St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-19
A BIT OF HISTORY
Concerning the Overthrow OF
Queen Lii.

Queen Lii.
On Saturday, Jan. IA. 1893. the queen
of Hawaii. who had been contemplating
the proclamation of new constitution,
had, in Difference to the wishes and re-
monstranceS of her cabinet, renowned
the project for the present. at least.
Taking this relln quished purpose as a
basis of action, citizens of Honolulu,
numbering from 50 to 100, mostly resi-
dent aliens, met in private office and
selected so-called committee of safety,
composed of thirteen persons, seven of
whom were foreign subjects, and con-
sisted of five Americans, one English
man and one German. The committee,
though its doings were not revealed,
had in view nothing less than anneXa-
ton 20 the United States, and between
Saturday, the 18th, and the following
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 minister. On Monday morning
the queen and her cabinet made public
a proclamation, with a notice, which
was especially served upon the repre-
SentatiyeS 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 on safety, mass meeting of
safety was held on that day TO protest
against the queens alleged illegal and
unlawful proceedings and purposes.
Even at this meeting the committee of
safety continued to disguise their real
purpose and cOntented themselves with
procuring the passage of a resolution
denouncing the queen and empowering
the committee to devise ways and
means ito secure the permanent main
tenance of law and order and the pro-
lection Of life, liberty and property in
Hawaii"
This meeting adjourned between 8
and O'Clock IN the afternoon. On the
same day, and Immediately after such
adjournment, the committee, unwilling
to take further steps without the coop
Grafton of theUniteG States minister, ad-
dressed note representing that the
public safety was menaced and that
lives and property were in danger, and
cOncluded:
1--WE 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 ab-
incontestable. When the note was
written and delivered, the committee, so
far as it appears. had neither a man nor
gun at their command, and after its
delivery they became so Danic-Stricken
at their position that they sent some of
their number to interview the minister,
and request him not 10 land United
States forces till the next nothing, but
he replied that the troops had been Or
dered, and, whether the committee was
ready or not, the landing should take
place. And so it happened that OH the
10th OF January, between and in the
afternoon, detachment of marines
from the United States steamer Boston,
with two pieces of artillery, landed at
Honolulu. The men, upwards of 100 in
all, were supplied with double cartridge
belts, filled with ammunition, and
haVerSacks and canteenS, and were ac-
companied by hospital corps with
stretchers and medical supplies.
This demonstration upon the soil
of ii onolulu was of itself an
act OF war, unless made either
with the consent of the government of
Hawaii, or with the bona fide purpose of
projecting the lmperiled lives and prop
erty of citizens of the United States;
but there is no pretenSe Of any such
eminent of the queen, which was
at the time undisputed, and was
both the de facto and the de lure gov
eminent. In point of fact, the existing
government, instead of requesting the
presence OF an armed force, protested
against 1t. There is little basis for the
pretenSe that such forces were landed
for the security of American life and
property. Ii SO, they should have been
stationed in the vicinity of such prop
erty,and so as to protect it.lnStead OF at
distance so as to commend the Hawaiian
government buildings and palace. Ad-
mlral Skerrett, the officer i'll command
OF our naval forces on the Pacific
station, has frankly stated that in his
opinion the location of the troops was
inadvisable if they were landed for the
protection OF American citizens, whose
residences and places of business, as
we'll as the legation and consulate were
III distant part of the city, but the
location selected was wise one if the
forces were landed with the purpose of
supporting the provisional government.
If any peril to life and property
calling for any such martial array had
existed Great Britain and other foreign
powers interested would not have been
behind the United States in activity to
no sign in that direction. When these
armed men were landed the city of Hon
olulu was in its customary orderly and
peaceful condition. There was no symp-
tom of riot or disturbance in any quar-
ter. Men. women and children were
about the streets as usual, and nothing
varied the ordinary routine or disturbed
the ordinary tranquility except the
landing of the Boston's marines and
their march through the town to the
quarters assigned them. Indeed, the
fact that, after having called for the
landing of the United States forces on
the plea of danger to life and property,
the committee of safety themselves re-
Quested the minister to postpone action
exposed the untruthfuIness of their rep
RESERVATIONS of peril to life and prop
erty. The peril they saw was an antici-
patton growing out of guilty intentions
on their part, and something which,
though not then existing, they knew
would certainly follow their attempt to
overthrow the government of the queen
without the aid of the United States
forces.
STEVENS AGAIN,