The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-25
ALWAYS OPPOSED TO IT.
Cleveland's Reply to Morgan and
Hawaiian Annexation.

D
Hawaiian Annexation.
Princeton, n. J., Jan. 24-"It is one
of the strangest things of these strange
times that my opinion on the Hawaiian
question should be misunderstood"
r That is the way ex-President Grover
Cleveland expressed himself when
shown the statement of Senator Nor
gan relative to his position, in the SEN
ate today. In order that there could
be no Misunderstanding of his position
on the part of the public he authorized
the following statement TO the ASso-
ciated Press:
I do not believe in discussing mat
ters Of this kind as a private citizen.
I do not care, however, TO be misrep-
resented.
i viii therefore say that ever since
the question OF Hawaiian annexation
was presented 1 have been utterly and
constantly opposed to it. The first
thing l did after my Inauguration in
March 1898, was to recall from the fed
eral senate an annexation treaty then
pending before that body. ] regar led.
and still regard, the proposed annexa-
ton of these Islands as not only OPP
posed to our national policy, Dut as
perVersiOn of our national mission Tn
mission Of our nation is to build up
and make a greater country o. whit
we already have, instead of annexing
islands.
I did not suppose there was anv one
in public life who misunderstood my
position in this matter 1t has been
said that 1 was partial to the former
monarchy and desired to see it re-
stored. in order that l might treat with
il for the purpose of annexation. How
could I have had such an idea if I re-
garded annexation as contrary to our
national policy? The same answer can
be made to the statement that my op-
position 10 Hawaiian annexation was
based merely upon dissatisfaction with
the treaty pending before the senate at
the time of my second Inauguration.
was opposed to annexation as such.
In regard to the Hawaiian monar-
chy aside from any question Of annex
alton and without harboring any pre-
vious designs Of restoring that mon
archy, I Investigated the relations of
our representative to its overthrow.
This investigation convinced me that
our interference in the revolution of
1893 was disgraceful. / would gladly.
therefore, for the sake of our national
honor and our country's fair name,
have repaired that wrong
I'm regard to the Cuban question:
My position was fully made known
to congress in the various messages in
which the subject was discussed. I |
was opposed to the recognition of the
belligerency of the island and my po-
sition was perfectly well known In
deed, so very unmistakeable were my
views on the subject that / was time
ard again threatened by frenzied men
and women with dire calamity 10 be |
visited upon myself and children be- !
cause of what they saw fit to assert |
as my enmity to the Cuban cause.
My position on all these questions |
was made very clear in the official doc |
uments at the time and there can be !
no possible mistake
1T is very difficult for me to UNDER |
stand Senator Morgan's evidently !
wrong impressions in regard to my po- |
sition. Indeed, it is one of the strang-
est things of these strange times that |
my position in these matters should be
called into question"