The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-06-17
TREATY 70 annex HAWAII
III WAS DISCUSSED IN THE CABINET
MEETING YEsTERDAY-READY
FOR SIGNATURES.
.MAY Be SENT 70 THE SENATE TODAY
Follow ShOrly-NO Action in Re-
Iation TO Cuba Will lie
Taken Immediately.



Washington. June 15.-Probably be-
cause the fact of his return was not gen.
orally known in Washington the presi-
dent had few callers at the White House
this morning before the time set for the
cabinet meeting. Prominent among
those who did call, however, were
Senators Hanna and Allison. Their con-
ference with the president lasted nearly
half an hour. A mass of mail had ac-
cumulated that needed the personal at
tention of the president, and, BESIDES
there were number of commissions to
be signed before the applicants could set
about to work and begin to draw their
salaries so the morning hours were fully
occupied. All the members of the cabi-
net were present when the meeting hour
of the cabinet arrived and as it was the
first session for week there were many
matters of routine business that required
attention today. The meeting did not
last an unusually long time.
The matters of public interest under
discussion were, first, the projected an
nexation of Hawaii, and, second, the
state of affairs in Cuba. AS to the first,
the attitude of the administration has al
ready been defined, and it is understood
that what remains to be done is to ar
range only the details of the program by
which annexation is to be attained.
Touching Cuba, as the president had
an opportunity to talk briefly with Special
T, lH.ll lnfn hn
south last week and nothing of import
ance has developed since. there was little
TO be said. 1t can be stated unequlvO-
cally as the result of today's cabinet
meeting that no important action in re-
lation to Cuba will be taken by the ad-
mnistration until the new minister TO
Madrid has been chosen and is at his
post ready for the duties of that mission.
This fact is significant in that it means
that some weeks must certainly elapse
before the president will take any action
whatever wal to the relations of this
government and the island of Cuba. The
question was brought up and discussed
! briefly today. but the situation, so far
as Cuban action is concerned, is just the
same as it has been for weeks. Ihe
difficulty of finding a man satisfactory to
the president to fill the post at Madrid
DELAYS action, and that Mr.. Mckinley is
no nearer to the selection for the post
than he was at the beginning of the ad-
ministration is vexatious to the admins
tration, which is anxious to begin ne
gotiations with Spain looking to the
amelioraton in some form of the condi-
ton of affairs in Cuba as speedily as
possible. Several names were talked
over today, but the discussion was fruit
| less.
1t was the expectation that the Ha-
waian annexation treaty this afternoon
would receive the formal signatures OF
| the negotiators, Secretary Sherman for
| the United States government and either
Mr.. Hatch or Mr.. Lorin Thurston as
commissioner for Hawaii.
The document itself has been prepared
and everything was in readiness when it
was taken to the White House for the
presidents final inspection and review:
Secretary Sherman remained at the de-
| partment later than is his custom in or
der to receive the Hawaiians, but finally
at 4 o'clock the attempt to secure the
| signatures of the treaty today was
abandoned. This may prevent the sub
| mission of the treaty to the senate to-
morrow, as was the intention, but the
| delay in any case Will not be material.
| At the cabinet meeting, in the course
| of the discussion of the treaty, it was con-
|
| would not necessarily cause any consd-
| erable obstruction TO the progress of the
tariff bill, and while there is every dis
| position on the part of the president to
| avoid any interference with the rights
| of the senate in the matter, it can be
stated that the treaty will not go in
with any idea that it is not the wish OF
! the executive that it should be acted on
| promptly. While the treaty. is in the
senate either in the hands of the com
mittee on foreign relations or on the
| calendar of executive business, it is the
| expectation that the people of the United
States will have an opportunity through
| the press and other mediums to declare
\ their sentiments upon the matter and if,
as is expected, there is an overwhelming
| declaration for annexation, it is be,
lieved the senate will be quick to respond
| to the demand. In this case the treaty
| it is believed. can be taken up and rati.
! fed in the course of one or two executive
sessions while the regular tariff debate:
are in progress daily.