Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-06-30

his breast beat n loyal heart = eve,
thfobbed with human life. At home B.
/ belonged 70 one Of the two great political
parties, AMI myself he,ouepd 70 the other,
But abrosi we knew no party but our coup-
0y.-no duty but that Of American reprs
senfAfivss. Captain wiitse ard the Ameri-
can Minister vere in complete accori in
raining the Tag. February lst. He knew
the situation thoroughly. The Provisional
Government made the request that il be
DONE AMI tEsAe we're It's reasons II had
been ereafess only two weeks before. There
we're no trained rroo;s on the islands avail
able for its use. Many Of the men in OIL
cial places % the different islands, selected
under the monarchy from palace favorises,
had not been removed and rheir future con-
duct vas uncertain. Men from the busi-
ness circles aad occupations, from
the stores. BANKS, .sfjres. and
workshops had besn on susrd Gay and night
Tor two weeks. and business vas suffering
from their 3bsence. There had not been
time TO create an efficient police, nor to or
ganizs and drill .mail military force. In
city of twsnfy-four thousand people. of
various naiionsiities. il we're reasonable to
suppose There might be some elements of
disorder. On the Plantations not far OF
and in the city itself were believed to be
many Japanese who had served in their
own army before they came to Hawaii. II
were feared that the fallen Queen and the
lottery and opium ring around her you'll
OBTAIN the assistance of the Japanese
| and other foreigners To restore her
To the throne. sbe cenpepsafipg
them by granting them the right Of suffrage
and other fzvofs. which the Queen 10 her
desperation readily would have promised to
grant. Fear and panic began to gain head
way in the city. A riot was feared Mil
hons OF American property and life and or
der were in peril. In these circumstances
the only sure hope of safety vas in the
American naval force at hani. Should the
amrrican representative run the risk of an
archy and blood-shed when il wss certain
he would be held rigidIy responsible if c.
ths'raphe and calamity should Gomez I, was
ms pressure of necessity which compelled
The Amefir-ah Representatives TO act with
promptness aud vigor. These were the req
sons which led the Provisional Government
10 ask our assistance, and these reasons are
known To the American public. But there
were other potential reasGns which pressed
u3on me. For nearly half century onr
u ~ rnment had claimed rights and interests
In he Hawaiian isl.nds superior u any
oth'r foreign nations. Repeatedly there
nave been attempts to induce our Govern
mint 10 agree to dual or tripartite RESPONSE
bihtifs at Honolulu. John NJ CLAYTON, sec.
ietary under President Tay ior repelied this
for'y-three years ago. and such has been
our policy since. II was well known to ME
thai this idea of joint action had not been
given up, but WAS still insisted on by one. il
not two fore ign representatives at Honolulu
There was one Japanese war vessel in the
harbor and another powerful iron clad
larger than the "Boston"-had been tele-
graphed for. | knew the English war ship
Was soon expected. had reason to think,
and the Provisional Government had reason
to fear, that these foreign Representatives
would insist on the same right to land their
naval forces which we had exercised. We
were five thousand miles from Washington,
with no cable from Honolulu TO San Fran
cisco, and the long space be-
tween mail steamers would not permit COM
mnnicsting with our Government and our
receiving an answer in less than three weeks.
We knew not then that Ashmead Bartlett in
the English House of Commons had askedthe
Gladstone Ministry what it had done or
would do relative to English interests at
Honolulu, and that Lord Grey in behalf of
the English Ministry had answ ered, that it
would trust the American government to
protect English life and props ity in Hawaii.
We did know that the attitude of the Eng
lish Minister at Honolulu was quite other
wise than this-that he still wished to have
joint responsibility with the American Min
lister as to the landing of troops and the
maintenance of public order at Honolulu
| was therefore compelled to decide whether
| would risk the danger of practical aban-
donment of the long maintained American
poll y of non-joint responsibility in Hawaii
an affairs. To thus surrender in practice
what we had long claimed, | knew well
would prove me unfit to be an American
representative. Here were difficulties " hich
could be effectively and conclusively over
come only in one way, that was by raising
the flag over the government building a. q
symbol Of our superior right to protect the
Hawaiian government. This woull not
not only prevent all the danger of riut and
bloodshed. but would shut out the landiag
of any other naval force except our own.
Captain Wiltse saw this "a sooh and as
clearly a. did. With an American heart
loyal to the core, conscientious, firm, self
possessed. fully aware Of the grave re-
sponsibility of the act, he was prompt to
do his duty. The officer. unlrr his COM
mand were as intelligent AID loyal as their
own veteran commander The following
are the words read by Lieut. Rnsh of the
Bostsn on the steps of the Government
building simultaneously with raising the
hsg, which was Immediately published by
posters and in the newspapers.
To THE HAWAIIAN PEorLE:
"At the request of the Provisional Gov
eminent of the Hawaiian Islands, | hereby,
IN the name of the United States of Amer
lea assume protection of the Hawaiian
Islands for the protection of life and prop
erty. AMI occupation of public buildings
aad Hau allan soil. so far az may be ne
cv-sary sor the purpose specified, but not
interfering With the administration of pub
lie aff air. by the Provisional Government.
This acti N is taken pending, and SUI
ject to, ut COLLATION. at Washington.
JuuN l.. STEVENS,
Envoy Extraordinary aud Minister Pleni- |
putentiary of the United States.
United States Legation, February /, 1898,
Approved and Executed by
G. c. WiLrsE,
Captsin L. s. n,
Commanding the United States Ship
Boston.
1t will be observed that the plain intent
of this little document is non-interference
with the sovereignty of fIawaii-that it
claimed to establish only qualified and
limited protectorate, and instead of infrng
ing on the sovereignty of the country, il