The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-07-18

States Minister and Captain Wits
( could command. And there / ma,
pay fitting tribute to Captain Wits
and drop a tear over his honoreG
grave. He is no more on earth t.
speak for himself, and / can justly de
fend him against any implications OF
his intelligence or his honor. Forty
years in the naval service, brave
officer in the war when shot and shell
did their work of death among those
who stood in defense of the Nations
life, he loved the flag of his country
with the devotion which the Chris
tians of the early centuries had fol
the cross. In his breast beat as loyal
a heart as ever throbbed with human
life. At home he belonged to one OF
the two great political parties, and
myself belonged to the other. But
abroad we knew no party but our
country,-no d1ty but that of Amer
lean representatives. Captain Wiltse
and the American Minister were in
complete accord in raising the flag,
February 1st. He knew the situation
thoroughly. The Provisional govern
ment made the request that it be
done, and these were its reasons: 1t
had been created only two weeks be-
fore. There were no trained troops
on the islands available for its use.
Many of the men in official places on
the different islands, selected under
the monarchy from palace favorites,
had not been removed and their future
conduct was uncertain. Men from
the business circles and occupations,
from the stores, banks, offices, and
workshops, had been on guard day
and night for two weeks, and busi-
ness was suffering from their absence.
There had not been time to create an
efficient police, nor to organize and
drill q small military force. In city
of twenty-four thousand people, of
various nationalities, it were reason
able to suppose there might be some
elements of disorder. On the planta-
tions not far off and in the city itself
were believed to be many Japanese
who had served in their own, army
before they came to Hawaii. It was
feared that the fallen queen and the
lottery and opium ring around her
would obtain the assistance of the
Japanese and other foreigners to re-
store her to the throne, she compensat-
ing them by granting them the right
of suffrage and other favors, which
the queen in her desperation readily
would have promised to grant. Fear
and panic began to gain Roadway in
the city. A riot was feared. Millions
of American property and life and
order were in peril. In these circum-
stances the only sure hope of safety
was in the American naval force at
hand. Should the American repre-
run the risk of anarchy and
bloOdshed when it was certain he
would be held rigidly responsible if
and calamity should
come? 1t was this pressure of neces-
sity which compelled the American
to act with prompt
ness and vigor. These were the rea-
sons which led the Provisional gov
to ask our assistance, and
these reasons are known to the Amer
lean public. But there were other
potential reasons which pressed upon
me. For nearly half century our
had claimed rights and
interests in the Hawaiian islands
superior to any other foreign nations.
there have been attempts
to induce our government to agree to
dual or tripartite responsibilities at
John NJ. Clayton, secre-
tary under President Taylor, repealed
this forty three years ago, and such
has been our policy since. 1t was
well known to me that this idea of
Joint action had not been given up,
but was still insisted on by one, if not
two foreign representatives at Homo
lulu. There was one japanese war
vessel in the harbor and another pow
erful ironclad-larger than the 'Bos-
been telegraphed for.
knew the English war ship was soon
| had reason to think, and
The Provisional government had rea-
son to fear, that these foreign repre-
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
and the long space between
mail steamers would not permit COM
with our government and
our receiving an answer in less than
5hree weeks. We knew not then that
Ashmead Bartlett in the English
House of Commons had asked the
Gladstone ministry what it had done
)r would do relative to English inter
ests at Honolulu, and that Lord Grey
II behalf of the English ministry had
answered, that it would trust the
American government to protect Eng
ish life and property in Hawaii. We
lid know that the attitude of the
English minister at Honolulu was
quite otherwise than this, that he
till wished to have joint RESPONSE
Dility with the American minister as
o the landing of troops and the main
enance of public order at Honolulu.
was therefore compelled to decide |
whether / would risk the danger of a
PRACTICAL abandonment of the long |
American policy of nom |
Oint responsibility in Hawaiian af-
airs. To thus surrender in practice
What we had long claimed, / knew
veil would prove me unfit to be an
American representative. Here were
difficulties which could be effectively |
nd conclusively overcome only in
ne way, that was by raising the flag |
yer the Government building as a
ymbol of our superior right to pro-
ect the Hawaiian government. This
1ould not only prevent all the danger