The Portland daily press., 1893-11-30

the United States force would continue
to adhere to an established policy in
this regard. In this is the explanation
that her fallen ministers came to me,
with much assurance, to ask that l
would use the United States forces to
restore and support the fallen Liliuoka-
lanl. She and they could not see the
very different case of her brother Kala-
kaua in 1874 and her own case, January
18th, 1898.
In report to the Navy Department,
date January 16, Captain Wiltse, after
announcing the fact that the forces had
been landed, says:
The request of Minister Stevens upon
which the Captain acted reads as fol-
lows:
"United States Legation, Jan. 16, 1Sq3
"In view of the existing critical cir
inadequate legal force, | request you to
land marines and sailors from the ship
under your command for the protection
of the United Statess Legation and the
United States Consulate, and to secure
the safety of American life and property.
JOHN L.STEVENS.
To Captain Wiltse, U.S.N."
The order of Captain Wiltse to Lieuten-
ant-Commander Swinburne, who COM
manded the naval battalion on shore,
reads as follows, under the same date:
You will take comamnd of the battal
lion, and land in Honolulu for the purpose
of protecting our Legation, and the lives
and property of American citizens, and
to assist in the preservation of public
order. great prudence must be exercised
by both officers and men, and no action
taken that is not fully warranted by the
conditioned affairs and by the conduct
of those who may be inimical to the
treaty rights of American citizens. You
will inform me at the earliest practica-
BILE moment of any change in the situa-
Jion."
Mr.. Blount's shamefully unfair attempt
to cast suspicion on myself in the mat
ter of the hall for the men of the Boston,
on the first evening of their landing, |
have answered in my letter to Secretary
Gresham. I will repeat my language here.
After | had made my request to Captain
Wiltse to land his men as precautionary
safeguard to American life, and property,
he and his officers informed me that their
men must have shelter. for the night.
Without special information in that re-
gard, had supposed that the ships
marines had tentssof theirsown for the
customary use in case of emergency on
shore I at once wrote a note and sent
it by messenger to secure a large hall
that was supposed to be available. The
man in charge OF the hall was several
miles away. | had not known of the ex-
istence of the Arion hall until that eve
ming when a messenger with my note
was sent to the supposed agent of the
Arion hall, who was a royalist He re-
turned me a courteous answer, saying he
would be pleased to let the hall for the
specified purpose, but he had ceased to
be the agent, informing me who had
then charge of the hall. This required
third note, and third effort of the mes
senger, which proved successful. So
| much time had been thus consumed that
1, ,3r ,.x14r,
obliged to stand weary hours in the
streets before they were able to go to
their night quarters. All of them would
| have been lodged at the legation and
consulate but for wantsof room, where as
| many as possible were received, these
| localities being several streets and
| squares from the palace and government
buildings. For the occupation of Arion
| hall by men of the Boston the committee
of public safety and supporters of the
| provisional government had no more re-
| sponsibility than Secretary Gresham
| himself
| One of the chief objects in view by my
self and CAPTAIN Wiltse in landing the
marines and sailors was to quiet the fears
and panic in the city that incendiary
| fires might be set by irresponsible
parties for sake of plumber. This fear
| was augmented by the fact that most of
| the buildings of the city are of.wood. The
request made of me by Captain Wiltse
and his officers when they came ashore
was for q hall for shelter and maps of
| the city to enable them to act effectively
| if tumult and incendiarism should come,
SO that they would know how to act with
| rapidity and efficiency. To obtain the
hall and secure the necessary maps oc-
cupied my time until late in the evening,
there being only one map of the city in
| the legation, others being obtained by
| OF H1ffQrant. nriuata h01cac
A copy of the call of the COM
mittee of safety which Blount
| institutes that l wished to conceal
from him had been promptly for
warded to Washington in January, and
was in the printed pamphlet of the
published by the Senate, copy of which
l suppose Blount must have brought
with him when he came to the Islands,
Perhaps it is necessary to copy here the
following from Blount to Gresham dated
| June %, 1923:
"In my dispatch to the department of
A pril 26, said: Mr.. Paul Neumann is
| generally regarded here as a bright,
plausible and INSCRIPTIONS person.
desire now to say that SO far as the ex-
preston INSCRIPTIONS is concerned a
better knowledge of public opinion
satisfies me that I was not justified in
it's use.
1 L. l.,
especial commissioner of the United
States.
sWhy this remarkable change of opinion:
So long as he supposed Neumann wished
to make trade with the United States
or with the provisional government for G
cash consideration of all Liliuokalani's
claims, Blount regarded Neumann as 6
knave AS soon as this astute commits
sioner ascertained that Neumann was il
full accord with Spreckles and Blount
for Liliuokalani's, restoration to the
throne, at once Blount Immediately
learned that Neumann is a right down
good fellow, So much for conclusive
evidence that ..Spreckles, Neumann an6
Blount were then, as now, rowing The
same boat and closely linked in the
conspiracy to damage the action of Harri
sons administration, and Of the Senate
committee of foreign affairs, on the
question of annexation. TO the samt
object Blount devoted much of his report
to disapprove and repudiate the action Of
Secretary Marcy and the Democratic
administration of 1884 in authorizing OH
commissioners at Honolulu to negotiate
a treaty of annexation on lines Similar
to those of President Harrison and thu
Senate committee of Februarysslast.
This tilt Of Blount, Spreckles an(
| No,,,,.rp ,rro,,cf MaroU Cro,+ Cox,o,J