The morning call., 1893-11-30
REPLY TO BLOUNI
Stevens Makes Savage
Answer.
SOME PLAIN, COLD TRUTH.
President Cleveland's Commits
sioner Was Mere Neophyte.
DENSE IGNORANCE OF AFFAIRS.
He Fell Readily into the Arms of
the RoyaIists and the British
Party.
SOME PLAIN, COLD TRUTH.
DENSE IGNORANCE OF AFFAIRS.

r. AUGUSTA, Me-, NOV Eek Minister
John l.. Stevens tonight gave out his
reply to Paramount" Commissioner
BIounts statement concerning the status
Of affairs claimed by President Cleveland's s
Commissioner TO have been found in
Hawaii and to Secretary Gresham's letter
+ to the President. Naturally Mr.. Stevens
confines his attention, in the main, to
Blount, and the castigation given the
Georgian is laid on with a hand nerved not
to spare. For the first time the American
public has here true picture of the times
preceding the overthrow of Liliuokalani
and the formation of the Provisional
Government, and in the light of
truth thrown by the ex-Minister the
F.. purpose with which Mr.. Blount was sent
: to Hawaii is made perfectly apparent as
: is the deliberate method with which he set
:: about its accomplishment. Mr.. Blount
:: went to hear but one side; he sought those
places where but one side would be told
him, and he is charged Furthermore with
deliberate MISREPRESENTATION of facts that
o.. came 10 his knowledge. Mr.. Stevens cites
1.-The records to bear him out. and so his as
:" sertions should be easily capable of proof.
His statement In the main is as follows:
"a deep sense Of my obligation to my
country and of Minister'S duty to de-
feDd an insult threatened against sIrug-
CLING American colony, planted as right
eously and firmly on the North Pacific isles
as our Pilgrim Fathers established them
selves on Plymouth Rock, demand that l
shall make answer 10 the astounding mis-
representations and untruths of Commits.
sioner Blount's report Cd Hawaiian affairs.
Not wishing TO be severe on q neophyte in
diplomacy, with little knowledge of the
*world's affairs outside Of his own
country and sent on peculiar errand,
amid currents and quicksands entirely un-
known to him. l say be has been partly
the victim of 9irssEia Sances, having been
caught in the ieshes md saares adroitly
prepared for-a I'M by tie cunning advisors
Of 80 r alien LliGokaIsBi and by a shrewd,
shafp' hohg-experienced British diplomatic
ag9nt, whose aims ana hopes Blount has
saryea SO well. and without the least sus-
plcion that he was aiding ultra British
intGrests even more than he was helping
the Hawaiian monarchists and the lust
dethrouGRent of the Queen.
"It is clean enough from Blounts man.
ner from the Gay of his arrival at Homo
lHlu. as we'll as by b lis letters to the De-
psrtment of State, written shortly after,
that be designed, at whatever cost, to
: repudLate the views aud acts of the re-
Gently terminated administration, and that
in order to do so he must impugn the ac-
tion of Minister Stevens and of the CON-
mander of the United States steamship
Boston.
"a total stranger. IL was impossible for
Mr.. Blount TO know how uniting it was
for him to take up his quarters where he
was certain to be surrounded by royalists
aud where the supporters of the Pro-
visional Government would be reluctant to
3 90. AS precautionary safeguard against
the shutting out OF Americans from ready
. access TO Commissioner Blount a wealthy
and highly respects bic widow of the Amer
.:ican colony was ready to grant the use of
her house to AIr. and Mrs. Biount. the
Commissioner to pay the same amount it
would cost him to live at the royaliSt
hotel. This polite offer of an Amer
ican resident TO an American Com
missioner did not originate with
the Provisional Government. nor did the
Provisional Government have anything
. whatever to do with the proposed arrange
ment. A committee of three American
citizens, born and educated in the United
States, men who had not taken part in
the revolutionary proceedings Of the pre-
vous weeks, went on board the Rush
when that vessel came into the harbor. and
at the request of these three American
gentlemen l introduced them to MIR.
= blount His manner Of receiving their
visit repelled them, and they asked me to
state the reasons why it would not be
pleasant to him, and better for
all concerned, not to go to the royal
list hotel. but to take up his resi-
dence on neutral ground. where he would
be master of his own surroundings. As
delicately as | could. stated the offer Of
the committee of his cOuntrymen. pointing
out to him that by accepting their proposal
he would be near the archives Of the lega-
ton. which ne could conveniently use, and
which would be pleased at once to place
at his disposal. BrusQuely he refused this
courteous and honestly intended offer OF
his countrymen, and at once placed himself
among the royalists and amid ultra
British surroundings.
IAN insinuations and implications in
Blount's report that l was averse to bis
access to the legation records Is a shame
less perversion Of facts. | took to him
the printed dispatches of Minister Merrill
10 Secretary Bayard, the printed records
p OF the recently adjourned Legislature
containing the recorded votes for and
against the lottery gang, the recorded
votes as TO the recent changes of Ministers.
an official copy OF the lottery charter, all
evidence of decisive value.
Ii ne had really gone to Honolulu for
any other purpose than to convict Harri-
sons administration and the Senate For
eieh AHaiTs Committee of hasty and ILL
ADVISED action in January and February
.. .. last nothing in his conduct showed il. His
manner, while allowing me to leave these
important documents in his room. showed
that be cared not to receive them, and the
genera orIt OF his reply indicates that he
did not even read them.
Under date of April 81 he saws he dis
approved OF the request of the Provisional
Government that American forces he
landed for drill. / here affirm thai ,he
: Provisional Government never made such
a request. The Provisional Government