Is again quoted
as authority for the statement that instructions
are to be sent at TO Mr. Willis to preserve an
absolute neutrality from this time on until Con-
gress shall decide what is to be done In Ha-
wall. Such instructions are unavoidable. natu-
rally in the embarras ssing situation In which the
Administration has been placed by Mr.. Willis's
unexpected attempt 10 carry through the pro-
gramme which Mr.. Cleveland and Secretary
Gresham had thoughtlessly deemed void and
cancelled after the Queens first refusal to accept
the Presidential conditions OF restoration.
The steamer Marposa is TO sail for Honolulu
tomorrow, and II is thought that orders to Mr..
Willis to refrain from further interference will
T. had. Co, Iron oh tha
outgoing vessel. II possible the President will
delay these orders until the full reports from
Mr. Willis arrive here by mall but there can
be no doubt that they will so before the week
is ont, II not by the Mariposa, then by the rev.
enue cutter Corwin.
DETERMINED TO BLAME IT ON WILLIS.
So far as the general feeling among the
Cuckoo" element in Congress can be taken to
reflect the Presidents ideas the drift OF the Inn
pending message will be toward partial re-
pudiaton of Mr.. Williss demand on the Provi-
sional Government. supported the general
ground that the President considered the
Queens decnation Of his conditions final, and
trusted in Mr.. Willis's discretion to that the
petuant monarch should not be allowed 70 en-
barrass her great and good friend by relent-
ing at inopportune moment. II VIII prob
ably be said in defence OF the Presidents ac-
tion that up to the date OF his message to Con-
gress commencing the further consideration Of
the Hawaiian question to that body, he was
fully impressed with the belief that Queen
I.iliuokaani adhered TO her refusal 10 accept
his conditions and that there had been no
change in the situation In Honolulu. II VIII
be further said that the President and Minister
Willis had each acted In good faith, but In en-
tire ignorance Of the changed condition Of affairs
1f.,.1 t.
other words the President was not aware that
the Queen had changed her mind. and Minister
Willis did not know that the President had COM
mtted the question Congress The Pres-
dents message went to Congress December
1s and Minister Willis called for the surrender
of the Provisional Government the following day.
Ii is likely to be added that the President
might have prevented this action on the part
OF Minister Willis if he had had the remotest
idea that IL was necessary. All the proceedings
at this end of the line were based on the theory
that the case had been closed with the Queens
refusal to accept the terms imposed by the
President. The possibility Of her changing her
mind was not considered otherwise It is almost
certain that the Minister would have been mott.
fled that the matter in the hands Of Con-
gress and that he not to interfere with the
status
cannot however. be accepted as excusing the
Administration in any way from the conse-
quences of its own positive orders to It's agents
In Honolulu, for il must be admitted by every
candid critic that Mr.. Willis was fully justified
In putting upon his instructions the interpreta-
tion which carried them to their logical outcome
OF a demand for the restoration of the Queen to
power.
The Administrations Hawaiian policy was the
subject of very thorough and able speech to.
day in the Senate by Senator Davis Of Minne-
sofa. a prominent member Of the Committee
on Foreign Relations Mr.. Davis has made an
study of all the testimony covering
the January revolution and its consequences
and his exposition OF the legal and diplomatic
questions in dispute was convincing and effect
i've one. He condemned, unqualinedly the pro-
gramme adopted by the Admins ira ton and
exposed It's fallacies and blunders with the ut
most skill and directness. Mr.. Davis did not
finish his speech and will continue II at to-mor-
rows session.
c,rI6