St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-21

20 dethrone the queen or to change the
form of government, but only TO author
iZe the committee to take steps to pre-
vent a cOnsummation of the queens
purposes and to have guarantees of
PUBLIC SAFETY.
The committee of public safety had
kept their purpose from the public view
at this mass meeting and at their small
gatherings for fear eff proceedings
against them by the government Of the
queen.
After the mass meeting had closed a
call on the American minister for troops
was made and signed indiscrminately
by Germans, Americans and Hawaiian
subjects of foreign extraction.
The commissioner says the response
to that call does not appear on the files
Of the legation. That very night the
committee Of public safety assembled
in house next TO Minister Stevens
residence. j. II. Soper, an American,
was elected to command the military
forces. IL was on Monday evening,
Jan. 16, at ) o'clock, that United States
troops were landed.
Not much time elapsed before it was
given out by members of the commit
tee of safety that they were designed to
support them. At the palace, with the
cabinet, among the leaders of the
queens military forces and the great
body of the people vino were loyal to
the queen, the apprehension came that
it was a movement hostile to the exist
ing government. Protests were filed
by the minister of foreign affairs and
by the governor of the Islands against
the landing of troops.
Messrs. Parker and Peterson testify
that on Tuesday,at l o'clock, they called
on Mr.. Stevens, and by him were in
formed that in the event of the queens
forces aSsailing the insurrectionary
forces he would intervene. At 2:30
the same day the members of the pro-
visional government proceeded to the
government building in squads. and
read their proclamation. They had
separated in their march to the govern
ment building for fear of observation
and arrest.
MIR. BLOUNT DESCRIBES
the location of the troops, showing the
American troops controlled the position
of the queens forces, and continues:
"They were doubtless so located to
suggest to the queen and and her coun-
selOrs that they were in cooperation
with the insurrectionaey moyement,and
would. when the emergency arose. man
fest it by active support.
1t did doubtless suggest to the men
who read the proclamation that they
were having the support of the Ameri-
can minister and naval commander, and
were safe from personal harm.'
Why had the American minister
| located the troops i'll such a situation,
| and then assured the members of the
! committee Of safety that on their occu-
! patton of the government building he
! would recognize 1t as a government de
| factO. and give such government sup
! port? Why was the government build
| ing designated to them as the place
which, when their proclamation was
announced therefrom, would be fol-
/ lowed by his recognition? 1t was not a
point of any strategic consequence. 1t
did not involve the employment of a
| single soldier.
a building was chosen where there
we're no troops stationed. where there
was no struggle to be made to obtain
access. with an American force immedi
ately contiguous with the mass OF the
! population impressed with its un-
/ friendly attitude. Aye, more than this.
before any demand for surrender had
even been made on the queen or on the
! commander or officer of any of her mil
itary forces at any points where her
troops were located,
THE AMERICAN MINISTER
had recognized the provisional govern
ment and was ready to give it the sup
port of the United States troops. He
shows the position which the queen
occupied, her protest, and describes the
race and citizenship of the meu con-
cerned in the revolution. The various
! commissioners of the provisional gov
ernment and Minister Stevens are
quoted and commented upon. Nh
| Blount shows that 1t was coIlusion on
the part OF the minister and the revOlu-
tionists. He goes into the details of the
matter and points out by time and place
| the haste with which Mr.. Stevens acted,
and by quoting from Stevens report
| and the papers on file at the legation.
declares that the minister misrepre-
sented the revolution to the United
States government. He points out the
lack eff harmony IN the statements and
criticises Stevens, saying:
''Mr. Stevens consulted freely with
the leaders of the revolutionary move
ment from the evening of the 14th.
These disclosed to him all their plans.
They feared arrest and punishment
He promised them protection. They
needed the troops on shore to overawe
the queens supporters and government
This he agreed to and did furnish. They
had few arms and
NO TRAINED SOLDIERS.
''They did not mean to fight 1t was
arranged between them and the Amer
lean minister that the proclamation
dethroning the queen and organizing a
provisional government should be read
from the government building. and he
would follow it with a speedy recog-
milton. All this was to be done with
American troops, provided with small
arms and artillery, across a narrow
street within stones throw. This was
done. The leaders of the revolutionary
movement would not have undertaken
it but for MIR. Stevens promise to pro-
tect them against any danger from the
government. But for this their mass
meeting would not have been held. But
for this no request to land troops would
have been made. Had the troops not
been landed, no measures for the organ
ization OF a new government would have
been taken. The American minister
and the revolutionary leaders had de-
termined on annexation to the United
States and had agreed on the part each
was to act to the very end"
Mr.. Blount says that the native race
feel that great wrong has been done
them and their queen. When the queen
resigned under protest, she did not be-
lieve that the action of Stevens would
l.