Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1893-12-22

"".o' .o was wnCciiiury' wulJlnK-un Oh
portunlty which by timely '~.deviation from
established international rules and n,ecr.
dcnts' might he proved to successfully mr.
compllsh the great object in view: and W..
are quite prepared for the exultant cnthu-
siasm with which, in u letter to the state
department dated Feb. l., 1881. he declares.
me Hawaiian pear is now fully riDe and
TINS is the golden hour for the United
States to pluck it,
frotectOrate Declared.
AS further illustration of the activity
VI 'his diplomatic representative, attention
~ calieo 10 the fact that on the day the
apo'e ietter was written, apparently I'M
aDle longer to restrain his ardor, he issued
proclamation, whereby sin the name OF
the United States'' he assumed the protcc-
ton of the Hawaiian islands, and declared
that said action was taken pending and
subject to negotiations at Washington"
The flag Lowered.
Of course this assumption of a protec-
torate was promptly disavowed by u
government. but the American flag re-
NAMED over the government building at
Honolulu, and the forces remained on
guard until April, and after Mr.. Blount's
arrival ON the scene, when both were
removed. A brief statement of the
occurrences that led to the supervision of
the constitutional government of Hawaii
IN the interests of annexation to the
United States will exhibit the true COM
pleXion of that transaction.
On Saturday, January II, 1893, the
queen OF Hawaii, who had been contem-
plating the proclamation of a new con-
| StlfIlfinN had IN InTn,n,,oo IN A. ,,:,l,.,
and remOnstrances of her cabinet. re-
nounced the project for the present ut
least. Taking this ~,relinquished purpose
as a basis of action, citizens of Honolulu,
numbering from so to 100, mostly resident
aliens, met i'll a private office and selected
a so-called committee of safety, composed
OF 13 persons, seven Of whom were foreign
subjects. and consisted OF five Americans,
one Englishman and one German. This
committee, though it's designs were not
revealed, had in view nothing less than an
neXation to the United States, and be-
tween Saturday, the 18th, and the follow
ing Monday, the 18th of January-though
exactly what action was taken may not be
clearly disclosed-they were certainly in
communication with the United
States. On Monday morning, the
queen and her cabinet made
public a proclamation, with u notice, which
was especially served upon the representa-
tives of foreign governments; that any
changes in the constitution would be
sought only in the methods provided by
that instrument. Nevertheless, at the call
and under the auspices of the committee
of safety, q mass meeting of safety was
held on that day to protest against the
queens alleged illegal and unlawful pro-
ceedings and purposes. Even at this meet
ing, the committee of safety continued to
disguise their real purpose, and cOntented
themselves with procuring the passage of
a resolution ~denouncing the queen and en-
powering the committee to devise ways
and means 'to secure the permanent
maintenance of law and order and the pro-
lection OF life, liberty and property in
Hawaii"
Asked for Armed Protection.
This meeting adjourned between 3 and
four O'Clock i'll the afternoon. On the same
day, and Immediately after such adjourn
ment, the committee, unwilling to take
further steps without the further cooper.
alton Of the United States minister, adj
dressed a note representing that the public
safety was menaced and that lives and
property were menaced. and concluded:
wv are unable to protect ourselves
without aid, and therefore pray for the
protection of the United States forces.''-
Whatever may have been thought of the
other contents Of this note, the absolute
truth Of this latter statement is i%ncontes-
table. When the note was written and de.
livered the committee, so far as it appears,
had neither a man nor a gun ut their com
mand, and after its delivery they became
so panic-stricken at their position that
they sent some of their number to inter
view the minister and request him not to
land the United States forces till the
next morning, but he replied that the
troops had been ordered and whether the
committee were ready Or not the landing
should take place. And so it happened
that on the 18th of January, between I and
5 in the afternoon, a detachment of
marines from the United States steamer
Boston, with two pieces of artillery,
landed at Honolulu. The men, upwards
of 100 in all, We're supplied with double
cartridge belts filled with ammunition,
and haversacks and canteens, and were
accompanied by a hospital corps, with
stretchers and medical supplies. This
demonstration upon the soil of Honolulu
was of itself an act of war, unless made
C1Uuci w tNc CDIlScllt VI Iuc government
of Hawaii, or Of the bona tide purpose OF
protecting the impe,iled lives and prop.
erty of citizens of the United States,
but there is no pretense of any
such consent ON the part of the govern.
ment of the queen, which was at that time
undisputed, and was both the de facto and
the'de jure government. In point of fact
the existing government, instead of re.
questing the presence of an armed force,
protested against it. There is as little
Dasls Tor TIE prerense tnat such forces
were landed for the security of American
life and property. If so, they should have
been stationed i'll the vicinity of such
property, so as to protect it, instead of at
u distance and so as to command the
! Hawaiian government buildings and
palace. Admiral Skerrett, the officer in
command of our naval force on the Pa-
citic station, has frankly stated that in his
opinion the location of troops was inadvis.
able ifthey We're landed for the protection
: of American citizens whose residences
and places of business, as we'll as
the legation and consulate, were in
Il distant part of the city, but the
location selected was a wise one if the
; forces were landed with the purpose of
supporting the provisional government.