Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-30
BEFORE THE REVOLUTION.
Hawaii Had Already Determined to Ask for

Hawaii Had Already Determined to Ask for
Closer Relations With the United States.
Recent advices received from the islands re-
late that the prompt action Of the provisional
government in sending a commission to Wash
ington was in the line OF policy already deter
mined by the queens legislature. commit
tees report to TIE assembly on January 5 said
that 1.-THE question which appears to your COM
mittee to be of tho most immediate and vital
concern to Hawaii is the matter of commercial
relations with the United States" As this is
the question which is soon to be made proni
nentin Washington and which, IL anything viii
strain relations between the American and
British colonies on the island "a brief synopsis of
the debate on the report is Of interest. Con-
tinuing, the report says:
I'VE therefore believe it of vital importance
that every effort should be made, and without
delay, to establish these closer commercial re-
1ations with the United States, and if the United
States require In return that they receive lease
OF Pearl Harbor We should be prepared to grant
the lease.
''But perhaps before giving legislative author
ity TO the government to negotiate such an i'm
portant matter more information ought to be
obtained, showing precisely what advantages
can be secured. Your committee, therefore,
recommend that committee of this house, to
consist OF three members, be authorized to OBJ
tain such information and ascertain what course
the United States government or Congress would
be Inclined to lake. and to report to thislegisla-
ture at an adjourned session. if the information
shall, IN the opinion of her majestys govern
ment be sufficiently important to call together
the legislature
The report concludes by naming this COM
mission:
Resolved, That, in view of the unsatisfac-
tory condition Of existing commercial relations
with the United States of America, committee
OF the Hawaiian legislature, consisting of the
Hon. l.. 4. Thurston. r. W. Wilcox, j. Nawahi,
J. X. Iosepa and J. H.Waipuiiani. be appointed
TO proceed to Washington to obtain iuforma-
ton as to the terms upon which closer COM
mercial relations, mutually advantageous to the
two countries, could probably be established
between the government of the United States
and the Hawaiian kingdom"
AFRAID IosEPA WOULD FALL.
or this proposed committee one. the first
named, is white; one, Wilcox, the leader of the
previous revolution. is half white and the other
three are natives. This committee was not sat-
isfactory 70 some of the assembiymen. as ia
shown by the reports of the debates the next
day. Representative Smith voiced this doubt
Of the proposed committees ability to do the
thing wanted:
MIR. f. W. Wilcox would 60 to Wash
ington, see Cleveland and then he and his
old friend Moreno would pull wires 1t was
had already been published in the Examiner
He was clergyman. it is true. but the way
they do things over in America it NAV be that
some OF the fascinating ladies in Washington
will chuck him under the chin, Irvine their
arms about him and say that he is the best
looking man in the commission Iosepa may
not fall. 1t is true, but human nature is weak,
and. unless the commission is very particularly
instructed in their duties. he may be apt to
come back here'an say that he has seen every
body over there and they have promised to do
everything and besides send shiploads of white
women for wives for kanakas.''
Representative Waipuilani doubted the wis
dom of sending the proposed commission and
then Noble 1hurSton. q member OF the upper
house, the two houses being in joint session,
said:
"Our present commercial relations with the
United States are most unsatisfactory. Although
We do get rice and bananas in free under the
reciprocity treaty. yet that is only for two years
more. Are we going to sit down and simply
say Good Lord deliver us and do nothing to
help the Lord? The Lord helps those who help
themselves" He doubted the competency Of
the representative now at Washington; what
ever he may have been in the past, he was not
now up to the rough-and-tumbie work neces-
sary to carry the plans forward.
The subject was temporarily settled. after
Noble Pua's motion TO suspend the rule against.
smoking was passed, by the adoption of an
amendment to the report offered by Noble
alarsden, which authorized the queen to appoint
the commission, but which provided that two
Of the commissioners should not be members of
the legislature.
1t was apparent from this action that the
legislature wanted more instead of less foreign
relations. which exactly contrary to the
wishes of the queen and her native partisans
That had considerable influence in determining
her majesty 10 p-omulgate a new constitution
DISTINGUISHING all foreigners, which attempt on
her part caused the reNolution.
The first act almost of the reyolutionists now