The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-12-14
AN OPEN LETTER.
Charles l.. Carter of the Hawaiian
Provisional Government Writes
Secretary Gresham
In REPLY TO GREsHAM's LETTER


. graph by Paragraph-The Navy De-
partment Ofacia7Iy Informed That the
Hawai.ans Are Armed For Resistance.
Jones Has Amdavits Contradicting
Blount's Report.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 1.-THE steam.
ship Oceanica brought an open letter
from ex- Commissioner Charles S. Carter
TO Secretary Gresham. 1t is i'm part as
fellows:
With the consent of the government
which had the honor to serve as special
commissioner to the government of the
United States, have the honor to ad-
dress you in reply to your dispatch
to the president, dated Oct. 1S,'contain-
ing recommendations that the treaty
of annexation be not resubmitted, and
suggesting the restoration of what you
term legitimate government of Ha-
waii, by which You mean the monarchy,
In the person of ex-Queen Liliuokalani.
You will pardon my making this COM
mnnication publicly, and l beg you to
attribute my action to the apparent dis
inclination in your department to full
exposition of the matter bearing ON the
question has been at your disposal.
| regret that up to the time of our
latest advices by my distinguished col
league, the chairman Of the special COM
mission, Mr.. Thurston, has been con-
strained by his present position as
representative of this government near
! your own, from making any public dec
larations. This fact, and because after
your installation in the department of
state until shortly before Mr.. Thurston's
appointment as minister, was the only
representative of Hawaii actually in
Washington, give me the freedom to
speak and qualify me to address you on
some of the matters in your dispatch.
Your communication to the president
contains ~ paragraphs and charges,
which can meet, and which in this, my
first and probably only opportunity,
shall refute.
The paragraphs are taken up in sue
cessive order, and the main statements
made by Secretary Gresham are denied,
and the statement is made that the sec
retary might have saved himself from
falling into error had he allowed Com
missioner Carter to make detailed
statement of the occurrences of the
time :. Carter denies that Captain
Wiltse a. I'd III any way in the over.
throw of sthe queen, and cites two in
stances of the captains refusal to give
any assistance in that direction. He re
afiirms that the Boston's marines Were
on shore solely for the purpose of pre-
serving order.
]. AS to Eiount's Report.
This brings the ex-colnmissioner dowI
to paragraphs IL and 10 OF Mr.. Gresh
ans letter. Continuing, he says:
You speak OF the special commission
ers sent to Washington by the provi
sional government tonegotlate the treat,
of annexation, and you say their state
ments are utterly at variance with tn
evidence, documentary and oral, con
tanned In Mr.. Blounts report" Thos
commissioners had no opportunity from
you to make any statements. You at
solutely and persistently evaded any or
portunity for that purpose. Commis
sioners Wilder and Marshen were tn
first to leave Washington, which the
did about the time of the inauguration
Mr. Castle stayed but few days longer
having but one interview with you, i
which you declined to say whethe
or not you cared to have th
commissioners, as body, RENAL
in Washington. When Mr.. CAST
left, Mr.. Thurston went to Chicago. an
was alone in Washington, where / r,
mained for two months. You CONSTANT
declined to allow me an interview fl
the purpose Of making statement Il
the commissioners, or on behalf of I'll
provisional government. At an inte
view which we did have you pointed
eyaded all attempts which made
giving You a statement, once going
far AZ to interrupt me by rising frol
your seat, excusing yourself, an
abruptly leaving the room. The da
that the news reached Washington
the
Lowering of the Flag.
called upon you, and asked you If Il
report were true. You stated that yo
had no official information on the su
ject, but assumed that the newspap
dispatches were correct, and asked n
whether in my opinion the course Il
lowed by Mr.. Blount would be like
to lead TO bloodshed or vi
lence In Honolulu I replied
you that the provisional governme
was amply able to take care OF itsel
and that there would be no danger u
less the lowering Of the flag were Il
first step toward the restoration OF Il
queen. You stated positively that the
was no intention of restoring the quee
statement which you repeated at o
of my last interviews with you, at i
same time that you told me that you {
pected Commissioner Blount to retu
70 Washington in june.
Give skerrett . Chance.
Paragraph 20: Be good enough, a
Secretary, to give Admiral Skerrett
r. oDrOrfuuity tn pxplain whethef he es