Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-18

stevens, dated January IL, 1898, in which
| he acknowledges with expressions of appre-
| citation the Ministers recognition of the
| provisional government, and states that 1t
| Is not yet in the possession of the station
| house 1.-THE place where a large number of
the Queens troops were quartered), though
| the same had been demanded of the Queen s
officers in charge. Nevertheless, this wrong
full recognition by our Minister placed the
Government of the Queen in position of
most perilous perplexity. On the one hand
i she had possession of the palace, of the
! barracks, and of the police station, and had
at her command at least five hundred fully
armed men and several pieces of artillery.
| Indeed, the whole military force of her
kingdom was on her side and at her dis
posal, while the Committee of Safety, by
actual search, had discovered that there
were but very few arms in Honolulu that
were not in the service of the Government.
In this state of things IL the queen could
have dealt with the insurgents alone her
course would have been plain and the re-
/ suit unmistakable. But the United States
had allied ,,self with her enemies, had
recognized them as the true government Of
in the position of opposition against lawful
| authority. She knew that she could not
Withstand the power of the United States,
but she believed that she might safely
| trust to its justice. Accordingly, some
hours after the recognition of the provi-
sional government by the United States
minister. the palace. the barracks. and the
police station, with all the military re-
sources of the country, were delivered up
| by the queen upon the representation made
to her that her cause would thereafter be
reviewed at Washington, and while pro-
! testing that she surrendered to the superior
force of the United States, whose minister
had caused United States troops to be land
ed at Honolulu and declared that he would
support the provisional government, and
that she yielded her authority to prevent
| collision Of armed forces and loss of life
and only until such time as the United
states, upon the facts being presented to it,
! ch do Af
tive and reinstate her in the authority she
| claimed as the constitutional sovereign Of
| the Hawaiian Islands.
This protest was delivered to the chief of
| the provisional government, who endorsed
| thereon his acknowledgment of it's re-
! ceipt. The terms of the protest were read
| without dissent by those assuming to con-
| Stitute the provisional government, who
| were certainly charged with the knowl-
edge that the queen instead of finally aban-
doning her power had appealed to the JUS
tice of the United States for reinstatement
IN her authority: and yet the provisional
| government with this unanswered protest
in its hand FASTENED to negotiate with the
| United States for the permanent Danish
ment of the queen from power and for a
sale Of her kingdom.
Compared With Texas.
Our country was in danger of occupying
the position of having actually set up a
temporary government on foreign soil for
the purpose Of acquiring through that agen-
cy territory which we had wrongfully put
in its possession The control of both sides
or a bargain acquired in such d manner is
called by familiar and unpleasant name
when found in private transactions. We
are not without a precedent showing how
scrupulously we avoided such accusations
in former days After the people of Texas
lad declared their independence of Mexico
| they resolved that on the acknowledgment
Of their independence by the United States
they would seek admission into the Union.
| Several months after the battle of San
Jacinto. by which Texan independence was
practically assured and established, Presi-
| dent jackson declined to recognize it, al
leging as one of his reasons that in the
! circumstances it became us Ito beware of
a too early movement, as it might subject
us, however unjustly, to the imputation of
seeking to establish the claim of our neigh
bors to territory with view to its SUBJ
sequent acquisition by ourselves" This Is
in marked contrast with the hasty recogni-
ton of a government openly and concededly
set up for the purpose of rendering to US
| territorial annexation.
! 1 believe that a candid and thorough ex-
animation of the facts will force the convic-
| ton that The provisional government owes
| its existence to an armed invasion by the
| United States. Fair-minded people with the
| evidence before them will hardly claim that
| the Hawaiian government was overthrow
by the people of the islands or that the pro-
visonal government has ever existed with
their consent. 1 do not understand that any
| member of this government claims that the
IL
| they were allowed to vote on the question.
While naturally sympathizing with every
| effort to establish republican form of gov
eminent, II has been the settled policy of
the United States to concede to people of
foreign countries the same freedom and in
dependence in the management of their
domestic affairs that we have always
claimed for ourselves; and II has
been our practice to recognize revolution
a-y governments as soon as 1t became
apparent that they were supported by the
people. For illustration of this rule need
only to refer to the revolution in Brazil in
1883, when minister was instructed to
recognize the republic 80 soon as a ma
jority of the people Of Brazil should have
signified their assent to its establishment
and maintenance to the revolution in
Chile in 1891, when our minister was direct
ed to recognize the new government IF 1t
was accepted by the people" and to the revo-
luton in Venezuela in 1892. when our rec
ognition was accorded on condition that
the new government was fully established.
in possession of the power of the nation,
and accepted by the people,
Summing Up the Case.
AS I apprehend the situation, we are
brought face to face with the following
conditions:
The lawful Government of Hawaii was
overthrown without the drawing of a
sword or the firing of a shot by a process
every step of which, it may safely be as
ent for its success upon the agency of the
United States acting through it's diplomatic
and naval representatives.
But for the notorious predictions of the
United States Minister for annexation, the
Committee of Safety. which should be called
the Committee of Annexation, would never
have existed.
But for the landing of the United States
forces upon false preteXts respecting the
danger to life and property the committee
would never have exposed themselves to
the pains and penalties of treason by I'M
dertaking the subversion of the Queens
government.
But for the presence Of the United States
forces In the immediate vicinity and in
position to afford all needed protection and
support the committee would not have pro-
claimed the provisional government from
the steps of the Government building
And finally, but for the lawless occu-
patton of Honolulu under false pretexts by
the United States forces, and but for Min
lister Stevens recognition of the provisional
government when the United States forces
were its sole support and constituted it's
only military strength, the Queen and her
Government would never have yielded to