The herald., 1893-12-21
STEVENS DEFENDS HIMSELF.
An Answer to the Presidents
Criticisms.
The Ex-Minister Justifies His Acts
in Hawaii.
He Charaoterizes Cleveland's State
ments as Grossly Untrue and
shamefulIy Upjust-A Sweep
ing Denial.

J By the Associated Press.
AUGUSTA, Me-, Dec. 20.-Ex-Minister
Stevens is out in reply to President
Cleveland's severe structures upon him
in his Hawaiian message. Stevens says
"The presidents criticism is but a
feeble repetition of Gresham's statement
previously published. President Cleve-
land is grossly untrue and shamefully
unjust. His allegation against myself
and the naval commander rests entirely
on the statements OF four notoriously
corrupt ministers of the fallen queen, OF
Wilson, the queens favorite, and ether
thoroughly discredited testimony. re.
peat here what has been amply verified
again and again, that neither by force
nor by threat of force, nor by any action
of mine, was the fall of the monarchy
precipitated. For months prior to No
vember, 1892, there had been a contin-
ual struggle between the legislature and
the queen as to their respective rights,
and only the remarkable self-possession
of the respectable and responsible men
OF the islands prevented an outbreak at
an early day."
Believing there was no prospect of
difficulty Stevens left Honolulu January
4th, on trip to Hilo, returning January
14th, in company with Captain Wiltse,
and found the city in great excitement,
and the tide Of revolution already surg
ing. Stevens attempted to gain access
to the queen, and try by friendly advice
to arrest the revolution, but was too
late to prevent the carrying out of her
plan of overturning the constitution.
What took place on the afternoon OF
January 14th ended the monarchy for
ever.
Stevens quotes Chief Justice Judd, a
supporter OF the monarchy, in denounc-
ing the falsity of the charge that the
queen was driven from the throne by
American force, or threat OF force in any
form or manner.
As to the landing OF the Boston's
marines, Stevens said he only did what
Minister Merrill did, acting under the
Cleveland-Bayard order, August l, 1889
that is, had marines landed in artici-
patton of turbulence on shore, and for
the preservation of order.
Stevens characterizes as absurd the
president's statement that the queen
and Wilson had at the police station
sufficient force to maintain the mon
archy, and says:
There never WAS q more preposterous g
assumption than this assertion OF the
president that the queen, January 18th,
had ample force to sustain her and to
enable her to carry on the government.
This studiously maintained assumption
Of the president is based on the testi-
mony of notoriously corrupt representa-
tives of the rings that surrounded the
queen. That the Hawaiian monarchy
was overthrown by United States force
vas and is put forth for the sole pur-
pose of bringing discredit on the pre-
ceding administration at Washington,
and on the action of the foreign rela-
tions committee of the United States
senate in favor OF annexation.
''It remains to be seen il the Ameri-
can congress and the American people
will approve the conspiracy to make
war on the provisional government
at Hawaii and use the military force Of
the United States. or diplomatic pressure
of the United States for the restoration
of semi bar barous queen, in wanton
defiance of the best American opinions
and antecedents, and by oppressive use
OF executive power against the American
colony, more positive and more inex-
cusable than that which George III
and his ministers sought to impose on
the American colonies that formed the
government of the United States."