The Hawaiian gazette., 1890-06-10
The Legislative Assembly.
Continued from seventh page

ne was taking course contrary to the
law and the constitution, l did not tell
him that he was doing right, but that he
was taking course that would bring
disaster upon himself and upon the
country.
In this situation, with the history OF
Robert Wilcox before US, with the facts
in regard to V. Y. Ashford before US,
with the Acknowledgement in open hos
tility to the Cabinet, refusing to resign
and saying that he would stay to paralize
all action, in this situation, say that
even if there had been no truth in the
report which came to us, there would
still have been ample ground for taking
the precautions urged by the Attorney
| General in August last. The Marshal
came to me to consult. He had received
information from different source from
mine OF similar character. He felt that
he could not consistently with his duty
to the community and to himself 90 to
the Attorney-General and tell him what
he knew. After talking it over with the
other members OF the Cabinet the Mar
shall stated that he could get volunteers,
and stated who they were, men of the
most respectable standing, clerks, book
keepers, etc., as well as a few Govern
ment employees, who took steps, and
the Station house was guarded for sew
eral weeks before it was known at all
Now in regard to the night of the 18th
OF April, when the Minister of the Inte-
rior twas there" the gattling gun run
out, and the forty armed men on hand.
At l A. NJ l was rung up with the
statement that a policeman had seen
body OF armed men. thought it sufficient
to put us on our guard. l went down.
found five men on guard, and We tele-
phoned for three or four more. No one
else was there The statement as to
forty men is entirely without founda-
ton. We stayed till daybreak. The
guns were not put out into the street,
there was no unnecessary exhibition of
force, there was no guard sent out to the
Rifles ArmOry, unless you consider one
lame prisoner such a guard. One or two
men patroled. took the statement of
the policeman in writing. He stated
that there was passer who could con-
firm it, and the next day he brought the
man who stated that he had seen some
armed men in that neighborhood.
Whether there were any armed men
there, you know as well as |. At any rate
there was the information, and | cousid-
cred it was my duty to be on hand, and
for the Marshal to be on his guard. Sup
pose no precaution had been taken, and
the station had been captured then what?
The fact Is it was the duty of the At
tOrney-General to inquire into the situa-
ton and guard the peace. He did no
thing whatever, and the rest of the Cab
met had to take the responsibility of
guarding not merely against probable
but possible :" dangers.
As 10 the statement that these precau-
tons were calculated to create a disturb
ance, this strikes me as one of the thin
nest, fimsiest and most ridiculous pro-
positions that ever heard Precautions
OF this kind are the first thing to prevent
a disturbance. Look at Berlin on the
LIST OF May, Labor Day; it was garrison.
Lock at London few years ago at the
Hyde Park riots and citizens were sworn
in as special police by the thousand.
And yet it is claimed that the precau-
tons taken here tended to excite dis
turbance that the presence of few men
at the Police Station, probably playing
cards when not on duty, must so tend to
excite MIR. Wllcox's nerve centres as to
lead him to shoulder a musket and try
TO capture the Police Station, just be-
cause there were a few men there who
had perfect right to be there.
Mr. President, on this statement am
ready to leave it TO the House whether
the inaction of the Attorney General is
to be commended, or the positive course
of the majority of the remainder of the
Cabinet. Taking into consideration what
happened on the S0th of July, would we
not have been responsible for any loss OF
life or property, if we had neglected these
precautions and a disturbance had oc-
CURED. am willing to leave it to the
House, but if every man votes against
me, would still in a similar situation,
when thought the country was threat
ened with the possibility of danger, act
as have, whether the Acknowledgement
approved it or not.
Tho affornar-f,ouaral MOVES tn rafor