New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-21
CLEVELAND'S MALICE SHOWN
ry.MINIsTER STEVENS ANSWERS STATE
MENTS IN THE MESSAGE.

ASSERTIONS suowN-A PLAIN MARIA
TIVE OF THE EVENTS IN HAWAII
UNWORTHY USE MADE OF
coMMUyIC ALTON TO THE
DEPARTMENT.
| .,,o,,s,a Me Dec 2O-The following Is the
| onewor NJ ex-Minister John L. Stevens 10 fresl-
! 1,+ ,.,eve,and's statements regarding MS ol-
fetal conduct at Honolulu:
Gilman Government in it's best form sonne-
times fails to secure all the just opJec's io'
which It has been created. No one VINO mas
studied the dongs OF the remarkable oouS %
mon who formulated the Constitution VI TIC
United States has failed to observe what cd'e
and effort were exercised to create an executive
mower which would not be abused for purposes
Of usurpation and tyranny. The eXtraofu"aiS
,sa ~ mower by George III had caused the
American Colonies to revolt and TO estapiish d
new government In the interest or CIVIL hoer'y
and the people. In creating the ONCE Oh fresi.
dent il was impossible to provide against al
contingencies Of usurpation by that o1icer' Inc
provision for impeachment was the best saie.
guard that the trainers OF the CONSTITUTION cou'u
,rs,itute Only once In our political history has
- oaiority Of the Congress Of the United states
solsmnIv resolved in favor Of impeachng the
was well that the effort 10 remove Andrew
I,brson from, his chair was arrested just on the
brink Of success. The great reluctance OF the
conservatives OF the country TO remove the
Chief Executive for abuse OF power seems 10
have encouraged President Cleveland TO resort
IN the extraordinary measure Of overturning the
Provisional Government OF Hawaii, while. as
much az possible. conceang his arbitrary de-
sign from the American Congress and the
American people.
rsURPATIOE AND INJUSTICE.
look at the historical facts d!spassionately.
and no one will deny that the lines OF usurpation
and Injustice on which President Cleveland ana
the Secretary OF State have acted since the 'th
OF March, last coupled with the ex-parte. STAR
chamber course OF Commissioner Bount relative
to the accepted testimony Of Liliuokaanfs fallen'
co~r,n, Ministers are more sweeping and more
hostile To- Anglo-Saxon liberty than the acts
Of George III and the Lord North Ministry.
which drove the American Colonies TO successful
revolt There is nothing in American history
more shameful In its scope or injustice ana
tyranny than the attempt Of President Cleve-
land and Secretary Gresham To crush out civil
liberty and American interests In Hawaii by the
threat TO restore the extinct Hawaiian monarchy
by force Of arms. or by diplomatic chicanery
use OF bail and bayonet. Even the atrocious
attempt years ago TO force the pro-slavery Le-
compton Constitution on the people Of Kansas
by Federal bayonets. which so signally failed OF
accomplishment. seems dmnutive In contrast
with the astounding proposition and avowed pur
pose To- overturn the Provisional Government
of Hawaii back OF which stand that noble Amer
lean colony. and around which IL crystallized
the interests Of American Christian civilization
in that advanced and invaluable American out
post I'm the North Pacific.
president Clevelands recent special message.
in which ne severely critcises the course OF
the recent Minister at Honolulu. is but feeble
repetition Of the superficial report OF Commits
sioner Blount and the statement OF Secretary
Gresham previously published.
'In my answer 10 Blount's report. extensively
published in the United States. | showed
clusvely as did Minister Thurston. and other
thoroughly responsible witnesses have shown.
that the allegations In that report against the
official conduct OF Captain Wiltse and myself are
grossly untrue and are In manifest antagonsm
to all the reasonable probabilities circumstances
and logic of the situation at Honolulu In Jan
uary last President Clevelands grossly untrue
and shamefully unjust allegations against myself
and the naval commander rest entirely on the
listers OF the fallen Queen. Of Wilson. the Tah- !
tan half-whte. immoral favorite. and other
discredited testimony
HIS OWN CONSCIENCE CLEAR
'r will not. In this paper. go over the con-
clusively overwhelming testimony Of all re-
spectacle men Of the American colony. persons
Of the highest character for intelligence and in |
tegrity. who knew and witnessed the events
when the Hawaiian monarchy FELL who contra
dict expressly the secretly collected testimony |
Of Commissioner Blount. | only repeat here |
what has been amply verified again and again. |
that neither by force or threat OF force nor by |
any advice or action Of mine was the fall OF |
the monarchy precipitated. From the hour on |
which entered on my duties at the head of the |
United States Legation to the termination or |
my official responsibility I maintained the |
determination to call on the naval commander |
for aid only In the event that American life |
and property were in danger Cautiously. but |
firmly. perhaps sometimes too silently, l made |
this my fixed rule of action. not only 10 the |
of the Queen. but to the leaders
of the parties who saw no safe alternative FOR |
the welfare of the islands but in the total
a Enlistment of the monarchy.
"president Cleveland sees tit 10 make point
against my official conduct. that. months before
the events OF last January. had advocated an
nexation. lie deliberately and purposeiy con-
ceals that what | said In my dispatch In
1892 was a confidential statement to
the Department of State OF the then condition
IF affairs in Hawaii a report of facts which by
the established rules and practice OF diplomacy
was IN duty bound to make known TO my Gov
eminent. AT that date my opinions were so
privately held. that both In Honolulu and In
1t was believed that the American
Minister was averse to annexation. For months
prior to the date OF this dispatch there had been
, continual struggle between the Legislature
and the Queen as to their respective rights re-
sarding the Constitution and the responsibility
II the Cabinet Ministry after Ministry had been