Evening star., 1894-03-07
HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS
The Latest Correspondence Received
in Regard to Them
SENT TO CONGRESS BY THE PRESIDENT
Changes Proposed in the Provis-
ional Government.
A CHIN ESE MEETIN G.

The President today sent to Congress the
latest correspondence in relation to Ha-
waii, being three letters with Enclosures
from Minister Willis, covering a period
from February 10 to February 15 inclusive.
The first letter is merely an acknowledge
ment of the receipt of dispatches. The sec
ond, under date Of Honolulu. February IA.
describes the situation in Hawaii during the
past month as having been unusually quiet.
The minister says that the action Of Con-
gress is awaited with great interest as in
dicating the future policy of the United
states towards Hawaii. Several days pre-
vious to the date of the letter a number of
government soldiers were affected in pc
culiar way, which gave rise to a runor of
poisoning. There has seemed, however. to
be little cause for such suspicion. re-
port was current of a Chinese uprising
based upon a call for mass meeting to
consider certain proposed changes in the
law affecting them. The minister says that
in his judgment there is no foundation for
the rumor, but that the country is in
state of unrest and excitement, making 1t
easy to originate these sensational reports.
Government Changes Proposed.
Minister Willis mentions the changes in
the executive council which have already
been noted the report that Mr. Dole Will
d
spirited contest is now in progress looking
to the introduction of the representative
system into the councils of the provisional
government. In this connection ne men,
tons resolution passed at a mass meet
ing February 13. faVoring the enactment
of law increasing the membership of the
advisory council from fourteen to twenty
four, the new members to "be selected by
the suffrages of loyal citizens in manner
to be hereafter provided" The reasons for
the demand are that the council is not how
representative; that the legislative depart
ment is too compact and small; that it has
been made Objectionable by the action of
retiring members in practically selecting
their own Succe sSors; that the personnel
has been changed and that in these changes
the mass of the supporters of the provis-
ional government have had no voice. The
letter closes with statement that the Chi
nese question has given rise to considera
bic discussion in the press and in the coun-
ellis.
number OF newspaper clippings are in
closed, some criticising the domination of
AFFAIRS by the American League and its
machine-Hke methods.
For N Permanent Form of Government
The third and last letter is dated Homo
lulu, February 15. 1t is as follows: AT
the regular meeting this afternoon of the
government councils Hon. =. NJ. Hatch
read the report of the judiciary committee
on the petition for the enlargement of the
advisory council, Recommending, as report
ed in the newspapers, that there be chosen
delegates t. sit with the councils and to
prepare a constitution for a permanent
form of government The report was
adopted and a committee appointed by the
president to prepare an act Cor the holding
of the constitutional convention. At the
same meeting Mr. Hatch was elected and
took his seat as minister of foreign affairs
The mass meeting of the Chinese last
night was very largely attended. The news
ha lslnt Ag,fsp
orouS resolutions against the proposed leSis-
lation of the government We're passed. /
send newspaper clippings in regard to the
above subjects
The clippings referred to show that the
cabinet propose to make answer to the
resolution adopted at the Annexation Club
mass meeting, looking to the enlargement
of the council, believing. as Mr.. Smith
said. that they contained an intimation that
the provisional government was not favora-
BILE TO annexation. The committee named
by President Dole to prepare an act for
constitutional convention was composed of
Messrs. Hatch, Bolte, Wilder, Mott and
W. y. Smith.
The Chinese Mass Meeting.
In describing the Chinese mass meeting
the newspaper says its tenor may be judged
by the fact that the use of man-of-war
was more than hinted at The statement
was also made that the Chinese paid more
taxes than any other class; that but for
them HOnoluluS s trade would die and that
they had only to unite and stand firm to
gain their ends The first speaker recon-
mended that if the councils would not listen
TO the Chinese they should instruct the Chi
nese minister at Washington to write to
the home government about their troubles.
Another charged that it was the purpose of
the government to place Chinese under the
ban and favor the Portuguese. The pro-
posed act was denounced as worse than the
Geary act. 1t appears that the act COM
plained of is one proposing to require Chi
nese to take out a special license as pre-
requisite to conducting business In Hawaii