The sun., 1895-02-10
Senator Morgan is Right in the
Hawaiian Matter.

| 1t appears that two American Cuckoos
and one Englishman, having been convicted
at Honolulu OF high treason as participants
in the recent revolt against the Hawaiian
Government, have been sentenced to DEATH
The fact simply demonstrates that the
Hawaiian republic means to exercise the
right Of self-protection inherent in all in
dependent States. Persons claiming Amer
lean citizenship have no more business to
attempt to upset an established Govern
ment in Honolulu than they would
have in Paris or Berlin and, If they
are found guilty of the crime, they must ex-
pect to pay the penalty. The utmost that
our State Department should presume to do
in such a case would be to present respect
full request for such delay in the execution
of the death sentence as would permit the
record Of the trial of the alleged Americans
to be inspected. The purpose of such an in
spection would be merely to ascertain
whether the convicts had been fairly tried,
not according to the laws of the United
States, with which other independent pow
ers have nothing to do, but according to
such laws Of the aggrieved country as would
govern the military or civil tribunals before
"hiSh ILc uSSuocu peISou were drTdlBneu.
There are at this moment rotting in Brit
ish dungeons American citizens convicted
on slender and suspicious evidence of COM
plicity in dynamite outrages said to have
been committed for the purpose Of terroriz-
ing and coercing the British Government.
Our State Department has never yet ven
tured to construe the British statutes under
which the Americans were tried or to make
a peremptory demand on behalf of the un-
happy prisoners. What, then, does Secre-
tary GRESHAM mean by presuming, in his
despatch Of Feb. 2 to Mr. WILLIS at Homo
lulu, to formulate the principles Of law by
which rebels against the Hawaiian Govern
ment shall be tried, and in case the prin-
ciples thus arbitrarily laid down shall
have been violated, to demand" delay
of execution The telegram to Minister
WILLIS, copy of which was submitted
to Congress on Friday, runs as follows: "If
American citizens were condemned to death
by military tribunal, not for actual par
ticipation in reported revolution, but for
completely only; or, if condemned to death
by such tribunal for actual participation,
but not after open, fair trial, with oppor-
tunity of defence, demand delay of execu-
ton" Now, who created GRESHAM n Con-
stitution maker and lawmaker for the
Hawaiian lslands2 If the Constitution
and laws of the Hawaiian republic make
completely in treason, no less than overt par
ticipation, capital crime they have but
conformed to the precedent set by Great
Britain and followed by almost every civilized
country upon earth. Then as to the words
"open, fair trial." by whom, pray, are they
to be interpretedf GRESHAM would not |
dare to tell Lord RosEBERY in similar cir |
cumstances that the words must be inter |
preted by our State Department. All that |
our Secretary of State can properly request
of a foreign country is that Americans ac- |
cused of offences against it may be fairly |
tried" in the sense that the words bear |
under the laws and usages of the country in |
question. To arrogate the exclusive right |
of deciding what constitutes fairness, to |
delegate this assumed right to Minister, |
and to instruct him, provided the legal pro |
ceedings of an independent power shall fail |
to satisfy his idea of fairness, to "demand" |
a delay in the execution OF sentence, is n |
piece of insolence which only a bully and a |
coward would address to a weak State
Senator MORGAN spoke for every right
feeling man in the United States, when he
said on Friday in the Senate that he should
have more respect for the Government of
Hawaii il it hanged traitors, than II IL
weakly declined to do so on the interference
Of any other Government. The words were
spoken like an American and like a SEN
ator; and Mr. HAwLEY and Mr.. HALE did
themselves no credit by protesting against
them. Itis ridiculous TO compare the feeble
and isolated Hawaiian Government, inces-
sanity harassed and undermined by Messrs
CLEVELAND and GRESHAM, with the Gov
ernment OF the Union during the civil war;
and, ON the strength Of the comparison, 10