The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-06-04
MINISTER SEWALL
Chartered at Hawaiian Hotel
Cottage.
REFUSES TO TALK ANNEXATION
Sugar Clause in Tariff to
Come Last.
Is SupremeIy Mum on Political
Situation Glad to Be
i'm Honolulu.

Harold NJ. Sewall, Envoy Extraordi-
nary and Minister Plenipotentiary from
the United States to Hawaii, for whom
the entire American colony has been
waiting for more than a fortnight, ar
rived by the Alameda yesterday with
Mrs. SewaIl and their son. and are quar-
tered at Snow Cottage. They were met
at the wharf by United States Consul
General Mills and conducted by him to
the cottage, for which he had made ar
engagements some days ago. Minister
Sewall is suffering from injury to his
foot, and when seen by an Advertiser
reporter last night was reclining on a
veranda chair
Il am glad to be here he said, land
[ hope my friends have not thought 1
was dallying along the way. The law
gives a representative to foreign coun-
try 80 days in which to receive his in
structions; / did not take all of that
time, nor hssifsEofE sit, butsSS5oiie Know,
Maine is a long distance from Honolulu
and it took me a little time to arrange
my affairs at home. l think L made two
or three trips between my home and
Washington between the announcement
of my probable appointment and rece1V-
ing my credentials"
Replying to a question regarding the
attitude of the Republican administra-
ton towards Hawaii, the Minister said:
please don't! This is my first night
here, and l would rather you would not
ask me questions that would embarrass
not yet presented my credentials, [ do
not feel that | would be justified in
speaking upon subject so closely al
lied to politics. Wait until / have settled
myself From what L can learn, the peo-
pie of Hawaii keep themselves as well
posted on political matters in the United
Sfatn Wa do ~CalX 60 hat aa1l
L do not believe L could enlighten you on
the subject
LAS a Maine man, 1 am much interested
in Hawaii, for, although separated by
several thousand miles of land and
ter, there has always been a close bond
between the two; probably it is the sea
that makes it so, there are so many
Maine vessels coming to Hawaii. Then,
too, Maine has sent several representa-
tives here, and the first Hawaiian Min
lister to the United States, Mr.. Elisha AL
len, w--o died at a reception at the White
House, was a Maine man.
Regarding a change of Consuls," said
Minister Sewall in reply to a question,
Il really know nothing. There are a
great many applicants, of course, and
this post is considered a good one; per-
hapS one of the most desirable, and the
President is taking his time in selecting
a person to come here Nothing had been
done prior to my departure, or I would
have been notified of it, for no one is more
in the appointment than /. Mr.
Mills tells me he has heard nothing
Asked If he thought 1t probable that a
treaty of annexation or closer political
union would be presented to Congress
after the tariff bill had been disposed of,
Mr. Sewal said:
You are breaking the compact again.
[ do not know that l would answer that
question if L could. The tariff you will
understand, was a twin issue with the
coinage in the election of the Republican
party, and I may say it was the more
robust of the two. The people of the
United States wanted protection-this
part cularly the case with the people Of
Maine-and that issue will take prece-
dence over anything else in the special
session of Congress. So far the
clause which affects Hawaii is concerned,
Senator Frye and some of the other Sen
ators are strongly in favor of having the
treaty remain as it now stands; others
are willing that a differential rate should
be fixed; this is notably the case with
Senator Aldrich. 1t is purely matter of
commercial interest, and any discussion
by members of Congress away from the
capital would not likely be communicated
to me. I will be surprised if the sugar
clause will be reached until every other
item is disposed of, and this will give
the various factions time to harmonic.
In my opinion, the session will not end
until after the 1st of July"
Minister Sewa1 has not yet met any
of the officials of the Government, except
Attorney General Smith, who he saw at
the dock, as he was leaving the steamer.
Admiral Beardslee and his aide called
upon him informally at his cottage in the
affRTnOOO