The Portland daily press., 1893-11-11
He Accuses Minister Stevens Of
Abettipg HaWaii's Revolution
AND ARGUES THAT WE SHOULD
RESTORE THEOLD GOVERNMENT.

The Secretary Says that the Marines from
the Boston Were the Cause of the Ha
waiian Governments Downfall and
that Minister Stevens and the Hawaiian
Commissioners Misrepresented the
Facts-Mr. Stevens's Attention Called
to the Report-He Says Gresham Is
Prompted by Party Prejudice and that
| Time VIII Show the Right.
Washington, November 10-After the
cabinet meeting today, which was of un-
usual duration, lasting over three hours
| and half, Secretary Gresham, with the
concurrence of the President, gave out
for publication report made by him to
the President concerning the state of
affairs in Hawaii. The report, which is
| dated October 16, reviews the history of
the Hawaiian revolution, as related in
reports by special Commissioner Blount,
including the landing Of the troops from
the United States steamship Boston, the
recognition of the provisional govern
ment by United States Minister
Stevens, the and submission of Queen
Liliuokalani with the declaration that
she only yielded her authority until such
time as the government of the United
States should undo the action of it's rep
resentative and reinstate her as the con-
stitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian
! islands. Secretary Gresham then says:
In his despatch to Mr.. Foseter, Jan
j H. ILL.,
tion, Mr.. Stevens says: The committee
| of public safety forthwith took possession
1 of the government buildings, the arch
ives and the treasury, and installed the
| provisional government at the head of
| the respective departments. This being
an accomplished fact, promptly recog-
nized the provisional government as the
| de facto government of the Hawaiian
| islands,
"In Secretary Fosters communication
| of February Is to the President, laying
before him the treaty of annexation with
a view to obtaining the advice and con-
sent of the Senate thereto, he says: AT
| the time the provisional government took
possession of the government building,
no troops or officers of the United States
were present or took any part whatever
| in the proceedings and no public recog-
nitlon was accorded to the provisional
| government by the United States min
ISb6E uuJlI alGcE tuG tSuGSnS dDQlCdUlOD,
! when they were in effective possession of
| the government buildings, the archives,
| treasury, barracks, police station and ali
| the potential machinery of the govern
| ment' Similar language is found in the
official letter addressed to Secretary
Foster, in February, by the special COM
| missioners sent to Washington by the
provincial government to negotiate
| treaty of annexation.
| These statements are utterly at vari-
| ance with the evidence, documentary and
moral, contained in Mr.. Blount's report.
| They are contradicted by the declarations
and letters of President Dole and other
annexationists and by Mr.. Stevens's own
verbal admissions to Mr.. Blount The
| provisional government was recognized
| when it had little other than paper eX-
| istence and when the legitimate govern
| ment was in full possession and control
of the palace, barracks and police station.
Mr.. Stevens's well known hostility and
the threatening presence of the force
| landed from the Boston. were all that
could have then excited serious appre-
hension in the minds of the Queen, her
officers and local supporters. 1t is fair to
say that Secretary Fosters statements
were based upon the information he re-
| ceived from Mr.. Stevens, and the special
commissioners, but am unable to see
that they were deceived. The troops
were landed, not to protect American life
and property, but to aid in overthrowing
| the existing government. Their very
presence implied coercive measures
against it. In the statement given to
Mr.. Blount by, Admiral Skerrett, the
ranking naval officer at Honolulu, he
says: If the troops were landed simply
to protect American citizens and their
interests, they were badly stationed in
Arion hall, but if the intention was to
aid the provisional gvernment, they were
| wisely stationed This hall as so
situated that the troops in it easily com
manded the government buildings, and
the proclamation of the provisional
government was read under the protec-
tion of American guns. AT an early
stage of the movement, il not at the be-
ginning Mr.. Stevens promised the annex
ationists that as soon as they obtained
possession of the government building
| and there sread a proclamation of the
character above referred to he would at
once recognize them as the de facto
government and support them by land
| ing a force from our warships then in
| The harbor and he kept that promise.
| This assurance was the inspiration of the
movement Without it the annexation
lists would not have exposed themselves
to the consequences of failure. They re-
lied upon no military force of their own,
for they had none worthy of the name.
The provincial government WAS estab-
Iisbed.by the faction of the American
minister and the presence of the troops
landed from the Boston. Its continued
av:stence is due to the belief of the
Tawaiians that if they made any effort to
oyerthrow it, they would encounter the
armed forces of the United States.
lsThe earnest appeals to the American
minister for military protection by the
officers of tha provincial government after