John Harrison Wilson, The life of Charles Henry Dana

It favored the acquisition of the Hawaiian Islands, which had been provided for in the closing days of Harrison's administration. It severely condemned Cleveland for withdrawing the treaty of annexation which had been referred to the Senate for ratification. It condemned his action in sending a “paramount commissioner” to Honolulu without the advice and consent of the Senate as an assumption of authority and a violation of the fundamental law. It lost no opportunity to ridicule the paramount commissioner, or to inveigh against the reestablishment of the deposed queen upon her throne. It pointed out that the American people would not approve such a measure as this, no matter what excuse might be offered for it, and claimed that such acts as these, when added to the estrangement of the party leaders, which had already been brought about by the President's unconciliatory manners and his advocacy of a free-trade tariff, would result in the defeat of the Democratic party at the next election. And yet it may be truthfully said that it never failed to praise such acts of Cleveland or his administration as it could consistently approve, and it did this with a heartiness which did more than its bitterest criticism to arouse the resentment of their party supporters.

In May, 1886, the Sun published an editorial on the “Lost cause,” containing many evidences of having been written by Dana. It was called forth by a speech on that subject delivered by Jefferson Davis. After expressing admiration for the ability and eloquence of this remarkable address, and calling attention to the fact that it did not contain a single word on the subject of slavery, it continued as follows:

... Yet this institution was indisputably the moving cause of all the acts, efforts, sacrifices, achievements, and