Omaha daily bee., 1893-11-21
TgE eLoy,Nr REPORT.

What is presumed TO be the more inn
portant part Of the report OF Commits
sioner Blount to the State department,
setting forth the testimony obtained by
him regarding the events which cul-
minated in the overthrow OF the mon
archy in Hawaii and the establishment
of the provisional government, is made
public. Accepting the evidence FUR
nlsicd in this report as trustworthy IL
fully i~ustifies the letter of Secretary
Gresham to the president, so far as the
statements of fact therein contained are
concerned. The testimony given in the
Blount report was not all obtained from
one side. 1t was furnished by supporters
of the provisional government as we'll
as by the friends OF the deposed
queen, and the evidence of both
sides agrees in all essential
particulars. II shows that the Ameri-
can minister, Stevens, was most willing
to recognize the provisional government
as soon as it could offer the least claim
to recognition, and that the knowledge
Of this was largely instrumental in
oDul lhS Nv icNotuVlOilt" ~"
action and in inducing the legitimate
government to abandon all purpose OF
resisting the movement for its over
throw. 1t shows that the minister or
dered the landing OF tho American ma
rincs several hours before the provi-
sional government was proclaimed, it
may be claimed as a precautionary meas
ure for the protection of the interests OF
the United States, but it is more prob
able with the object of overawing the
queen and her ministers, which was the
effect produced.
Whether or not the revolutionary
movement would have succeeded had
the American minister maintained a po-
sition Of neutrality and made no armed
demonstration in the Hawaiian capital
it is impossible to say, nor is the ques-
ton of any consequence in considering
what is the present duty of our govern
ment in the matter. The obvious fact
is that the provisional government could
not have been established without q
struggle if it had not had the favor of
the American minister backed by force,
and this is the vital point for the con-
s%ideration of the government of the
United States and the American people.
The Legitimate government did not sur
render to the r~evOlutionistS, whom it
had prepared to resist, but to the
power of the United States gov
eminent represented in its minis
ter and the armed force which
he caused to be quartered on Hawaiian
soil. 1t is possible and even probable
that but for the course pursued by our
minister the revolutionists would not
have attempted to carry out their plan,
but at any rate there can be no ques-
tion that the queen and her supporters
were intimidated by the presence of
what they had reason to regard as a
hostile force and realizing the folly and
the danger of entering into a conflict
with the United States surrendered
under protest.
1t is not to be expected that the report
of Commissioner Blount will be allowed
to stand unchallenged. Undoubtedly
ex-Minister Stevens will have some
thing to say in rebuttal of the
testimony presented by the report,
as will others who sustain the
cause of the revolutionists. But
they will find it no easy task to dispose
of some of the evidence supplied by sup
porters of the revolutionary movement,
or to convince the Intelligent judgment
of the American public that the conduct
of the American minister was not hasty
and ~ill-advised. Admitting this to be
so, the p%erplexing questions are: What
is now the duty of the United States
government to a friendly and helpless
people deprived OF the government Of
their choice by the arbitrary and un.
warranted exercise of it's power? VIVA,
is demanded of us in the interest Of
justice and of national honor? These
questions must be answered in the near