The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-05
WITHDRAWAL OF OUR SHIPS.
The Senate DeYOltS The Day TO The
Hawaiian Middle.

drawal of the American Men-of- War
the Basis for the Discussion-Th
Senator Thinks Their Departure En-
dangers the Stability of the Repub-
liean Form of Government on the
Islands - Senator Butler Intimates
That the Whole Subject is Tempest
in Teapot.
Washington. Jan. 4-There was a very
lively and interesting discussion in the
Senate to-day over the resolution of SEN
ator Lodge, rep. OF Massachusetts,. call
ing on the President for information as 70
the withdrawal Of American vessels Of
war from the Hawaiian Islands.
All OF the republican senators who par
tlcipated in the Messrs. Lodge.
Sherman of Ohio, Hawley Of Connecti-
cut, Hale of Maine. Aldrich of Rhode
Island and Teller OF Colorado-favored the
adoption OF the resolution. while the dem
ocratic senators who spoke-Messrs. But
Ter, Morgan and Gray-argued in favor
of its reference, upon Mr. Buffers motion,
to the committee on foreign relations.
In opening the debate. Mir Lodge said
that Admiral Walkers last letter brought
out strongly a highly important point
which had thus far not been appreciated.
III was known to us through the press" "
said Mr. Lodge. that all our warships
had been Withdrawn from Hawaii and
that, although several were lying idle at
| Mare Island, none had been sent back 70
/ Honolulu. The letter OF Admiral Walker
TO which / have referred discloses in a
this course. and also proves that our gov
ernment had been warned in regard to Il
by an officer entitled 10 speak on such a
point with the authority OF an expert
Admiral Walker says with great frankness
that il the British men-of-war, as well
as our own, had been Withdrawn. It might
have been good thing-certainly it would
have done no harm to the stability Of
! the government in the Islands, but it ap-
! pears that at the moment when it was
known that our vessels were to be taken
| away, tho British orders were changed and
| II. NJ S. Champion, which has SUI se-
! quently been replaced by the Hyaclntn,
/ was ordered to remain at Honolulu. 1t IS
not necessary to impute any improve
motive TO Great Britain or her epre-
! sentatives for this action, or even TO sup
pose that it is the intention of Great
/ Britain to seize Hawaii. but IL must rot
/ be forgotten that while our government
! hastens to recall a man like Mr.. Stevens,
who is earnest in the promotion Of Ameri-
/ can interests, Great Britain takes pains to
retain and uphold her representative for
/ his devotion to British interests.
"The sympathy of Great Britain, II
| nothing more, has certainly been with the
| royalists. The presence OF q British war
/ ship and the withdrawal Of ours would be
believed by the supporters of the queen
and by the natives generally, whether
/ rightly or wrongly It matters not, to mean
| that the opportunity was favorable Tor
royalist uprising To leave affairs there
! in such condition was direct encourage
ment of a counter revolution and to the
! renewal of disorder and possibly blood
! sed I'm the islands. II should be remember
/ ed also that Japan has retained q vessel
/ there and that there are many japanese
| in Hawaii who form a strong and some
what threatening element in the popula-
tion. Under such conditions to Withdraw
our ships and leave the ships of Japan
and Great Britain at Honolulu appears a
! bunder of the very first magnitude.
"rhe Importance of the Hawaiian ISL
ands to the United States cannot be
| overestimated and that importance is be
! ing greatly increased by the approach OF
the time when we shall build the Mica
ragua canal-action which the senator
from Alabama is pressing in such broad
| and patriotic spirit and with such dis
| tinguished ability. 1t cannot in any event
| be long delayed When that canal is built
| the Hawaiian Islands viii be even more
absolutely essential to our safety in the
Pacific than they are now. Commercially,
| and still more from a military point OF
view they are OF the utmost value. We
do not propose to allow any other coun-
! try to interfere with us there, and the
/ American people intend to take those
islands just as soon as they have an ad-
ministration which will not thwart their
| wishes"
Mr.. Butler said he did not care to open
a discussion in reference to the policy Of
the government toward the Sandwich
| Islands. He did not see how the pending
| resolution was going to aid the Senate,
or the country, or the Pres
/ ident, or the Secretary Of State,
or the Secretary of the Navy in regard to
! that policy. His object in moving the
! tee on foreign relations was not for the
| purpose Of defeating 1t, but for the pur-
| pose of examining into the propriety Of
| the adoption of such a resolution. The
whole matter was based upon the opin-
/ ion Of a naval officer who had simply given
his opinion as to what Great Britain would
/ do in certain contingencies, and under
certain circumstances; and he did not
/ think that that was of sufficient conse-
duence to justify the Senate in adopt
ing the resolution without giving an op-
portunity to the appropriate committee to
! Inquire into the circumstances and facts
as stated by Admiral Walker He (Mr.
/ ButlerD undertook to say that Great
! Britain would do no such thing as Admiral
Walker thought it would; and no other
! foreign government would attempt to DO
IT, There was not the slightest apprehen-
sion in his mind on that subject. He did
not see what the government Of the
! United States had to do with the inter
nal affairs of the Sandwich Islands II
there was a conspiracy against the exist
/ ing government in the Sand
wich Islands that government should
be able to suppress ~ and certainly the
United States government should not in
terfere in purely domestic controversy.
/ He should. therefore, insist upon his mo-
/ tion TO refer the resolution to the commit
tee on foreign relations.
one democratic senator. Mr.. Call, op-
posed the reference and favored the res
! olution.
The morning hour expired before any
vote could be taken and the resolution lost
/ its place on the table, and went to the cal
/ endar, where it will be heard Of no more.
Then Mr.. Morgan finished his speech
in support Of the Nicaraguan canal bill.
| No action was taken and the bill still re-