The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-01-26
Says His Position Has Been Nisrep-
resented and Misunderstood.
is OPPOSED TO ANNEXATION
And MSsyS Mas Against the Proposition
Intsrisraes Disgrsesiul-Also Opposed
to Rseosnitioa Of cubsn Belligereaey.

Princeton. y. j.. Jan. Z.-"ll IL one o
the strangest thlnss OF these strang'
times that my position on the HawailaI
question should be misunderstood"
This Il the way ex-Presldent cleyelaDc
expressed himself when shown the state
ment Of Senator Morgan relative 10 hi
position In the senate today. In ordel
that there could be no misunderstanding
Of ms position on the question. ne au'
thOrized the following statement:
Il do not believe In discussing mstters
Of this kind as a private citizen. do moi
care. however, to be msrepresented.
will. therefore. say that ever since the
question OF Hawaiian annexation was
presented l have been utterly and con.
staniiy opposed to It. The first thing
did otter my Inauguration In March. 1Ge.
was to recall from the federal senate an
annexation treaty then pending before
that body. regarded, and sill regard the
proposed annexation Of these Islands as
not only opposed TO our national policy.
but as a peryerslon Of our national mis-
sion The mission Of our nation Is 10 build
up and make a greater country OF what
We lfSady have Instead Of making ex-
tensions. dd not suppose there was
any one In public who misunderstood my
position In this matter. IL has been said
that / was partial TO the former mon-
archy and desired 10 see II restored In or
der THAI ! might treat with II for the pur-
pose OF annexation. How could / have
had such an idea. II / reganied annexa-
tion as contrary TO our national policy ,
The same answer can be made to the
statement that my opposition to Hawaiian
annexation was based merely upon dis
satisfaction with the treaty pending be-
fore the senate at the time OF my second
inauguration. was opposed 10 annexa-
lion as such.
In regard 20 the Hawaiian monarchy.
aside from any question Of annexation
and without harborlng any previous de-
signs or restoring the monarchy, / lnves-
tigated the relations Of our representa-
tive TO It's overthrow. This Investigation
convinced me that our Interference in the
revolution OF 1888 was disgracetu. /
would gladly. therefore, for the sake OF
our national honor and our country's fair
name, have repaired that wrong.
In regani to the Cuban question-my
position was fully made known 10 con-
gIeSs In the various messages In which
the subject was discussed was op-
posed to the recognition OF the belliger-
ency OF the island. and my position was
perfectly well known Indeed. 50 very
mmistakable were my views on the sub
ject that was time and again threat
ened by frenzied men and women with
dire calamity to BE- visited upon myself
and children because OF what they saw
ut to assert as my enmity to the Cuban
cause.
My position on all these questions was
made very clear In the official documents
at the time and there can be no possible
mistake. 1t is very difficult for me to
understand Senator Morgan's evident
wrong impressions in regard to my posi-
tion. 1t Is one of the strangest things OF
these strange times that my position in
these matters should be brought into
question: