The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-12-21
THE HAWAIIAN CRISIS.
MINISTER WILLIS REFUSES IN
FORMATION.
what the Naval Omcers VIII DO " an
Unlawful Order Is Issued
LiIiuokalani's Oher.

Rumor's busy tongue still makes up
for the lack of news. About the siliest
of all the street tales is that Mr.. Willis
will proceed to use force tomorrow, and
that the Provisional Government will
surrender as soon as the marines appear;
whereupon Messrs. Dole and Damon will
take office under the Queen" with two
Royalist Minister'S All this is told with
great seriousness by the deluded adj
herents to the lost cause; but the notion
will probably give way to quite another
when the next mail comes from the
Coast. Each day has its Kaleidoscope
variety of gossip.
Nobody knows what Minister Willis
intentions are. His communication
the other day was not a demand but
request, which ended about as follows:
"And now, gentlemen of the Provis-
ional Government. it is my duty most
respectfully to ask of you, whether,
setting aside all considerations of self
interest in behalf of honor, justice and
duty, you will not now consent to retire
from these positions which you hold,
and surrender the Government to her
to whom it has been decided rightfully
to belong"
OF course this polite request will be
answered with equal politeness. What
then? Consul-General Canavarro tried
TO find out the other night and got
significant reply:
~ represent very large part of the
population of these Islands," he said,
land think il is due me that you say
in advance and in confidence to me
what you will do next"
Minister Willis turned sharply on his
visitor and said 81 have not yet told
my Admiral what l shall do, and you
can hardly expect me to inform you"
That ended it.
The Corwin still stays in port and
every effort has been made to keep the
corr espondents from smuggling news
on board of her for transmittal to the
Coast. Yesterday the officers were all
put on their honor not to take or con-
nive at taking so much as private let
ter. The purpose seems to be to have
but one side of the Hawaiian status quo
revealed in America or to get news
to the President and an answer to
it from him before Congress and the
American public can find out what is
going on. 1t is even said that the Corwin
will stay outside San Francisco harbor
and that her captain, with his cipher
dispatches, will go ashore in pilot boat.
On this account the merchants here
are celebrating whether or not to dis
patch one of the island steamers to the
coast so that the newspaper and private
correspondence may have fair show.
A question was asked one of the U.
S. naval officers last night as to what he
would do in case orders were given to
land the United States marines and at
tempt the ex-Queen's restoration.
The officer said; "Well, the matter
has been discussed in all its bearings
by most of us, not only on board
my ship but on others and
between officers of different ships. While
the feeling is unanimously against any
such course among the officers generally,
still we are bound to obey orders, and /
most unhesitatingly say that any orders
given by Admiral Irwin will be impli-
city obeyed from the highest to the
lowest. In case those orders should in
volve action that we believe to be I'M
constitutional or derogatory to the
United States the Admiral will be re-
quested to put them in writing. A
written protest will then be drawn up
on behalf of the subordinate officers.
and if that is overruled the orders will
be carried out. do not say that Ad-
miral Irwin will give any unlawful
order, but should he do SO this course
has been determined on to protect those
oHscuting them"
The above conversation is reported to
the STAR reporter. 1t lis given for what
it is worth.
NOTE AND COMMENT.
That the old Cabinet wants to go back
shows that they think there must be a
year or two of good Hawaiian stealing
to depend on.
The Royalists are smiling over a re-
port that there will be surrender.
They will smile on the other side of
their mouths later.
'Well, when are you going to step
down and QUIT" is question frequently
asked by Royalists, but they will wait a
long time before they hear the sound of
the footballs.
A Grand Army man said this morn
ing that all but two or three of the war
veterans so far heard from on all the
Islands were going to help the Provis-
lionel Government resist invasion.
1t is not for the mongrel Dane who
left his country for his country's good
to question the antecedents of the Pro-
visional soldiery, nor to talk of ropes
and bullets. His own antecedents are
not unknown, and as for ropes and bull
lets two can play at that game.
One of the naval officers said laugh
ingly. I'VE won't fight you and give
you a chance to do anything heroic.
Well Just surround the Executive build
ing and starve you into submission"
What will the Citizens Reserve and
the American League be doing on your
fanks?'
"Are they armed?' asked the officer.
"You bet they are armed and they
have some Maxim guns hidden away"
"Well, in that case" remarked the
lieutenant, II expect we'll have TO wait
until more ships arrive"
If, as reported, the ex-Queen has
agreed with Minister Willis to grant
amnesty and not repudiate the Govern
ment obligations in case she is restored,
what becomes Of the powers of the ire
stored" Legislature? Only that body
could pass upon public bills. And as for
amnesty, the Queen would have tn re.
fer the matter to her responsible Minis.
tiers. Can it be that an unconstitutional
proceeding is what the United States
Minister seeks to bind the ex-Queen 10
perform under her constitutional
prerogativer
Concert at Makee Island.
Tovers of good muaic and MOONLIGHT