Los Angeles herald., 1890-07-06
FROM THE ISLANDS.
A Cabinet Crisis Develops at
Honolulu.
The American Treaty the Cause
Of the Trouble.
Consul Sewall Takes Formal Possess
sien of PagO Pag0.
Ex-Minister Ashford Accuses His Ha-
wsiian Colleagues of Conspiring to
Overthrow the Government.
Associated Press Dispatches |

udyS lrOIu cyUney anu SeVeu udyS lrOIl
Honolulu. Hawaiian advices state that
on June 11th King Kalakaua appointed
John Adams Cummins minister of for
eign affairs, vice Jonathan Austin, re-
signed; Godfrey Brown, minister OF
finance, vice S. M. Damon, resigned
Charles N. Spencer, minister of the in
terror, vice Lorin A. Thurston, resigned
and Arthur P. Peterson, attorney-gen-
eral, vice G. w. Ashford,
On Friday June 18th Noble Widemann
introduced resolution in the legisla.
ture declaring that whereas it was ap-
parent that the constitutional advisers
of the king were irreconcilably divided
against themselves and it being impos-
sible to heal the dissension in manner
conducive to the best interests of the
kingdom, except by the dissolution Of
the cabinet, it was resolved that the as
sembly mark its dissatisfaction with the
existing state of affairs by declaring a
want of confidence in the ministry.
Previous to the introduction of the
message Minister Austin replied to the
charges made against him in the ma
jority report of the committee on foreign
affairs, which have been heretofore re-
ferred to in these dispatches denying that
he disobeyed the instructions OF the
house to lay before it documents regard
ing proposed treaty with the United
States, or that he had distracted i'm
portant documents in relation to the
matter, on the plea that they were per-
sOnal communications.
On the introduction of the resolution,
Representative Brown stated that there
was greater principle at stake than the
integrity of the ministry namely, that
the minority should not rule, and
offered amendatory resolutions declar-
ing that whereas Minister Ashford
had advised the king to refuse
to follow the advice of the major
ity of the cabinet, which advice of the
attorney-general the supreme court
passed upon and declared illegal and un-
constitutional, and whereas the attor-
ney-general had persisted in his advice
to the king, it was resolved that such
assertion of the principle of the right of
the minority to rule was subversive of a
constitutional representative govern
ment, and that the action of the attor-
ney-general was deserving of the sever
est censure and condemnation of the
house, which did thereby declare its
lack of confidence in him. A protracted
and warm debate followed, in which the
encouragement and some. members of
the legislature took the ground that that
body could get rid of one member of the
ministry only by passing vote of want
of confidence in the whole cabinet. The
vote on Browns amendment resulted "a
/ I'll 81 oI~n,e IS
the house, including the president, vot-
ing. The cabinet, however, promptly
resigned.
During the proceedings of the legisla-
ture on June 9th Minister Ashford, ris-
ing to a question of privilege, stated
that he wished to answer the charges
made against him by the minister of the
interior of connivance with the insurrec-
tion of last April. He claimed that the
insurrection OF 1887, planned by w. R.
Wilcox, was only continuance of the
scheme of the ministry to replace the
king on the throne by his sister, Prin-
cess Kiliuokalani, and that the ministry
was to blame for that insurrection.
Notwithstanding rumors of impending
trouble, there was not even sufficient
ammunition available for ordinary use.
If it had not been possible to obtain
10000 rounds from the United States
steamer Adams, then in the harbor, the
instruction would have been success
full. He claims that when it was voted
to put the proposed treaty with the
United States through the king
was not to know all the
facts of the treaty. The clause re.
lating to the landing of foreign
troops on Hawaiian soil was annexed tc
the draft of the treaty, and when the
draft was left with the king the annexed
clause which he claimed was to have
been removed, remained through over.
sight affixed to the treaty, and the king
rejected it. Minister Ashford charged
the other members of the cabinet with
conspiracy.
Minister Thurston entered general
denial of Ashford's statements, both as
regards the counter-charges against him
self or concerning the cabinets action in
regard to the treaty.
On the following day, June 10th, Rep
resentative Wilcox made a statement in
the Legislature as to his part in the in
surrection, He claimed that a society
was organized with the motto "Hawaii
for Hawaiians," whose object was by
peaceful methods to secure to the ma
tlveS the right to represent the govern
ment in official positions. When the
purposes of the organization became
known, party went to the
king and asked him to abdicat,
in favor of Princess Kiliuoalani, al
discomfort was prevalent among thu
people on account of the opium scanda
and other occurrences. Wilcox con
tended that prior to this the ministry
had been conspiring against the kins
and in favor of a republic, and that thu
spokesman of the party was, at the time
the request was made to the king, il
the employ of certain of the ministers.
A minority report of the committe or
foreign relations was presented to the
legislature by Representative Baldwin
on June 14th. The report says that the
committee had not at the time the ma
iority report was presented (June 4th
fully Investigated the conduct OF Minis
ter Austin in regard to his alleged re
fusal to lay all the correspondence touch
ing on the treaty before the house. Th'
minority states that it found the minis
ter ready to show all the minutes of tn,
cabinet meetings, and the letter which
formed the basis of the major
ity reports complaint. The let
ter contained but one brie
allusion to the treaty and the minute
of the cabinet meetings were equal.
meapre as to that particular. The re