Hawaii holomua = Progress., 1894-02-08
CIEVELAND'S FOREIGN
POLICY
The Presidents Sensible
Conduct IN the Hawa-
iian Affair.

All Democratic administrations
hare been persistently conserva-
tive in foreign affairs No at
tempt has ever occurred under
democratic auspices in our more
than century of history to disturb
the safeguards that detaeh MS
from foreign entanglements-
Republicans jingoists have been
the band hirers and iugglers in
foreign policy. Every time at
tempt has been made it has been
foiled by the sober and irresistible
refusal Of the country to sustain
bravado or approve filibustering.
Mr.. Blaine had to give up his
fantastic if plausible South AM
erica scheme. President Harrison
has. it is true. tied rs mp for the
present with two European pow
ers in preserving the king of
Samoa and paying his board and
lodging as our common captive.
Stevens used our naval forces at
Honolulu to overthrow a lawful
government, and now we have to
consider what we may constltu-
tionally do in righring our con-
science for Stevens and Har-
rison's unconstitutional proceed
ings.
The constitution of a country
is not altogether reducible to
writing The document which
the fathers contrived with infinite
labor, and that has disappointed
us partially on one or more occa-
sions by failure to define a clear
course in definite contingencies,
does not embody in its letter all
that comprises the fundamental
convictions of the American peo
pie on constitutional questions.
One of its most conspicuous omls-
sions has become by common
consent constitutional obliga-
ton on our federal government
that which is commonly known
as the Monroe doctrine. Equally
binding on Us is its companion
also absent from the constitution,
non-interference in the domestic
| affairs of foreign countries.
Washington and Jefferson were
tho authors of this constitutional
canon in their conduct and writ
ings, as Jefferson and Monroe
and all after them for fifty years
are phaianx against the i'm
policy of meddling with other
peoples business or permitting
others to meddle with ours.
Conservative. according to the
traditions of his party, Grover
Cleveland will not take any reck-
less step even to reverse uncon-
stitutional conduct of a predeces
sor. When Mr.. Cleveland with
drew the proposal of annexation
of Hawaii from the senate it was
not for r'the purpose of setting up
an executive responsibility where
the constitution ordains explicit
" that the congress shall be
consulted. Mr.. Cleveland could
not be expected blindly to assume
a responsibility entered upon but
not completed by his predecessor
near the end OF a term and in
volving grave danger of material
and moral error. No president
should be expected to take up the
unfinished business of predeces
sor and shifk his own response
bility by a fiction or retrospection.
He was bound to investigate the
Hawaiian incident for his own
Information before taking any
step making his administration
accountable for SO grave a pro-
ceeding as annexatian of distant
and undesirable islands.
If the president were reckless
and insensible to his oath he
might easily have left the Hawai-
ian incident twin with the Samo-
an imbroglio. BE might have
written to congress that. mas
much as predecessor had seen
fis to contract the United States
with two European powers in the
face of traditions amounting to
inhibition; and inasmuch as
predecessor had seen fit to violate
other binding precedents in the
matter of invasion of friendly