The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-12-12
,oIsT BY HER OWN PETARD.

HOlS TEN wv ~ 4 - AAhNN'
The ex-Oueen's statement to Mr..
Blount will go into political litera-
ture beside her power of attorney to
Neumann as a complete give-away. |
In the latter she admitted that
she had yielded her authority to the
Provisional Government and that
she was ready to stop intriguing to
get it back again if paid to do so i'll
coin; in the other she underscores
the charge that she brought about
the events of January 18TH by try
ing to force a constitution Of her
own into the place of the legal
charter of the country.
"At the Cabinet meeting" she
SAYS, 81 told the Cabinet it was My
intention to promulgate new con-
stitution." Mark the My. There
is no sign Of any purpose to ask
the advice of the Cabinet or to APP
peal to the people. 1t is all a mat
ter of her personal will. She ad-
mits that her Ministers baffled and
tried to thwart her and she criticises
them for it. All the reference she
seems to have made to any one OF
the new charter in advance OF her
announcement of it to the Cabinet
was to two members of the Legisla-
ture (natives?) who helped her pre-
pare the document. After complet-
hight she placed it in the hands Of
Peterson (then Attorney-General)
asking him to revise and cor
rect the phraseology. Later
she told Wilson and Nowlein
when and where she should promul-
gate it. Some assumption OF
the wishes of her native subjects
according with her own is indeed
shown in the statement, but as the
natives had never been polled on
the matter and as the dismal farce
of native procession to the Palace
yard was arranged for by herself,
the story must go as so much play
ing to the galleries. After it has
hssp told the fact remains that the
Queen tired TO perform an act OF
despotism that few European mon
archs would dare have ventured
upon and that she deserved an even
worse fate than that which fell to
her.
It is amazing that Cleveland and
Gresham should have thought to
benefit the Royalist cause by print
ing these tell-tale disclosures. TIC
say the least it shows singular
want of knowledge of how Amer
cans must regard the act which the
late sovereign boasts Of. Trampling
upon constitutions and trying tC
create new ones by personal hat
may seem small thing to the die
tatorial worthy who now and fol
the last time occupies the White
House but the American people
will pass the proper judgmen'
upon it with an almost unani
nous voice. They may be
trusted to put themselves in oui
places and imagine what they woulc
do if, on some fine morning, Pres
ident of the United States SHOULD
declare that the charter of Jefferson
did not suit him, and that he would
soon announce and enforce new
one which he had drawn up II
company with two members OF the
national Congress. Judging wha
their own course would then be
they will be in the proper frame o
mind to interpret ours. We mis-
take that great people if they dc
not say that they would have
blushed for Hawaiians had W.
done less than to revolt and t.
maintain by force the legal con
stitution and the laws.
1t was not to have been expected
. that the eX-Queen herself would
take the witness stand to prove how
sacred and how American was the
incentive to overturn the roya
Government, but now that she ha
done so we cheerfully leave her II
the hands of the jury of American
public opinion.