Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-08-17
HAWAIIAN SITUATION
As Sen BY a Pat'i tic I'm n Not A'a'd 'r
Tell the TrutS.

For the Bangor Commercial OF Saturday,
Aug. IS, Ellen II. McCully writes from
Kendu Seag, Me, a eommut icatlon on the
Hawaii que ian whirh from the first
xord To the last is a clear statement of con
di.ions existing at Honolulu.
To the Editor Of tAs Commercial
Nv attention has been called to an arti-
cla in vonr paper upon ~siisn affairs,
which purporis t. be the opinion of Mr..
Claus Spr.t k.is upon TIE situation at the
Sandwich Islands. Wuhou, taking time o'
no m 10 deny al the misstatements and
.nls-hoods contained in the special" thert
are some of them, which, by your courtesy
would like to correct.
know v hereof | write. have lived in
Honolulu for twenty-eight years. ! wa,
there during the late revolution when the
Queen was dethroned. l was one of -four
ladies' pre- sent at the gusrded yard of the
government building when the American
a.g was raised there. bat we did not assist
At the pulling down of our country's flag
| am PERSONALLY acquainted with Mr.. Spree
kals, and it'll the Exception of Capt. King,
the heads of all the depaT tments of state.
know the ex-Queen. know Mr.. Stevens.
All these | tell YOU TO convince you do not
write ignorantly.
II is the stock false hood Of all the enc
mics of the provisional government to say
that the missionaries and Minister Stevens
we're responsible for the uprising. Mr.
Stevens was no more responsible for the
revolution and the overthrow of the Queen
than the editor of the Commercial himself !,
neither were the missionaries. The Queen
herself, and she alone, is responsible for
the revolution. II was her settled and OBJ
stinste determination to get the entire pow
pr of the government in all its branches
into her hands, which ruined her. She
even aspired to cantrol the supreme
court She was vary jealous for the 'pre-
negatives of the crown" whatever those
privileges may be in case of an elected
monarch like her brother kalakaua, and
.,e mrant 10 restore those she felt the King
had TOO weakly yielded in 1887.
In order to carry her ends she did not
he .itate at bribery. The Queen comes OF
d. family of chiefs, not the highest, and
no were always poor. Upon the extinc-
lion of the kamehamehas. Kalakaua was
elected to the throne, and appointed his
brother and sisters his heirs. The eleva-
ion spoiled the whole family. They were
tot strong enough morally TO use the newly
acquired power with moderation and pa
triotc unselfshntss.
A. soon rs Kalakaua felt himself securely
Gated on the throne, he began to abuse biz
rower and to usurp authority. The revo-
ution of 1887 eh' cked him for time only
lie had forgotten his promises made at that
line and the constitutional obligations i'm
posed upon him was reaching after unlaw-
ul power again when he died.
His sister came to the throne only to out
10 her brother in the stubborn determine
ton 10 become an autocrst. From the be-
Ginning OF her reign, she meant to have =
new constitution. and one which would
practically make her supreme ruler and
iespot All moves for constitutional gov
ernment fell through. The entire white
population was against a new constitution,
or nearly the whole of 1t. The ordinary
kanaka doesn't know what constitution is,
nor has he an interest in such things.
When other and lawful means for secur
ny a new constitution failed the Queen, at
tempted a coup d'etat. There was great
pref, n.e of native political organization
,arryi ing the draft of q constitution to the
Queen and asking her to promulgate it. 1t
wa- all pretense. The Queen had orig
luated the idea and had the Constitution
r,itten herself 1t il significant fact that
that constjtrti ton upon the failure to pro-
mai gate it. WAS destroy ed. Its friends
never dared show it.
The attempt vas made at the palace i'm
mediately upon the propagation of the Legs.
lature. The Legislature had lasted eight
months, and during all the time the queen
eas interfering with the business of that
body and obstructing it rs she could. The
foreigners had come to see there was no
,os.ihility of stable government under the
tias siian rule.
The lottery bill bad passed and the Queen
Il d signed it against the petition and re-
CONSTANCE of all the Influential men and
souen of the islands. The opium bill had
,,sD passed, AMI she had signed that.
when. then the Queen attemp,ed to force
d, new constitution upon the people, the
,ng forbearanee and patience they had
-1uwn toward her gave out. aud they de
.hronad her The foreigners are the lead
RS in the islands 10 everything Mt
iugle instance can be tho, of Hawaiian
~ the head of any business, as store. or
plantation, or a lumber yard, except tina,
. = half-~ bite owns large district Of lsnd
shich il eaten up by mortgages So natur
lfy the sllites led in the revolution. but
~, more than one missionary was present
4. the meeting, nor ha they anything to 10
% bringing about the Queens overthrow.
Bot must tell on, the word mission
~ does not mean IN the politics of the
Hawaiian Islanis. what you under tsut \
% mean,--a teacher VI reiision--but rather
a man who lives a good moral life, honestly
pays hi. debts, and especially one who goes
to church. In this use Of the word. and
ssii- only, were the missionaries" the ones
=, no dethroned the Queen.
As for Mr.. Stevens, the Americans were
proud of their minister. They had conf
,Ience in him. On biz departure they raised
$1,000 for a silver service for him a. a
testimonial of their appreciation of his
worth. lie did not interfere in Hawaiian
politics.
The troops iandfd from the Boston. were
landed solely for the protection Of Ameri
can interests--the lives and property of
american citizens, and If Americans in the
f-nited States complain of the proceedings.
American wives and mothers and helpless
felt a sense of protection at knowing Amer
lean soldiers were 40 near them in that time
Of trouble.
The masses do not want the Queen re
stored. From my own personal knowledge
the native masses are entirely indifferent
about the matter. A popular vote would be
no true expression of native sentiment, for
The ordinary Kanska reflects the opinion Of
the man who had bis ear last, or who gives
him the biggest bride. Ordinarily he does
rot take the trouble 10 have an opinion
upon any subject
took pains to ask common Ha~aiians
after the revolution what they thought
about annexation. The reply was sIss,s
.sJust AZ you like. If you want IT, it's all
right or That 10 for YOU TO settle"
meaning foreigners and the leading Ha-
waiians) ~ have no claim on H."
The Queen forfeited by her ovn act all
her right to reign. and the injustice would
be IN restoring her 10 the throne. to trample
again upon the rights of men who pay the
taxes, do the business, and who save her
little country from being ike other heather
islands Of the Pacific oce an.
Mr. Spreckels opposes annexation be-
cause anne xafion will disturb the contract
labor system now prevailing At the island.
and also because if the Hawaiian Island
we're q part Of the United Sntts, sugar
refinery mignt 90 easily be started there,
and 20 interfere with his San Francisco re-
fsneYies. Annexation il against Mr.. Spree
kels sugar interests
When Mr.. Harrison sen; the treaty OF an
nexation TO the Senate, 1t was nss received.