The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-21
VARIOUS VIEWS.
Public Men Discuss the Gravity of
the Situation.

Public Men Discuss the Gravity of
the Situation.
Washington, March Ex-senator
Hale, of Maine, has been among the
most Jealous defenders of the Ha-
waiian republic on the floor of the Sen
ate, but he does not support Mr..
Thurston in the matter of the ministers
reported recall at the instance Of Secre-
tary Gresham on the facts so far as de-
veloped.
81 have no inside or exclusive infor-
nation" he said in discussing the mat
! ter today, ''but the published reports
say that Mr.. Thurston's recall has
been asked because he made public
diplomatic correspondence before sub
hitting it to the secretary. If this is
correct, he was clearly in the wrong,
and could not expect that the secretary
would do otherwise than ask for his
recall. 1t was clearly a breach of Of
fetal etiquette, and is a practice which
this country cannot afford to encour-
age. There might be times when such
course would lead to serious conse-
quences and if matters of interna-
tional Importance are to be so treated
by the representatives of foreign gov
state department.
'I have heard it suggested" con-
tinued the senator, that there was
some prejudice on the part of the de-
partment toward Mr.. Thurston be-
cause it was believed there that the
minister had supplied senators Of the
United States antagonistic to the
policy of this administration in
Hawaiian affairs with some facts
used in the debates in the
Senate, but that fact, if it be a fact,
should cut no figure. The state de-
partment could ask nothing Of Mr..
Tnurston except courteous treatment
at his hands in his official dealings
with the department. 1t could have no
supervision over his intercourse with
senators.
Il had hoped" he continued, ''that
nothing more would happen to strain
our relations with the. Dole govern
ment, for 1 believe it is a good govern
ment and that the Hawaiians have a
republic which is such in fact. as we'll
as in name, not like the Central Ameri-
can republics, including Mexico, which
are nothing but military deSpetisms.'
No Precedent.
A member of the diplomatic corps.
long in the service and well VerSed in
the procedure, said:
1.-THE books do not contain a prece-
dent warranting such a demand fer a
minister's recall because he has failed
to make public for the present a condi-
ton of facts within his country. In
the case of Mr.. Thurston he was under
no obligation to give to the state de-
partment the intentions of his govern
ment towards those convicted of re-
bellion. 1t was information as to facts
which had actually occurred and not
of objects involved in diplomatic nego-
tiaticns. The precedents are agreed
that a minister should not communi-
cate with the press or give opinions
on purely diplomatic questions. but
he is always at liberty to state condi-
tions of affairs.
eff the Hawaiian government can
put up with Minister Willis, think
this government might easily overlook
such a trivial matter as that which
was made an excuse for Minister
Thurston's Dismissal said Senator
Frye, of Maine.
ut looks to me like a very Small
piece of business. AS 1 understand the
matter, Mr.. Thurston did not give out
to the press official communications,
but information which he impaired to
the newspapers was the summary of
the news conveyed to him by private
letters.
81 think Mr.. Thurston's famous re-
ply to Blount started the trouble and
I think Mr.. Thurston was absolutely
right in that reply to Blount. The
administration has felt resentful of
Mr.. Thurston. No other statement
other than that stated in this dis
patch was given for the request for the
minister's removal.
The Russian Case.
1.-THE significant point in the Russian
case indicated that it was under no
obligation to make out a. case against
!, -
ficient to cause his recall to say that
he was objectionable. And so. in Mr..
Thurston's case, there probably will
be no attempt made to connect him
with the Objectionable newspaper
publications. 1t is held to De suf-
ficient that he rests under suspicion,
which may or may not be well ground
doubt, for it all rests with the
Hawaiian government and depends
whether that government takes the
ground that its minister has been at
tackled because of personal reasons, or
whether it may regard the demand for
his recall as the result of the faithful
execution of official charges confided to
his care. OF course, the minister will
go in either case, but if the Hawaiian
government takes the latter view, it
will simply omit to accept another
person to succeed him and in this
case, Mr.. Willis, our minister to
Hawaii. will be obliged to take
leave of absence just as Mr.. Porter,
our minister to Italy, did when Baron
Fava was recalled as the result of the
killing of his fellow countrymen in
New Orleans few years ago."
Notwithstanding reports have been
in circulation it can be stated that no
request has been made thus far for
the recall of Minister Muragua of
Spain, but beyond this no statement
can be made at this time.