Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-18

litn day or January; that on Monday, the
10th, the United States forces were landed
at Honolulu from naval vessel lying in
It's harbor; that on the 18th the scheme of
a provisional government was perfected
and a proclamation naming it's officers was
on the same day prepared and read at the
government building; that Immediately
thereupon the United States minister recog-
nized the provisional government thus
created; that two days afterwards, on the
18th day of January, commissioners repre-
senting such government sailed for this
country in a steamer especially chartered
for the occasion, arriving in San Francisco
on the 2Sth of January, and in Washington
on the Sd day of February; that on the next
day they had their first interview with the
Secretary of State. and another on the 18th,
when the treaty OF annexation was practi-
cally agreed upon, and that on the 14th it
was formally concluded and on the 18th
transmitted to the Senate. Thus between
the initiation of the scheme for a provi-
sional government in Hawaii on the 14th
day of January and the submission to the
Senate of the treaty of annexation conclud-
ed with such government, the entire inter-
val was thirty-two days. fifteen Of which
were spent by the Hawaiian commissioners
in their journey to Washington.
An Issue of Fact.
In the next place. upon the face of the
papers submitted with the treaty, 1t clearly
appeared that there was open and undeter-
mined an issue of fact of the most vital i'm
portance. The message of the President ac-
companying the treaty declared that 1.-The
overthrow of the monarchy was not in any
way promoted by this government" and in
letter to the President from the Secretary
of State, .elso submitted to the Senate with
the treaty the following passage occurs:
AT the time the provisional government
took possession of the Government buildings
no troops or officers of the United States
were present or took any part whatever in
the proceedings. No public recognition was
accorded to the provisional government by
the United States Minister until after the
queens abdication and when they were in
effective possession of the Government
buildings, the archives, the treasury, the
barracks, the police station, and all the
potential machinery of the Government"
But a protest also accompanied said
treaty, signed by the Queen and her minis
tiers at the time she made way for the pro-
visional government, which explicitly stated
that she yielded to the superior force of the
United States, whose Minister had caused
United States troops to be landed at Hon.
olulu and declared that he would support
such provisional government
The truth or falsity of this protest was
surely of the first Importance. If true, moth
ing but the concealment of its truth could
induce our Government to negotiate with
the semblance of a government thus Great
ed, nor could a treaty resulting from the
acts stated in the protest have been know
ingly deemed worthy of consideration by
the Senate. Yet the truth falsity of the
protest had not been Investigated.
MIR. BlOunt's Mission.
1 conceived it to be my duty therefore to
withdraw the treaty from the Senate for ex-
animation, and meanwhile to cause an &C
curate. full, and impartial investigation to
be made of the facts attending the subver-
sion of the constitutional Government of
Hawaii, and the installment in it's place of
the provisional government 1 selected for
the work of investigation the Hon. James
II. Blount, of Georgia, whose service of
eighteen years as a member of the House of
Representatives, and whose experience as
chairman of the Committee of Foreign At
fairs in that body, and his consequent IA
miliarity with international topics, Joined
with his high character and honorable repu-
tation, seemed to render him peculiarly
fitted for the duties entrusted to him. His
report detailing his action under the in
structions given to him and the conclusions
derived from his investigation accompany
this message.
These conclusions do not rest for their ac-
ceptance entirely upon Mr.. Blount's honesty
and ability as man, nor upon his acumen
and impartiality an investigator They
are accompanied by the evidence upon
which they are based, which evidence is
also herewith transmitted and from which
1t seems to me no other deductions could
possibly be reached than those arrived at
by the Commissioner.
The report, with its accompanying proofs,
and such other evidence as is now before
the Congress or is herewith submitted, JUS
titles in my opinion the statement that
when the President was led to submit the
treaty to the Senate, with the declaration
that ''the overthrow of the monarchy was
not in any way promoted by this Govern
ment," and when the Senate was induced
to receive and discuss it on that basis, both
President and Senate were misled
The attempt will not be- made in this COM
munication to touch upon all the facts
which throw light upon the progress and
consummation of this scheme of annexa-
ton. very brief and imperfect reference
to the facts and evidence at hand will ex-
hibit it's character and the incidents in
which 1t had its birth.
1t is unnecessary to set forth the reasons
which in January, 1893, led a considera-
BILE proportion of American and other for
eign merchants and traders residing at
Honolulu to favor the annexation of Ha-
wall to the United States. 1t is sufficient
to note the fact and to observe that the
project was one which was zealously pro-
NOTED by the Minister representing the
United States in that country. He evil
IDENTIFY had an ardent desire that it should
become a fact accomplished by his agency
and during his ministry, and was not in
conveniently scrupulous as to the means
employed to that end. On the 10th day
of November 1892 nearly two months be-
fore the first overt act tending towards
the subversion of the Hawaiian Govern
ment and the attempted transfer of Ha-
waiian territory to the United States he
addressed a long letter to the Secretary of
State in which the case for annexation
was deliberately argued, on moral, political,
and economical grounds. He refers to the
loss to the Hawaiian sugar interests from
the operation of the Mckinley bill, and the
tendency to still further depreciation of
sugar property unless some positive meas
ure Of relief is granted. He strongly in
sart,e H. I.Ur ifnrl