The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-05-20
A NEW MINISTER.
IF Commissioner Blount Returns Min
lister Stevens Should Be Recalled.

lCharles Nordhoff in the N. Y. Herald
HONOLULU, April H. via SAN FRAN
CISCO, April ID, 1S93.-There is u
rumor brought down by steamer yes
terday that Col. Blount is to be hast
ened in his Investigations, in order to
return within month to Washington
to make his formal report to Presi-
dent Cleveland.
If this true it is of great Importance
that before Mr.. Blount departs the
President should send down there as
minister some one who will thorough
ly represent the views of the admins.
tration. Mr.. Stevens, the present
minister, has been and will continue
to be, so long as he remains here, an
intermeddler in local differences open
ly on the side of annexation. He can
do no good and may help to serious
harm.
His continued presence here as
minister is necessarily a direct en-
enlargement to the hopes of the plan
ter annexationists and blow at their
opponents.
The native people and those foreign
ers who sympathize with them, though
everything is quiet here, understand
that the material exists for serious
trouble. This the provisional govern
ment people feel. They were uneasy
at the possible results of Col. Blount's
withdrawal of troops, as unhappy as
the Southern carpet baggers when
Gen. Grant refused troops or when
Mr.. Hayes withdrew them entirely,
but the queens party are quiet.
They wait for the Presidents action
and are content to wait, because Col.
Blount has held an entirely even hand
between the contending sides. If he
should be summoned home before Mr.
Stevens is replaced by minister rep
resenting and informed of Mr.. Cleve-
lands views and wishes, that would
alter the situation materially.
The Japanese have not yet taken
possession of these islands. The Bri.
fish lion is not seen to wag his dread.
full tail. Col. Blount has not forcibly
restored the queen, and everything is
quiet, even the discussions between
those who want annexation and those
who do not.
OF these discussions there are many
and in one at which l assisted by re-
quest singular and, l believe, hither
to unmentioned fact came out. Be
ing urgently pressed for my opinion
of recent events, felt free to say tt
two influential and eminently respect
able, though not official, members o.
the planters party: owe in Americs
have not the least objection to YOU
revolution if you do it yourselves
What we dislike is that you got U. s
troops to help you, and made your
selves the rulers of the islands. Their
you began to cry for annexation, anC
fastened to Washington to get us tt
take off your hands what was JUS
then your stolen property.
"You were not de facto govern
ment, for de facto government
ought to stand on its own legs, anC
that you didn't do. That is why YOU
movement was regarded in the United
States by most people with contempt
You may imagine my surprise wher
those gentlemen exclaimed: "Oh
but you don't understand what was
our situation. We have to promise
annexation. If we hadn't done that We
couldn't have got 20 men to join il
our movement. 1t would have been
an entire failure if we.hadn't held tt
the promise made of prospect o.
annexation"
"But," l asked, "did you have any
promise from the U. S. government
which authorized you to hook thil
bait to induce people to join you in 8
revolutionary act, who otherwise, az
you tell me, wouldn't have done SOP
They owned that they had no sucf
promise; they hadn't even consulted
the Washington government on thu
subject.
There are countries where a cons
piracy which begins by deluding ano
swindling it's own followers would b'
called fraud. Certainly this suga
planters revolution, in spite of the
fact that m my of its leaders are res
pectable and amiable members of so
ciety, cannot itself claim respec
when, without practising gross de
ceit, ait could not have got follow
ing of 20 men,"
| have found two or three men wht
would not object to one Independent
republic, but a republic is not in favo
with the planters, who do not want t.
govern, but to use some outside force
to keep down the natives, and tn
Chinese and Japs and Portuguese a
we'll. Finally have had the benefi
of long conversation with one of tn
most intelligent, and, on the whole
sanest man in this movement, thougl
not a member of the provisions
government.
"If annexation doesn't come, as
don't believe it will, what do you
gentlemen really propose?" l asked
81 don't know, because we have no
got SO far yet" lie replied. "But
Zee nothing for it myself except tn
formation of a small and strong dig
archy. That would secure peace an
order, and is what we want"
"That strikes me, on the whole, a
the most sensible of all the PROPOSE
lions have SO far heard Of" Yo
will observe, of course, that none {
these suggestions look to free popr
lar government. None of them ar
of kind which would be a benefit c
| al 10, 10 l., - ~.