The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-05-15

and fUNn Webster. styled fnr HuNEf
eirn chief and Proprietor of the GrOu
uf Islands in the stewart Islands,
which coded 90 the Hawaiian klng al
WobHctB rights of sovereignty am
propriotorship. WyllIr writes that th
consideration Of the cesslon had beef
postponed by resolution OF the Kin
and priyy Council which resolution di
I ret.od the Foreign Minister 10 hay
/ communication with the Bible am
/ Missionary Societies OF the Kingdom
on the subject OF making efforts for tn
moral and religious improvement o
| the people OF the Stewart Islands.
/ You are TO understand Wyl
] lie writes, that the King, having onl.
recently escaped the danger of annex
alton for his own Kingdom has no de
sire to apply the principle to the terri
/ tory of others. but His Majesty mos
ardently desires to extend education
christianity and civilization among th'
| barbarous tribes OF Polynesia Or
March 4, 1856, Wyllie notifies st. Ju
| lien that on the Goth ult., the Kinl
resolved to accept the sovereignty o.
the Stewart Islands, but solely for the
good of the natives. and without ex.
pecting any revenue from them, or in
curing any pecuniary or political re.
sponsibility on their account. All this
Wyllie adds, is to be put into the ar
ticles clear and explicit and to be ex-
planned to the natives" With the
vague and uncertain terms OF this let
ter 1t is intimated in a letter from
Creighton Foreign Minister, August A
! 1886, St. Julien was dissatisfied, and II
Is not known whether his representa-
tive ever took any action looking to ar
exercise of his sovereign or proprie
tary rights. AS confirming the
strength of the historical parallel tC
Bushs mission, it is to be noted that
| in this letter, Creighton, while express
| ing regret that no definite action was
taken regarding the Stewart Island
cession, writes "a new departure in the
policy of the Government has been ta-
ken, and the Powers having interests
in Pacific waters have been informed
of this change of policy. OF course it
follows lines laid down broadly at the
time st. Juliens commission issued
and independence? dependency must
be had upon moral rather than upon
material force" Compare also this
letter with the letter of Gibson TO Car
ter, announcing the commissioning OF
Bush January s, 1887. His Majesty
feels that this course now taken, is on
his part a solemn duty, which on ac-
count of the opportunities he and Ha-
waii enjoy, he owes to his brother
chiefs of Polynesia, whose islands
should not remain in the position of
being mere waits to be seized upon by
the first strong hand that is stretched
out to take them"
Situation in Hawaii.
Before considering the history OF
the Samoan mission, let us look at the
situation in which Hawaii, by the
events of this period, was placed in its
relations to the United States, and 9TH
er Powers, for these were to give this
mission an Importance it's authors new
er dreamed of. No time more unpropi-
tious could have been chosen. Recent
events had fixed ON Samoa the atten-
ton of the three treaty Powers, and
the conference then about to open al
Washington had been agreed to on the
basis of the maintenance of the status
quo. Germany ever watchful and ever
| suspicious of Americas designs on Sa.
moa, and even then contemplating hel
coup d'etat there in the event of fail
ing to have her own way at the confer
ence, professed to find in Bush's mis-
sion an attempt by the United States
to gain an advantage in the situation
American supremacy in Hawaii was OF
course acknowledged, and ultimate an
neXation foreseen. The trend OF
events was emphasized by the pending
ratification of the convention extend
ing the treaty of 1875. Germany saw
in the cession clause of this treaty and
the Hawaiian mission to Samoa, the
Eagle poising over Hawaii with one
claw in Pearl Harbor and the other
stretched out to strike into the Vitals
of Samoan sovereignty. And to her
mind the fact that the American repre-
sentative at Apia had been charged
with Hawaiian Consular duties, and
that the first result of Bush's mission
had been the appointment by Malietoa
of the Hawaiian Minister at Washing
ton as his Samoan Majesty's represent
ative there. confirmed this view. But
Bismarck's application to Bayard OF
the standard of his own diplomacy,
was as ludicrous as it was unjust. For,
judged by that standard, Bayard was
but a babe. A gentleman with fear
and without reproach, Bayard carried
into official intercourse the high rules
friends. Deception was an art un-
known to him, and his saddest expert
epces in his diplomatic career resulted
from his taking his fellow diplomats at
their word, when the world knows, and
it is the wrold's fault that it is so, that
the true diplomat does this only at his
peril.
Carter in Hot Water.
To return to the Samoan mission, the
position of Carter at Washington must
have been anything, but enyiable.
Although Gibson professed the utmost
solicitude lest the United States should
not look with favor on his plans, he
displayed the greatest jealousy at any
to increase Americas intlu-
ence and position in Hawaii. He even
instructed Carter to ascertain If she
would relinquish her claims to Midway
Is, in ii. MS favor. AS regards the
Pearl Harbor cession Gibson seems to
have been almost bitter, and instructed
Carter that an arrangement to grant
exclusive rights to the use of any har-
Dor to the United States, or indeed to