New-York tribune., 1898-01-22
AN HAWAIIAN PLEBTSCITUM.

One of the choicest bits Of humor contributed
to the Hawaiian discussion Is the proposal tha'
a plebisctum be taken in the islands upon the
subject That means that we are 10 discrcdlt
and insult the Government with which we are
dealtnQ We are to say TO the Hawaiian Presl-
dent. You are suspected Of being an usurper {;
to the Hawaiian Minister. Your credentials are
probably forged; to the entire Hawaiian Gov
ernment, 1--WE do not believe you represent the
Hawaiian people" And so are to disregard
the constituted authorities, which we and all the
world have hitherto recognized and deal directly
with the masses Of the people, in wn-meeting
assembled Truly that would be an exhibition
of diplomatic courtesy beyond all characteriza-
ton.
Exqulsitely entertaining too IS the manner In
which the plebiscitum is to be taken. You see,
we are dreadfuy afraid somebody has usurped
or Is going to usurp governmental functions in
Hawaii and that some OF the Hawaans are
or will be dsfranchised. That must be stopped.
even II we have TO usurp the whole GOV
ernment ourselves and disfranchise every man
on the Islands So 1t is proposed that this Nation
shall interfere in the purely domestic affairs of
an independent State This Government shall
set aside the Constitution and laws Of Hawaii.
and shall declare who may and who shall not
be permitted to vote. United States officers shall
determine how, when and where the Hawaiian
election shall be held and shall count the votes
and declare the result. That is to he done, you
see, In order to insure perfect freedom and
home rule In the Islands. and 10 prevent usur
patton, conquest or the exertion Of any undue
foreign influence. 1t is n lovely scheme. To be
logically and artisticaly complete, however Il
should provide for a corresponding plebisclum
in the United States TO be ordered and con
Quoted by the Honolulu Government, the polls
manned and the terms Of the franchise Of Amer
lean citizens determined by select committees
Of Kanakas. No doubt the omission Of that
from the proposal was mere oversight which
will be promptly remedied
Nothing can he more satisfactory and con-
vincing than such a plebiscitum. It Will be re-
membered that the late Louis Napoleon. OF Bou
logne Ham and Sedan, was particularly fond
Of 1t. and that the result invariably commended
itself-and him-to the moral sense Of The world
IF he had not obtained a plebscitum IN his
favor men might have thought him an usurper
and his Coup d'Etat n crime. Moreover. this
country has itself had a little informal expe-
rence Of that kind. 1t Will be remembered that
thirty years ago or thereabouts Il was proposed
TO annex to this country, by purchase. the Dan
ish West India Islands. The Danish Govern
ment in favor Of so doing, and so was the
Washington Administration. There was no
question raised to the authority OF Denmark
10 sell them. But there was notion that 1t
might be unfortunate to take Into the Union A
lot Of people who did not want to come into It.
So while the holding Of an election under United
States control was not quite vcntured upon,
trustworthy agents were sent to the islands,
with the permission and approval Of the Danish
Government, to ascertain informally the scntl
ment Of the people That work was done with
tact, discretion. honesty and thoroughness. The
result was that the Inhabitants Of the Islands
We're found to be almost unanimously in favor
OF annexation to this country. That fact was
reported at Washington. Whereupon the Senate
substantially said: want to be annexed, do
they? Well then. they shant be.' And the
treaty was rejected
Oh yes. the Hawaiian plebiscltum would he
an uncommonly fine thing But should we run
the machine" as Louis Napoleon did? Or should
we treat the result by contraries, as IN the case
OF the Danish West Indies? 1t is an awfully
good Joke, you know. But some jokes require
diagrams for their full calculation