Hawaii Holomua, Volume I, Number 63, 1 Kekemapa 1893 — Congressman Caminetti Indorses the Presiden's Policy. [ARTICLE]

Congressman Caminetti Indorses the Presiden's Policy.

Sacraraento, Nov. 15. —Congressraan Caminetti arrived in Sacramento to-night. aud on being interviewed bv tbe Exami)u r correspondent be said: “Tbe President’s policy ou the Hawaiian question, while a sonrce of disappointraent in sorae qaarters, and tbe subject of criticism in others, will, when all the facts are cousidered, stand tbe test prescribed by equity and the principles of interaational law. Furtbēr, it will coraraand the iespect of all those who are not ready to see tbis couutrv become a freebooter' araong the nations. To properly judge the matter we shonld put Hawaii in tbe position of a nation with power and inliuenee equal to our own, and then ask tbe qnestiou; What woukl have beeu our cour.se? In that event, would a person of ordinary understanding say that we woukl then have dared to take tho conrse pursued by our Government? A nation has no right upou tho territory of another except by permission of the regularly constituted governraent, or iu certain cases to protect the lives aud property of its citizens when in jeopardv. “It is said that our niarines were landed at the request of the Provisional Governmeut. The evidence shows that this request was nnule before the proclamatiou announcing its establishraeut was promulgated. It sets forth that the control of certain government buildings was lacking, and desired that au American naval officer with marines be placed in charge of the provisioual troops. It also shows that onr Minister recognized the Provisional Goverumeut before it was ever a governraeut de facto. These acts had the etrect of intimidatiug tlie officers and t»eople of a friendly nation with whieh we were at peaee, aml it isclaimed was sufficient to transfer bv means thereof tho contr>l of tbe country from the thenestablished governraent to the so-called Provisional Government. “Tbese acts were followed bv the hoisting of onr tlag on the Government BuilJings aml the qnartering of onr raarines therein, thus snstaining with our power the Provisional Government. while the representatives of the authority deposed retired umler protest withont force of arms. In fact, it ean be said that we established the Provi>iunal Goverument. “No warrant ean be fonmi for >uch action in the !aws of Nations nor in the treatv between the islamls and onrselves, bnt it was claimed by our Minister that he ianded the marines to protect Ameiiean interests. What Ameriean interests were in jeopardv has not been sbown. Whiīe the

organizersof the movement might l>e of Amenean birth cr des<'ent. still in that capacitv thev were 1 not entitled to our protection. J Had the lives an>l property *>f o';r citizens domiciled there been in danger the case wonld be ditFerent. That they were not i is proved by the fact that our ; | marines did not go io the qaarter w.iere our citizens lived or eng>ged iu basiness, but direct to the Government Bni!ding. I feel certain that had these facts bcen kuown to the last Admiuistration, Prosident Harriaon wonkl have hesitated long- before iudorsiug Minister Steven’s act. “The point is made that one administration cannot upset the act of a preceding one. It mnst ■ be remerabered that beyond recegniziug a Je fado government. an act always doue for the protection of the interests of a f>»reign power. and in no way to be construed as aeknowkdging the legality of the Government, nothing else was effected. There was an attempt to ru?h through in the closing waeks of the Administration the ratification of a proposed ireaty whieh aeknowlfdged the nght of the Provisional Government. to treat with us as to the annexation of the islands. but this was never acquiesced in by the Senate, and thus uo contract wu<i ever finall} T entered into that buund us as a nation to upho!d the acts of the persons attemj>iing t > treat with us, nor those of our Minister in landing marines and making it possible for tbera to srt aside the est»blished order of things. “The pro}M)sed treaty being unra. tified when President Cleveland Uxik otlice, it was an unsettled question» andifne thougbt it necessary ascertaiu with calmness and deliberation the true facts whieh hie predecessor was deniad, owing to the pressure and haste used by the interested parties, he but performed a worthy act. This cannot be interpreted as impugning the motives of ex-President Harrison. “If we have been guilty of a wrong we shou!d proceed to correct it as far as possible by withdrawing from a fie!d in whieh we have reaped no laureis. Let Hawaiians by themselves, without the intervention of any foreign intluence, determine what form of Governroent they desire. Let them of their own free will nrake such appt*als to us as they chose. without the presence of our marines :n their Government house or our Ministers hobnobbir;g wiih woukl-be Hevolutionists. Then we will be ready to consider a free offering with honor toourselves. I believe in annexing the islands under a suitable plan of government. but only on these terms.” i ■■■—-i—■