The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-12-22
AN OPEN LETTER,
Charles L. Carter of the Hawaiian
Provisional Government Writes
Secretary Gresham
IN REPLY TO GRESHAM'S LETTER

Oo"0H "US h"uaSHs COntraulct1ng
Blount's Report.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 15.-The steam
ship Oceanica brought an open letter
from ex-C ommissioner Charles S. Carter
to Secretary Gresham. 1t is in part as
follows:
With the consent of the government
which / had the honor to serve as especial
commissioner to the government of the
United States, l have the honor to adj
dress you in reply to your dispatch
to the president, dated Oct. IS, contain
ing recommendations that the treaty
Of annexation be not resubmitted, and
suggesting the restoration Of what you
term a legitimate government of Ha-
waii, by which you mean the monarchy,
in the person of ex.Queen Liliuokalani.
You will pardon my making this CON-
munication publicly, and l beg you to
attribute my action to the apparent dis
inclination in your department to a full
exposition of the matter bearing on the
question has been at your disposal.
I regret that up to the time of
latest advices by my distinguished col
league, the chairman of the special COM
mission, Mr.. Thurston, has been con
strained by his present position as
representative of this government near
your own, from making any public dec
larations. This fact, and because after
your installation in the department of
state until shortly before Mr.. Thurston's
appointment as minister, l was the only
representative of Hawaii actually in
Washington, give me the freedom to
speak and qualify me to address you On
some of the matters in your dispatch.
Your communication to the president
contains ~ paragraphs and charges,
which | can meet, and which in this, my
first and probably only opportunity, I
shall refute.
The paragraphs are taken up i'll sue
cessive order, and the main statements
made by Secretary Gresham are denied,
and the statement is made that the Sec
rotary might have saved himself from
falling into error had he allowed Com
missioner Carter to make a detailed
statement Of the occurrences of the
time. Mr.. Carter denies that Captain
Wiltse aided in any way in the over
throw of the queen, and cites two in
stances of the captains refusal to give
any assistance in that direction. He re-
affirms that the Boston's marines were
OH shore solely for the purpose of pre-
serving order.
As to Blount's Report.
This brings the ex-commissioner down
to paragraphs - and 10 of Mr.. Gresh-
ANS letter. Continuing, he says:
You speak of the special commission.
ers sent to Washington by the provi-
sional government tonegotiate the treaty
of annexation, and you say their state
menrs are utterly at variance with the
evidence, documentary and oral, con-
tanned in Mr.. Blount's report" Those
commissioners had no opportunity from
you to make any statements. You alb
~solutely and persistently evaded any op-
portunity for that purpose. Commits
sioners Wilder and Marshen were the
first to leave Washington, which they
did about the time of the Inauguration.
Mr.. Castle stayed but a few DAYS longer.
having but one interview with you, in
which you declined to say whether
or not you cared to have the
commissioners, as a body, remain
In Washington. When Mr.. Castle
left, Mr.. Thurston Went 10 Chicago. and
l was alone in Washington, where | re-
manned for two months. You constantly
declined to allow me an interview for
the purpose of making a statement for
the commissioners, OF on behalf of the
provisional government. At an inter-
view which we did have you pointedly
evaded all attempts which l made at
giving you a statement, once going so
tar as to interrupt me by rising from
your seat, excusing yourself, and
abruptly leaving the room. The day
that the news reached Washington of
the
Lowering Of the Flag.
! called upon you, and asked you if the
report were true. You stated that YOU
had no official information on the sub
ject, but assumed that the newspaper
dispatches Were correct, and asked me
whether in my opinion the course fol-
lowed by Mr.. Blount would be likely
to lead to bloodshed or yio-
lence in Honolulu l replied to
you that the provisional government
was amply able to take care of itself,
and that there would be no danger I'M
less the lowering of the flag were the
first step toward the restoration of the
queen. You stated positively that there
was nc intention of restoring the queen,
a statement which you repeated at one
of my last interviews with you. at the
same time that you told Inc that you ex-
pected Commissioner Blount to return
to Washington in June.
Give Skerrett a Chance.
Paragraph 20: Be good enough, MIR.
Secretary, to give Admiral Skerrett an
opportunity to explain whether he ever
made the bold statements SO ruthlessly
C~Ondemniug the action Of ono of xo,,r