The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-18

/ du lIonu uIJy 10 one hundred, some
! armed and some unarmed gathered about
the committee to give them aid and conf
dence. This statement is not important
since the one controlling factor in the whole
AFFAIR was unquestionably the United States
marines, who drawn up under arms and with
artillery In readiness only seventy-six yards
distant, dominated the situation.
RECOGNITION BY STEVENS.
The Provisional Government thus pro-
claimed was, by the terms of the proclama-
ton, 10 exist until terms of union with the
United States had been negotiated and
agreed uponn The United States Minister,
pursuant to prior agreement recognized this
government within an hour after the reading
OF the proclamation, and before five o'clock,
N answer to an inquiry on behalf of the
had done SO.
W hen our Minister recognized the Pro-
Ylslonal Government the only basis upon
winch 1t rested was the fact that the Com
mlttee OF Safety had, in the manner above
stated, declared it to exist. 1t was neither
a government de .facto nor de jtre That it
was not IN such possession of the government
property and agencies as entitled it to
recognition is conclusively proved by a note
found in the files of the Legation at
Honolulu, addressed by the declared head of
the provisional government to Minister
Stevens, dated January II, 1893, in which
ne acknowledges with expressions of appreci-
atlon the Minister'S recognition of the Pro
visional Government, and states that it is not
yet IN the possession of the station
mouse lthe place where large number of the
queens troops were quartered), though the
same had been demanded of the Queens
officers in charge Nevertheless this wrong
ful recognition by our minister placed the
government of the Queen in a position of
most perilous perplexity.
THE QUEENS POWER
On the one hand she had possession of the
palace, of the barracks and of the police
station, and had at her command at least
500 fully armed men and several pieces of
artillery. Indeed, the whole military force
of her kingdom was on her side, and at her
disposal, which the COMMITTEES Of Safety,
by actual search, had discovered that there
were very few arms in Honolulu
that were not in the service OF the Govern
ment. In this state of things, if the Queen
could have dealt with the insurgents alone,
her course would have been plain and the re
suit unmistakable. But the United States
had allied herself with her enemies, had
recognized them as the true Gov
ernment of Hawaii, and had put her
and her adherents in the position of
opposition against lawful authority. She
knew that she could not withstand the power
of the United States, but she believed that
she might safely trust to its justice. Accord
Provisional Government by the United
States minister, the palace, the barracks,
and the police station with all the military
resources of the country, were delivered up
by the Queen upon the representation made
to her that her cause would thereafter be re-
viewed at Washington, and while protesting
that she surrendered to the superior force Of
the United States, whose minister had
caused United States troops to be landed
at Honolulu and declared that he would
support the Provisional Government,
and that she yielded her authority to pre-
vent collision by armed forces and loss of life
and only until such time as the United States,
undo the action OF its representative and re
instate her in the authority she claimed as
the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian
Islands.
THE QUEENS PROTEST.
This protest was delivered to the chief of
the Provisional Government, who endorsed
thereon his acknowledgment of its receipt.
The terms of the protest were read without
dissent by those assuming to constitute the
Provisional Government, who were GER
tainly charged with the knowledge that
the Queen, instead of finally abandon
ing her power, had appealed to the
justice of the United States for reinstate
ment in her authority; and yet the Provi-
sional Government with this unanswered pro-
bSSO III luS ndHu HaSUSneO 10 negOGldUe with
the United States for the permanent banish-
ishment of he Queen from power and for a
sale of her kingdom.
Our country was in danger of occupying
the position of having actually set up tenn
porary government on foreign soil for the
purpose of acquiring, through that agency
territory which we had wrongfully put in its
possession. The control of both sides
of bargain acquired in such manner
is called by a familiar and unpleasant name
when found in pricate transactions. We are
not without a precedent showing how
scrupulously we avoided such accusations in
former days. After the people of Texas had
declared their independence of Mexico, they
resolved that on the Acknowledgement
of their independence by the United
States they would seek admission
into the Union. Several months after the
battle of San Jacinto by which
Texan independence was practi-
cally assured and established. Presi-
dent jackson declined to recognize it,
lleging as one of his reasons that
in the circumstances it became us ssTo be-
ware of too early movement, as it might
subject us, however unjustly, to the imputa-
ton of seeking to establish the claim of our
neighbors to a territory with view to its
subsequent acquisition by ourselves" This
is in marked contrast with the hasty recog-
milton OF government openly and conced-
US territorial annexation.
If THERE WERE VOTE
/ believe that candid and thorough ex-
animation of the facts will force the con-
viction that the Provisional Government
owes its existence to an armed invasion by
the United States. Fair minded people, with
the evidence before them, will hardly claim
that the Hawaiian Government was over
thrown by the people of the islands, or that
the Provisional Government has ever existed
with their consent. I do not understand
that any member of the government claims
that the people would uphold it by their suf-
frages if they were allowed to vote on the
question.
While naturally sympathizing with ever7
effort to establish republican form of
government, it has been the settled policy
of the United States to concede to peo-
pie of foreign countries the same free
dom and independence in the management
of their domestic affairs that we have al
ways claimed for ourselves; and it has been
our practice to recognize revolutionary
governments as soon as it became apparent
that they were supported by the people. For
illustration of this rule l need only to refer
to the revolution in Brazil in 1885, when our
Minister was instructed to recognize the
Republic, las soon as majority of the peo-
pie of Brazil should have signified their assent
to it's establishment and maintenance" to the
revolution in Chile in 1891, when our Minis
ter was directed to recognize the new govern
ment IF it was accepted by the people, and
to the revolution in Venezue ella, in 1892, when
our recognition was accorded on condition
that the new government was fully estab-
lished, in possession of the power Of the ma
ton, and accepted by the people,"