Hawaii Holomua, Volume II, Number 33, 8 February 1894 Edition 02 — CLEVELAND'S FOREIGN POLICY. [ARTICLE]

CLEVELAND'S FOREIGN POLICY.

— * ► Th.e Presideiit’s Sensihle ’ Condnct in the Havaiian A2air. I 1 i i All Democr*tic administrations ‘ b«ve been persistently conserva- j i tive in foreign atT-iirs. No attempt ha« ever occnrml nnder 1 1 democratic anapieea in onr raore | < than centnry of history to distnrb ! i the s-afegnnnls that detach us I from foreign ent »nglements. | i Kepuhliean jingo»sts h »ve been' tbe band hin*rs and jngglers in i foreign [*olicy. Eveiy time at tempt has heen made >t has been foiled bvthesnbersnd irresist:b!e refusa! of the conntrv to sustain bravado or »pprove filibusteriog. Mr. lilaine had to give up his fantastic if plaosib!e Snr.th Am- i eyica scheme. President FTarrison , has. it is true. tied us op f« »r tbe ( present with two Enroj*ean nowers in preserving the king of Samoa and p«ying his board and l<*dging as onr eommon captive. Steveus used onr naval forces at Honolalu to overtbrow a lawful gnvernnient. an»l now we have to i consider wh«t we maf constitationally do in righring our eonscience for Stovens’ and Harrison’s unconstitational proceedings. The constitntion of a conntry is not altogether redncible to writing. The docuraent whieh the fathers contrived with infinite labor, and thut has disappointed ns partinlly on one or more oeeasions by failnro to define a clear course in definite contingencies, does not erobody in its letter all that comprises the fnndamental convictions of the American j*eo ple on constitntional questions. One of its most cousp : cuous omis- ; sions has become by eommon consent a constitntionul obliga- | , tion on our federal govarnmeut i —that whieh is cornraonly knowu | as the Monroe doctrine. Eqnully binding on us is iks eompauion. also absent from tbe constitntion, no»-interference in the doraestic ! af!airs of foreign conntries. Washington and Jefferson were thfi ant!<' ua e.1 U>u aoooliluilon»! eanon in the»r conduct and writings, as Jefterson and Monroe and all after thera for fifty years are a phaiani against the irai policy of meddling with other people’s business or permitting others to raeddle with ours. Conser\’ative, according to the traditions of hia j*arty, Grover Clevelnnd will not take any reckless step even to reverse uneon- | stitntional condnct of a predeces sor. When Mr. Cleveland witbdrew tfae proposal of anneialion of Hawaii from the senate it was not for'the purpose of setting np j an execntive responsibility where the constitution ordains eiplieil ly that the congress sliall be consulted. Mr. Cleyeland conld not be expected blind!y toassr»me j a responsibility entered nj*on bnt | n»*t corapieted by his preHecessor I near the end of a tenu and in- ; ; volving grave danger of material I and moral error. No prcsident shonId be exj*ected to take up the j anfinisbed basinessof a predeces ! sor and shifk his own resj»onsi- 1 bi!ity by a fiction or retmsj.ection. j He was bonud to investignte the j Hawaiiau iucident for his own ioforraatirin before taking any step making his admimstration accoontable for so grave a pro- , ceeding as annexatian of distant i and uudesirable islands. If the president were reckless i and insensible to bts oath be j might easily have left tbe Hawai ! ian incident twin with the Samoan imbrog!io. He might have written to congress that, inas mneh as a predecessor had seen { fil to coutract the United States I with two Enmpean powers in tbe face of traditions amoanting to inbibition; and inasmnch as a predecessor had seen fit to violate other bindmg precedents in the matter of invasion of a friendly country and overthrow of a lawfal government, it was, after all, not his eoneem. Whst was done waa done. lnstead of this lax and profligate conrse, the president haa adbered to constitntional stand»rds and snbmitted himself to demoentic nathority. He eannoi tmdo the koot at Samoa.

He was bonnd to inqoire into th« incomp!ete transaetion at H >ao- , laln. R«tponsibility as to Ihai now l es on congres>. It wdl h »ve * i»efore it f»*r eIocidstīon of the f(Cts Stevens official !etters. Bloanfs offie ; al report. tbe in | strnct»ons given to Minister M illis bef«*re starting there as agent, of the adoiinistrition. and in a j few davs Willis’ statement of tbe actaal condition ol the coontry. It raay be that the nevolation. accomplished nnlawfal!y by our connivanco. is not snsceptib'e of reversal. At le*st the admimstn»tion has shown that resj*ect for onr precetlents and «ifegn*nls,' whieh amonnts to nioral repndi* tion of tlie transiction and to, acknow!edgmcnt that onr nakional n ime was defi!ed by an unconsti tntional procednre. If congress shall find on examīn*tion of the facts <•»*» existing now th »t we ean | not go farther than this ex'ept bv nsing violence a second time, ! it will be conceded th«t President Cleve1and has done his daty inl conscience aod eannoi be hold t.» ( blame for cons£qnences. ean the democratic party. The propos;il of annexation is wliolh* apart from eontentions; abont past polilieal intr:gnes in the lej»rous(?l islatuls. Annexation mnst be debated on its own merits. We have absolntely n>»thing to' gaiu bv annexing the islands. Thev are ours now for all useful intent and pnrposes. We do not want a gratnitous and costlv j*ohtical burdeu .—Chicuffo Herald.