Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-16
A HAWAIIAN REFUGEE
he Arrives in America With a Long
List of Political Wrongs.
RECENT TROUBLES AT HONOLULU.
A Rapidly Growing Desire for Annexation
to the United States.
IMMEDIATE CAUSE FOR EXPULSION

leaders of the Hawaiian Patriotic League
was arrested in Honolulu on May II last who
with Robert w. Wilcox and 80 others on 6
charge of treason, but was afterward re
leased, arrived yesterday on the brig John
D. Spreckels from Kahulu1. When re-
leased from the Government prison by the
the advice of friends he chartered the
steamer Hawaii and went to the island OF
Hawaii, afterward boarding the brig at sea.
Ashford has considerable to say about the
traubles in Honolulu. and expresses him.
self both freely and intelligently
The arrest OF SO many members OF the
league on charges of treason he considers
spite work on the part of Queen Liliuoka-
lani. He claims that had the league prom
ised to coincide with her desire to return to
the Constitution which was in force prior
to 1887, which gave the sovereign the power
of appointing the mobiles, no arrests would
have been made. Ashford also asserts that
the present Constitution and Government
are most unsatisfactory to the Hawaii peo-
pie, and that they are. as rule. favorable
to annexation. The United States is their
first choice. Ashford has an uncle, w. w.
Ashford, residing at Haywards, and will
visit there. On Honolulu advices will de-
pend his future movements
Sorry He Came Away.
'I am more than half sorry, "said Colonel
Ashford, 'that came away. At the ex-
animation before Supreme Justice Dale
there were many things which wanted to
come out, but they were suppressed On
May II, the day before the arrests, the lead
ers of the Hawaiian Patriotic League, of
which I was one of the Executive Commit
tee, were threatened with immediate arrest
unless we agreed to stand by an ultimatum
that was presented by members of
the Queens party. Wilcox was sent
for at his place near Waikiki and
requested to meet Kanui and Kekipi
at the Office of the Elele, the Queens news
paper, and give final answer in behalf of
the league regarding the ultimatum, which
was the backing of plan by which the
Queen would proclaim the old Constitution
in force, with the additional prerogative Of
appointing or dismissing the Supreme
Justices, who now hold Office for life Will
cox declined, and was then informed that
the arrest of all the members of the league
would follow his refusal.
'Over 80 arrests were made on May 18
on warrants for treason sworn out by Mar
shall Wilson, who is most intimate with the
Queen. All the cases came before Chief
Justice Dale. 1t is a most unusual occur
renee for inltiatory criminal proceedings to
be commenced before a Supreme Justice.
There are other courts which have always
taken jurisdiction in criminal matters and
the only reason for this exception, it was
commonly reported, was that the Justice
was known, by opinions previously ex-
pressed, to be most desirous for the break
ing up of the Hawaiian Patriotic League,
to which all the alleged conspirators be-
longed.
An Oath Bound Political League.
'The league was organized by R. W.
Wilcox and myself, and was in the nature
of political club. Each member joining
took an oath. The league was established
for the promotion of Justice and equal
rights in the political government. of Ha-
wall of the people, for the people and by
the people At the time of the arrests the
league had over 25O members. At each
meeting change in the Constitution was
agitated that would give the poor the same
voters.
'sIt should be here stated that previous
to the revolution of 1887-in which was
leader of the military-which deprived
King Kalakaua of many of his then prerog-
atives, the sovereign then had the right to
appoint all of the mobiles in the Legislature,
of one-halt of that body, which
numbered in total 4S members. By the
of 1887 the King was deprived
of this right, and it was given to all resi-
dents, whether native or alien-cxcept
owned $1,000 worth of real
estate unincumbered or received an income
of 5000 a year or over AS comparatively
few of the natives were noble voters by
either their property or income qualifca-
tions, the result was the putting of the
election Of the mobiles exclusively into the
hands of the whites. The mobiles and rep
sit together as legislative
body. The representatives are elected by
a general vote Of citizens and are districted
while the mobiles are elected at large and by
3 property vote. Thus it is that this latter
vote not only puts the mobiles in Office but
elects enough representatives to give that
side of the House working majority vote.
cause of Dissatisfaction
''Many other changes were made BY the
new Constitution, but this property clause
was the principal one to cause the intense
that has made the native
people seek change in that part of the
governing laws. The league designed to
remedy this evil by constitutional meas
nres, and it was not, as sought to be
shown by the authorities, a political con-
,piracy.
"The Wilcox insurrection of 1889 was
nstigated to regain the lost prerogatives of
The sovereign. Wilcox had been recalled by
The present Queen, then Mrs. Dominis He
lived in her house and marched from there
with an armed force to the palace. This in
killed and the trouble only lasted one day.
At that time l was in command of the
military, and number of prisoners were
taken. The cases against them were pushed,
but not native jury was found who would
bring in a verdict of conviction.
CAT the time of the 1887 revolution I
helped to frame the present Constitution
and was strongly in favor of the differen-
tial franchise clause simply as war meas
lre. Since that time the necessity has
ceased, for this way of electing the mobiles
Is one-sided affair. Moreover, the natives,
who are in vast majority, will never be
satisfied until they receive what they con-
slider equal political rights; therefore, aside |
from the abstract principle, it is a crying
necessity to change the manner of electing |
The mobiles. At present, in the opinion of
the island Government is a
minority of aliens, and it was to agitate for |
, remedy of this political evil that the |
eague was organized.
The Queen Changed Her Mind.
"Queen Liliuokalani and her party knew
Ill about the league and recognized its |
up to the time she found its men,
oers refused to assist her to acquire the lost |
of appointing the mobiles and |
he Supreme Judges. She wanted all abso- |
ute power which she is not likely to get, |
'or the tendency of the people is for more
Democratic Government. The Queen has |
openly stated that had she known of King
Z Kalakaua's death in time she would have |