Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-11-24

ItSlSEiIuT OIL 49, Il nlUfDer Oh meul
bers Of each faction was aspiring to ;
place in the cabinet, but while the re
form party was under these condition.
it never had a majority Of the mem
bers Of the legislature.
OF the queens act just previous t.
the legislature Mr.. Blount says: LET i
be borne in mind that the time was
near at hand when the legisla ture
would probably be prorogued. What
ever cabinet was in power at the time
of prorogatio had control Of public
affairs until the new legislature should
assemble, two years Iaftefward. An
anti-reform cabinet was appointed by
the queen. Some faint struggle was
made towards organizing to vote out
this cabinet but it was abandoned
The legislature was prorogated The
reform members absented themselves
from the session of that day in mani
fe4,tation of their appointment and
loss Of power.
! Letters of the American minister
and naval officers stationed at Homo
lulu in 1892 Indicated that any failure
to appoint Il ministry from the reform
party would produce Il political dis
content amongst the refOrmerS and
had more to do with the revolution
than. the queens proclamation. The
! first was the foundation, the latter the
opportunity.
| I'm the legislature Of 1890 many pc
titions were filed asking for a new
constitution. Many We're presented to
the king and queen"
| He then tells how the cabinet re-
| fused to sign the new constitution fin
ally submitted by the queen and her
subsequent disIenSIIrc. January 16
q proclamation was ISSUED by the queen
and her members, saying that what
she proposed to do the Saturday pre-
vious was compelled by the stress Of
her native subjects.
| This was sent to Minister Stevens,
to which there was no response. On
the 18th she sent another letter, telling
him that the present constitution would
be maintained. On the back of this
was written the word: Declined"
His description of the revolution is
as follows: Nearly all the arms of tho
islands in which Honolulu is situated
were i'll the possession of the queens
government. The military force which
was organized and drilled, occupied
the station house, barracks and palace
only at points Of strategic significance
THE great body of people moved on
! their usual course women and children
passed to and fro through the streets,
seemingly unconcerned about the
danger, and yet secret conferences
were held by Il small body of men,
some of whom we're Germans, some
Americans and some native born sub
jects Of foreign origin.
Saturday evening, the 14th of Jan
uary, they took UP the subject of de
throning the queen and proclaiming {;
new government with Il view to annex
alton to the United States. The mo-
mtntous question with them was to
devise some plan to have the United
States troops landed. Thurston, who
appears to have been leading spirit,
on Sunday sought two members of the
queens cabinet to aid Stevens to land
the troops, assuring them that Stevens
would do 80.
Fading to enlist any of the queens
cabinet in the cause, Il committee Of
safety, consisting of thirteen members,
was formed from little body of men
Assembled in w. o. Smiths office. In
forming Stevens of their plans, he ar
ranged to land the troops if they
should ask it, for the purpose of pro-
tectins life and property
lit was agreed bdtweenlhim and them
that in the event they should occupy
the government building and proclaim
Il new governn ent he would recognize
it. Two leading members of the COM
mittec, Thurston and Smith, growing
uneasy about the safety of their per-
sons, went to him to know if he would
protect them.
After {; mass meeting Il call on the
American minister for troops was
made and signed Unfortunately by
Germans, Americans and Hawaiian
subjects of foreign extraction. j. IL.
Soper an American, was elected to
command the military forces of the
new government. Monday evening,
january 16, at 5 o'clock, the United
States troops landed and it was given
out by the comtlittee of safety that
they designed to support them. Pro
tests were filed by the minister of
foreign affairs and by the governor
OF >..e islands against landing the
troops"
Rlount describes the location of the
troopS, showing that the American
troops controlled the position of the
queens forces and continues:
They We're doubtless so located to
suggest tu the queen and her council
lorS that they We're i'll cooperation
in the inSurreetionary movement. The
government building was chosen where
struggle was to be made to obtain
success. Aye more than this, before any
demand to surrender had been made on
the queen or Oh the commander or any
officer of her military forces, the Amer
| lean minister had recognized the pro-
viSioal government and was ready to
! give it the support of the United States
! troops.
Blount next endeayorS to show that
| it was Il COLLISION on the part of the
minister anu revolutioniStS. He points
out by time and place the haste with
which Mr., Stevens acted and. by quot
ing from Stevens report and the pa
pers on file at the legation, declares
that the minister misrepresented the