The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-01-25
He Is Surprised 1h0| His Position Is
Misunderstood.
REPLIES TO SENATOR AORGRN'S STATEMENT
He Never Favored tho Annexation OF
Hawaii or Cubn-IEis posi ton Full.
~ DiscIosed by His OmciaI Acts
Strange Tint His Attitude should
He Questioned,
Princeton, N. j., Jan. "a, 1898.


ut is one OF the strangest things OF
these strange times that my position
upon the Hawaiian question should be
misunderstood"
Ihat is the way eX-President Grover
cleveland expressed himself when
shown the stutement or Senator Nor.
gan relative to his position in the Sen
ate to-day. In order that ther. could
be no misunderstanding OF his poe.-
tion on the part of the public lie au-
thori@ed the following statement TO the
Associated Press:
do not believe in discussing mat
ters OF this kind as n private cItjsan
40 not care, however, TO be misren-
resented.
VIII, therefore, say that ever since
the question of Hawaiian anneSa .jon
was presented l have been utterly and
constantly opposed to it. The first
thing l did after my inauguration in
March, 1893. was to recall from the
feueral Senate an annexation treaty
then pending before that body. | re-
sarded, and still regard, the prcpostd
annexation of these islands as not only
opposed to our national policy, but as
perVersion of our national mission.
ne mission OF our nation is to build
up ana make a greater country out of
what we already have, instead of an-
neNing islands.
did not suppose rnat there was
any one in public life who misuntor-
STOOD my position in this matter. 1t
had been said that I was partial 10
the former monarchy and desired 10
see IL restored to order that ! might
treat 1t for the purpose Of nnneXf-
tion How could / have had such an
idea IL l regarded annexation as con-
trary tc our national policy The same
answer can be made TO the statement
that my opposition TO Hawaiian an
hcNation was based merely upon dis
satisfaction with the treaty. nendinr
before the Senate at the time of nv
second Inaugural ton. l was opposed TO
annexation as such.
In regard 10 the Hawaiian mon
afchy, aside from any question of an
neNation and without harboring any
previous designs of restoring that
monarchy, | investigated the relations
OF our representatives to its overthrow.
rms investigation satisfied me that
our interference in the revolution of
1873 was dsgraceful. / would gladly,
therefore. for the sake of our national
honor and our country's fair name
have repaired that wrong.
IN regard to the Cuban question:
Ny pos!tioh was 1ully made known to
CONGRESS in the various messages in
which the subject was discussed T
was opposed to the recognition of the
heillGerency of the island, and my posi-
tion was perfectly well known. In
deed, SO very unm!stakably were nv
views on the subject tnat 1 was time
and again threatened by frenzied men
ana women with dire calamities to he
visited upon myself and children be-
cause of what they saw fl to assert
as my enmity to the Cuban cause.
My position on all the questions
was made perfectly clear in the off,
cial documents of the time. and there
can be no possible mistake.
1T is very difficult for me TO under
stand Senator Alorgan's evidently
wrong impressions in regard TO my
position. Indeed. It is one of the
strangest things Of these strange times
that my position in these matters
should be called into question"