The Portland daily press., 1893-11-30

Ing OF
American Force in Honolulu,
had repeatedly taken place in period
running over many years. This hap
pened in 1874 in 1887 in 1889 and was on
the eve of being done on several other
occasions. Several times prior to the
events of January last had been notl-
fed by the representatives OF the queen
to be in readiness to receive request to
land our naval force. Repeatedly had
ourrnaval commanders during my official
residence in Honolulu got every
thing in readiness to land on lnforma-
ton as to signs of danger which they
and theirsofficers bad gathered by being
in close touch with the then existing
state of things.
The elements and forces of Hawaii in
play in 1857, 1889 and 1858 were and are
as essentially the same The breadth
and strength of the prevailing elements
and forces in 1883 being more decisive
than in the former periods. Those who
assert to the contrary are not honest
else they do not understand what they
have written about. To say that the
overturn of the Hawaiian monarchy was
bogus is as absurd as would have been
the claim of those who might assert that
the fall of Louis PHILIPPE in 184S and OF
Louis Napoleon in 1871 was an illusion
and q fraud.
Blount squarely asserts that l prom
lsed to aid the Committee of Safety by
force. his is emphatically and categori-
cally untrue In reply to rival parties at
different times whether the representa-
tlves of the queen or her opponents my
answer was always the same that the force
would not land until danger should be
plainly imminent and then only to pro-
tect American life and property and to
no onesdid l ever hint that l could or
would recognize any but the de facto
government whether monarchical or re-
publican and as I said in my letter to
Secretary Gresham | here reaffirm that
royalists and their opponents had equal
access to the legation and to its official
head. The best answer to the baseless
charge that l promised to use force
against the queen is the order of Cap
tain Wiltse to his officers and his men
ITO remain passive" and that no force
was used though the Queen through her
Ministe strongly requested it hours
before the Provisional government was
recognized by me and all the other di-
plomatic representatives in Honolulu.
One of the most striking evidences OF
Blount's prejudices, ex parte. and I'M
warranted statements is the following:
A meeting of the Committee of Safety
was held that night January 1eth.at the
house of Henry Waterhouse next door to
Minister Stevens's house determined on
the dethronement of the Queen and
selected officers
The intent of the author of this Ian
guage is obvious on its face. He wished
it to be understood that this meeting
was held near my residence for the pur-
pose of easy access to and in collision
with the United States Minister. What
are the facts? Henry Waterhouse is an
English merchant of wealth, of recog-
nized character for integrity, intelligence
and of the most exemplary life He has
resided in the Islands since early child
hood and is now member of the Pro-
visional government. Though living SO
near me he rarely talked Hawaiian poll
tical affairs with me though he could
but suppose that my private convictions
must be in harmony with the prevailing
views of all respectable Americans as
to what had been done ON in the Islands
for months. Of the meeting at the house
OF Henry Warehouse specified by Blount
| had noshint or knowledge at the time
it was held, knew not of whom the meet
ing was composed or what was it's action
and my first information as to the per-
sons assembled at that meeting obtain
from Blount's report.
1t is proper for me to say here that for
three years prior to the queens coup
d'etat and downfall, had kept myself as
thoroughly informed as possible asto the
views, plans, and purposes of the several
factions and parties that contend for con-
troll in Hawaiian political affairs. This
was my imperative duty as Minister,
and it was equally my duty to keep the
State Department at Washington well
| informed as to all facts bearing on the
| actual situation. This necessarily COM
| PEELED me to hold conversations with the
| best Uniformed persons OF the Reform
| party the Queens party and with the
| Wilcox, and native Hawaiian party,
whose organized efforts for months was
| to induce or compel the queen to break
whom they regarded foreigner, who
was born in Tahiti, of native mother
| and an English father, and was very OBJ
| jectionable to the native Hawaiians,
who believed Wilson stood between them
and their sovereign, and who they well
knew largely dictated at the palace. l
! was certainly as well informed of the
views and plans of the royalists as I was
of those of her Oh ponents, generally care
fully keeping my private opinions to my
! self.
Regarding the Expectations and hopes
of the queen and her representatives in
the exciting days from January 18th
hopes of her opponents, the following
social documents speak for themelves:
| 1.-The assurance conveyed by royal
proclamation by myself and ministers
yesterday having been received by my
native su bjcets and by them ratified at
a mass meeting, was received in different
| spirit by the meeting representing the
foreign population and interests in my
kingdom. 1t is now my desire to give to
Your Excellency as the diplomatic repre-
sentative of the United States of America
at my court, the solemn assurance that
the present constitution will be upheld
and maintained by me and ministers and
no changes will be made except by the
method therein provided. I desire to ex-
press to Your Excellency this assurance
in the spirit of that friendship which has
ever existed between my kingdom and
that Of the government Of the United
States sof America, and which will
long continue.
| LILIU nj, r.
| SAMG Ell PARKER, Minister of Foreign
| Affairs.
VIM. H. CORNELL, Minister of Finance.
| JOHN f. COLBURN, Minister of In
| terror.
A.P. PETERSON, Attorney General.
! 1OLANi PALACE,
! HONOLULU, January II, 1853.
| This earnestly pleading document from
| the fallen ha X