The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-13
STEVENS SCORES GRESHAM.
Il REPLY TO THE sECRETART'S LET
TER TO THE PRESIDENT.

lie says II Was Fifty Hours After tho
Hawaiian Monarchy Had Collapsed
when the Mnrincs From the Boston
| Landed, md IL Was Twcnty-four
| Hours Arter, When the Provisional
| Government Was Complete Master OF
| tho situation, Before He Recognized l..
| AUGUSTA. Me-. Nov. 12.-In a signed leader
In the EennsLec journal tomorrow the Hon.
| John l. Stevens. late United States Minister
| at Hawaii. will make the following reply to
| Secretary Gresham's report:
| According to authentic reports from Wash
| ington. a public crime Of startling import Is
! about to be committed In the name and under
| the authority Of the American Governr mt
q public crime OF less proportions. but In its
moral tyne similar to the sitting OF national
| life and the reform aspirations OF Poland and
| Hungary few years ago by the imperial
despots. and to tho crushing out OF the newly
formed republic Of Rome by the usurped
| powers OF Louis Napoleon. All that American
| piety. American benevolence. American schools
and American patriotism have accomplished
! in Hawaii in the past seventy years is now
| centralized in the provisional Government
| and stands in its support 1t is a Government
honestly and ably administered. and the best
| Government thnt Hawaii ever had.
"Iknow not the influences which induced
Secretary Gresham to becom, an active agent
in attem pting such grave offence against
American civilization. justice. and law. His
| intense hostility to ex-Presldent Harrison and
| to the illustrious ex-Secretary OF state. who
| passed to his grave in January last. is well
known. 1t was that which caused him to be-
| tray and desert the great political party whose
| honors he had shared and brought him to his
present attitude toward his former associates
and their work.
80 far as his recent manifesto on Hawaiian
affairs casts reflection upon my official action
care little. except to the degree that his
| cruel and untruthful words strike Mt the noble
band Of men anu women who have for ten
months stood resoiutely and unitedly in de-
| fence OF American civilization.
| Tho remarks made by me before the Cham
| Der Of Commerce in San Francisco on June ].
AMI before the citizens OF Augusta on June 20.
| republished in the kPnnebec journal OF to-day.
! are answers to most Of the shamefully unjust
| imputations on my official action. under cir
| cumstnnces requiring my deepest anxiety to
| faithfully serve my country and the cause OF
! humanity.
/ Perhaps nothing better shows the charac-
ter OF the Secretary's assault than what he
says about the hall which the men Of the Bos-
| ton occupied few days. and until better
quarters could be procured. After had mado
my request to Capt. Wiltse to land his men. AS
| a precautionary safeguard to American life
| and property. he and his officers informed me
| that their men must have shelter for the night.
| without special information In that regard.
had supposed that the ships marines had
| tents OF their own for their customary use in
! case Of emergency on shore at once wrote q
note and sent it by messenger to secure u
large nall that was supposed to be available
but the man IN charge OF the hall WAS several
- had not known Of the existence OF the
Arion Hall until that evening. when messen:
agent OF tho Arion Hail. who was a Royaiist.
He Ieturne me acoprteous answer SAYING
Gifted purpose. but he had ceased to he the
agent. In forming me who had charge OF tho
hall. This required a third note and u third
eiforto messenger. which proved success.
fui:
the Bos,,on's marines and sailors were obliged
were a.Ie to 90 to their night quarters.
:" All Of them would have been lodged at the
Legation and Consulate. but for want OF room.
where a. many az possible were re;
and Government building. For the occupation
Committee OF Public safety and the supporters
OF tie provisional Government had no more
responsibility than Secretary Gresham him
Secretary Gresham assumes that tho
friends OF annexation made tho revolution
and that the provisional Government. when
acknowled ged by tho United States Minister,
existed steda only 7, on paper rri,,auo..,,
ton by attem pting to destroy the Con
ssttutiton BY revolutionary meaps From
tSea S"% IN 1noS nn 1
cent IN the united and fei-possessed
mass meeting on JAN il and 5" stS"t
their efforts for law and order by The establish.
m 4,P o, ht the prOTisional Government on the
the foreign representatives who were familiar
with tho circumstances Of its creation.
her favorltes had destroyed her throne
by revolutionary :, o outbreak when tho
the then e2citnr hours %s'0h pree aafes ann
following her fall her .representatives as well
ment hsd equal access to the Legation Tonll
proper Inquiries my answer was that tho
81 az Tho 5ff9En Il. Prov ss II tho
complete master of tho situation. had full con.
troll Of the city and the Government archives.
mercy Of the provisional Government. ~ WV
1T was small building, in which the dis
the fallen uueeps o"s pasasou nc'o Ssrshs
took refuge. and they must have surren.
dered in a REV few hours by the mere force OF
wished moi lie Of its Eei na
Had the Queens supporters cared to re-
sist the organization Of the new Govern
ment then, the only possible chance 10
do So was during, Sunday and Monday.
the 18TH and 18th. while the citizens
We're att tending theIr mass meeting. selecting
their com mittees Of public safety and prepar.
ing TO organize Government. as openly as
public meetings ARE held in any American city
They did not dare to attempt to arrest or Inter
fere with the aroused white citizens
1T was q united and irresistible moysment
Of the same men. with now Increased numhers
that took away the despotic powers OF King
Kalakaua In 1887 and crushed the Wilcox re-
volt Of ltS'. They gathered at the armory with
their rifles In hand which were increasod By
other arms openly carried in cnrriage from
gun store. with only three men in charge
Tho. only Government that existed or could
exist. under those circumstances was the nro.
visional Government. Whoever denies this
has no ether basis for his Ienials than per-
tainablc in the sums OF Honolulu at So each
An effort has been made 70 damage my
a dispute as to the hour by the clock at which
Ieaye recognition ~
THAT is OF no essential Importance for In
fact NIL resistance to the formation ~ nn ~