Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-12-07

New York Evening Post, December Cd.
In Lanmau's Biographical Annals" we
find the following entry stevens, John
Leayitt, y studied theology, and
at the age of q was ordained minister of
the Universalist church; then
became associated with James G.. Blaine
~ the ownership and management of the
Eeituebec .7oUi7im.n These biographical
items 90 fur towards explaining the extra
ordinary document with which the ex-
minister to Hawaii broke in upon the
Thanksgiving repose OF the American
people. Its vigor of pious blackguard-
with the nameless and abhorrent sins
of inconvenient witnesses who ex-
pose the authors crookedness, are
better understood with that early
record before the eye while its furious
parading of irrelevant matter and its abb
normal acuteness in detecting the corrupt
schemes of England are the legitimate fruit
of association with James G. Blaine.
Mr.. Stevens defence. in fact. is best de-
scribed as an after-glow of the Blaine
school of politics. Confronted with legal
case. made up by trained lawyer. he
kicks up tremendous dust over points
not at issue, lets loose an avalanche of
scurrilous epithets with Christian adjec-
tives attached, shouts loudly that England,
or at any rate Japan. is back of the attacks
upon his veracity, and sedulously avoids
mention OF the evidence, much of IL
documentary and signed by his own name,
which convicts him of being conspirator
and falsilier. Blaine himself could NOS
have done it better.
The real strength Of the case against
Stevens was never so clear as when read in
the light of his defence. The evidence
of witnesses whose character he does not
undertake to impeach, and of documents
whose existence he ignores, are alone
sufficient to sustain the charges against
him. Granting the truth of every word
he says, the facts and, evidence to which
he does not make the faintest allusion are
enough to convict him. The testimony of
Mr.. Wunderberg, member Of the COM
| mittee of safety, is not referred to by Mr..
Stevens. Uucontradicted, it proves that
| he was in league with the revolutionists
| beforehand, had promised them to land
| the troops in their aid and to recognize
them as the Hawaiian government the
moment they read proclamation at the
| government building "or any other build
| ing at Honolulu The testimony OF MIR.
Damon, president of the advisory council
of the provisional government, Mr.. Stevens
nowhere touches upon. Uncontradicted,
| it proves that Stevens recognized about is
men in ALL" sneaking through the streets
| SO as to avoid arrest by the police, as the
| de facto government of the country,
| though they were not in possession OF q
single government building. We should
have been glad of less information about
the gambling and licentious habits of wit
4 nesses whose testimony is not material,
and more about these witnesses. But Mr..
Stevens seems to think that by refusing to
recognized them they will be blotted out
| of existence.
Then there is the documentary evidence
which the eX-minister forgets to mention.
| 10 Io tx-ri In Of
committee or safety, asking him to land
troops ON the distinct ground that I'VE
are unable to protect ourselves without
aid" There was the formal protest of the
Queens government the same day against
landing the troops, with the assurance
that the police and military forces were
ample to preserve order and to protect
American property. There was also the
protest of the Governor of the island, A..
s. Cleghorn. 1t is true Stevens does dis
pose of him by showing that he was only
an honorary" Governor at best, and,
what is pretty damaging, "a brother-in-
law to the fallen Liliuokalani," and, what
is absolutely fatal, 1.-THE reputed father of
the so-called Princess now residing in
England, whose half-sister is married to
the English minister's son." After such
an annihilating stroke it seems hard to go
back to the law of the case, and ask, as
both the local and the general government
|
IL really is not u complete answer to say
that somebody's half-sster is married. to
the English minister's son, but we suspect
1t is the only answer we shall ever get
from Stevens.
One other of the vital points Stevens
fumbles over, which shows that he is
aware of the pickle the documents leave
him in. In his dispatch to Secretary Foster
he said that he did not recognize the pro-
visional government until alter ii was in
possession of the government buildings,
archives and treasury" This was given
the lie by MIR. Damon, and is also in direct
President Dole, thanking him for his
recognition" and requesting 1.-THE imme-
diate support of the United States forces"
SO rs to enable the new government TO get
possession of what Stevens deceitfully told
Foster it was already in possession of.
Stevens now says that the Queens forces
must have surrendered in few hours"
anyhow, as they were 'surrounded"-
presume by those "lS men in ALL" This
is a clear admission that he lied to Secre-
tary Foster, as he did again, by implica-
ton, when he said that the other foreign
ministers promptly recognized the pro-
] yisional government the fact being that
: none of them did so till the next day.
The merits of the controversy are now
clearly before the public. On the one
/ hand is the carefully prepared legal case
: of Mr.. BlOunt with its array of authenti
: Gated testimony and documentary evi
dence. On the other is the hcitnebcc JOnf1ld
harangue of Mr.. Stevens, filled with per
sonal assaults and irrelevancies, but sedu'
lousy avoiding the crucial and cumulative
evidence against him. If that is his best
defence, he has no defence.