Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-01-26
A MESSAGE ON HAWAII.
THE MATTER PLACED IN THE
HANDS OF CONGRESS.

Synopsis of the NoluminOus C0rre-
spOndence-FinaI instructions to
| Minister Willis s'No Interfer-
eEce,'' Says President Doie-Lili~
Oukalani to Sue the United States.
| The President has transmitted to Congress
! al correspondence relating to Hawaii since
! MS last message. All department estimates
/ OF the length ofthe correspon 1ence were far
! exceeded by the documents themselves-10 -
! 900 o. 12 .0J0 words was the estimated limit
! OF +hair length, but the documents rs laid
! befC'a Congress probably make from 40. 600
! to 50, 900 words when printed in full.
The most important feature OF the cor
| reSpOndence WIS. of course. Mr.. Willis's dis
! patch No. 3, OF November 10th. 1923. which
| the President had previously withheld from
| publication. Next to that in interest was
! Mr.. Dole's reply to Mr.. Willis's demand for
/ surrender.
Between these two terminal points in the
/ correspondence, Mr.. WiiiiS,s graphic history
! Of current events. and his comments upon
! the character of the Queens advisers and
! the kind OF government she desired to retain
! if established, form 4 running thread of ab-
| sOrbing interest.
It was promptly noticed that the alleged
| lengthy cipher dispatch which certain press
! dispatches asserted had been brought by
! the CorWin from Mr.. Willis TO Mr. Gresham
/ had no place in this complete CORE.
/ sp0ndence, and that Secretary Gresham
| repeated assertions that the only advices
| brought him by the COrwin waro trans
mitted by mail were fully borne out by the
! published details.
/ The Presidents message accompanying
| the correspondence was very brief. 1t was
as follows
To THE CONGRESS:
Transmit herewith copies all dispatches
from our Minister at Hawaii relating in any
way TO political affairs in that country, eX-
c6pt such IS have been heretofore laid be-
lore Congress. I also transmit copy OF the
last instructions sent to our Minister, dated
January II, 1894 being the only instructions
to him not already sent to the Congress.
In transmitting . certain correspondence
with mymessage dated December 10, 1893, I
| withheld & dispatch from our present Minis
ter numbered and dated November 16, 1893,
and also a dispatch from our former Minister
numbered 70 and dated October 8. 1892.
InaSm-tch as the contents OF the dispatch of
November 1G 1898, referred to in the
dispatches OF more l:cent date now sent to
Congress, and inasmuch as there seems no
| longer to be sufficient reason for withhold
ing said dispatches, a copy of the same is
herewith submitted. The dispatch numbered
| 70 and dated October 8 1892, above referred
to, is still withheld for the reason that such
q course still appears to be justifiable and
proper. GROVER CLEVELAND.
Executive Mansion, January 13, 1894.
The voluminous correspondence which
accompanies the message gives details of
the negotiations which Minister Willis had
with the Queen and President Dole, looking
TO the rest Grafton of the monarchy and the
retirement of the Provisional Government.
In the course of one interview Minister Will
lis said to the Queen
''ShOuld YOU be restored to the throne
would you grant full amnesty. as to life and
property. TO all those persons who have been
or who are now in the Provisional Govern
nent, or who have been instrumental i'll the
overthrow OF your Governments
She hesitGtcd a moment, and then slowly
and calmly answered
There are certain laws Of my Government
by which [ shall abide. Ny decisions would
be as the law directs, that such persons
should be beh"aded and their property con-
tiScated to the Government"
Mr.. Willis then said. repeating very dis
tinctly her words: '1t is your feeling that
these people should be beheaded and Their
property confscated?" She replied cit is"
Subsequently. however, the Queen changed
her mind and agreed to grant the desired am
nesty.
President DoIc's reply to Minister Wiliss
demand for tho Provisional Government to
surrender to the Queen is a long and care
fully prepared argument, in which the chief
point is that the President has no power of
atSitratiOn. as he was never given it by the
Provisional Government, but only by de-
tnroned and powerless Queen. President
Dole said in part
while we accept the decision of the Pres
idont of the United States declining further
to consider the annexation proposition as the
final conclusion of the Administration, we
do not feel inclined to regard it as the last
word OF the American Government upon this
subject.
1--WE shall therefore continue the project
OF political union with the United States a
conspicuous feature Of our foreign policy.
We do not recognize the right of
the President of the United States to
interfere in our domestic affairs This l un-
derStand 70 be the American doctrine, con-
spIcUously announced from time to time by
the authorities of your Government Upon
what. then. Mr.. Minister, does the President
o. the United States base his right OF inter-
ference? Your communication is without in
formation on this point, excepting such as
may De contained i'll the following brief and
vague sentences: SHE the eX-Queen) was
advised and assured by her Ministers
and leaders of the movement for the over
throw OF her Government if she surrendered
under protest, her case would afterward be
fairly considered blythe President of the Uni
ted States. The Queen finally yielded to the
armed forces of the United States then quar-
tered in Honolulu, relying on the good faith
and honor of the President, when informed
of what had occurred, to undo the action OF
the Minister and reinstate her and the author
ity which she claimed as the constitutional
sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands
''Also, 1T becomes my further duty to ad-
wise YOU, sir, the Executive of the Provision
al Government and your Ministers OF the
Presidents determination of the question
which your action and that Of the Queen de
voived upon him, and that you are expected
to promptly relinquts1 to her her constltu-
tional authority | understand that the first
quotation is referred TO in the following
words of the second, which your action and
that of the Queen devOlved upon him (the
: President of the United States), and that the
President has arrived at his conclusions from
Commissioner Blount's report We have
had as yet no opportunity of examining this
document. but from extracts published IN
the papers and for reasons set forth here
Ifter we not disposed to submit the fate
of Hawaii to its statements and conclu-
sions AS matter OF fact. no mem
Der of the Provisional Government has
conferred with the eX-Queen, either verbally
or otherwise, from the time the Government
was proclaimed till now, with the exception
OF one Or two notices, which were sent tc
her by myself in regard to her removal
from the palace and relating to the guards
which the Government first allowed her, and
perhaps others of like nature. infer that
a conversation which Mr. Damon, then
member of the Advisory Council, is reported
by Mr.. Blount to have had with the ex-
Queen on January II. and which had been
quoted IN the newspapers, is the basis OF
this astounding claim of the President ofthe
United States of his authority to adJudicate
upon our right as Government to exist
IF YOUR contention that President Cleve-
land believes that this Government and the
ex-Queen have submitted their respective
claims to the sovereignty Of this country, to
the adjudication of the United States, IS
correct. then NAV 1 ask when and where
has the President held this court of arbitra-
ton? This Government has had no notice
of the sitting of such tribunal and no op-
portunity of presenting evidence tits claims.
s.No man can correctly sav that the Queen
owed her downfall to the interference OF
American forces. The revolution was car
rIed through by the representatives, now
largely reinforced. of the same public senti-
| ment which forced the monarchyto its knees
| in 1887. which suppressed the insurrection
of 1889. and which for twenty years has
been battling for representative government