Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
It is hardly necessary for me to state that the questions arising from
our relations with Hawaii have caused serious embarrassment. Just prior
to the installation of the present Administration the existing
Government of Hawaii had been suddenly overthrown and a treaty of
annexation had been negotiated between the Provisional Government of
the islands and the United States and submitted to the Senate for
ratification. This treaty I withdrew for examination and dispatched
Hon. James H. Blount, of Georgia, to Honolulu as a special commissioner
to make an impartial investigation of the circumstances attending the
change of government and of all the conditions bearing upon the subject
of the treaty. After a thorough and exhaustive examination Mr. Blount
submitted to me his report, showing beyond all question that the
constitutional Government of Hawaii had been subverted with the active
aid of our representative to that Government and through the
intimidation caused by the presence of an armed naval force of the
United States, which was landed for that purpose at the instance of our
minister. Upon the facts developed it seemed to me the only honorable
course for our Government to pursue was to undo the wrong that had been
done by those representing us and to restore as far as practicable the
status existing at the time of our forcible intervention. With a view
of accomplishing this result within the constitutional limits of
executive power, and recognizing all our obligations and
responsibilities growing out of any changed conditions brought about by
our unjustifiable interference, our present minister at Honolulu has
received appropriate instructions to that end. Thus far no information
of the accomplishment of any definite results has been received from
him.
Additional advices are soon expected. When received they will be
promptly sent to the Congress, together with all other information at
hand, accompanied by a special Executive message fully detailing all
the facts necessary to a complete understanding of the case and
presenting a history of all the material events leading up to the
present situation.
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