Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-20
MINISTER STEVENS.
The Ex-Omeial a Witness Before the
Senate Committee.
Mr.. BLOUNR'S STATEMENTS REfUTED.
Many Declared to Be Emphatically
and CategoricaIIy Untrue.
INTERESTING INFORMATION.

with having coerced the Hawaiians and
contributed toward the establishment of
the provisional government by the use of
the United States forces
The committee was somewhat late get
ting to work. the witness, who came to the
Capitol with Senator Frye. being present
long before quorum of the subcommittee
made its appearance. For short time MIR.
Stevens was in the room chatting informal
ly with MIR. Morgan and Mr.. Frye; but
when Professor Olesen, who was on the
stand yesterday. arrived, for the purpose of
revising his testimony, Mr.. Stevens went
up stairs, and did not return until he came
to take the stand. During his absence Mr..
Gray appeared, and the quorum was made
up. When Mr.. Stevens came down to the
committee room again he carried in his
hand bundle of documents that had an
exceedingly voluminous look, and presaged
sitting of some length.
Mr.. stevens Testimony.
1t Is needless to give an abstract of the
testimony of the ex-minister. His side of
this international controversy has been
stated SO fully in the press and through
addresses made by Mr.. Stevens that the
public is more or less familiar with it.
The only thing necessary to be done was
for Mr. Stevens to put under oath the mat
tcrs of which the committee had been
advised unOfficially and to enter into those
things which could not be discussed in
public This latter phase of Mr.. Stevens
testimony was by far the most important
and every precaution was taken by the
committee to prevent an inkling of what
the character of the evidence was from
reaching beyond the committee room.
There had been much speculation since the
Presidents message was sent to Congress
as to the contents of the message from
Mr.. Stevens TO the State Department that
withheld by the President on the
ground of public policy. 1t is understood
that this letter was one of those cOnfiden-
agents to their respective governments
touching upon the so-called interests of
other governments. Mr.. Stevens today
gave the committee what he supposed to be
the letter referred to. and 1t can be said
In a general way that it related to the
attitude of the English minister in con-
nectioD with affairs at the Hawaiian Is
lands and his relations with the court of
the depOSed queen
The English Minister and the Queen.
1t is understood that the English min
lister was, perhaps, near to the queen
anyone on the islands. and was able
thereby to exercise great influence over her.
His sen, Mr.. Wodehouse, is the husband
Of the half-sister of Princess Kaiulani, who
Is the heir apparent to the throne in the
event that the deposed queen should be
restored With this princess subsequently
the throne and British subject related
. to the royal family and enjoying the power
and influence that such relationship would
give, IL could be easily seen, Mr.. Stevens
said, what the effect would be upon Ameri-
can interests and how they would be sub
ordinaIed to everything that was British.
The British minister had lived the is
lands for years. his family had interrlar-
ried to some extent, and naturally he would
be opposed to any scheme that looked to
the overthrow of the queen. and. worst of
all. annexation to the United States. 1t
said by Mr. Stevens that the British
minister. Mr.. Wodehouse. was favorable to
the deposition of the queen, and that he
entertained an opinion of her that in
keeping with the opinions of other we'll
informed and progressive citizens but While
he wanted her off the throne. he was equal
ly desirous that Kaiulani should succeed
her. The methods used in disseminating
this idea among the people and the part
played by the British minister is said to
have been interesting feature of the
evidence given by MIR. Stevens.
Personal Character of the Queen.
Mr.. Stevens also went into the subject of
the personal character of the queen and
those whom she gathered about her and
gave testimony to the effect that all the
reports hinted at were more than true and
that the condition of affairs about this
royal court were in utter antagonism to
the ideas OF morality that commend them
selves to modern civilization. He also gave
in detail the events happening long prior
TO the revolution and furnished the COM
mittee with data and statistics pertain
ing To the commercial wealth of the islands,
their Importance from military stand
point and Information concerning the lit
eracy and condition of the people so far as
1t might relate to the subject of self gov
ernment.
Mr.. Blount's Extraordinary Authority.
In response to a query put to him by a
member of the committee. Mr.. Stevens said
a minister exercised an authority equal to
that exercised by Mr.. Blount in the mat
ter OF commanding the naval officer on
duty at port where he was acting as a
United States official He denied the author
ity or the Navy Department or any other
official TO place such authority in the hands
or an offlc1al OF the State Department and
said that in his experience he had always
made request of such naval officer the
connandlng ohcer being permitted to act
partment- 1t was the duty of such officers
to protect the life and property of Ameri-
can citizens. but the manner of doing so
was left to their discretion
In discussing the acts performed nv him
Mr.. Stevens took the ground that All he
had done was in the direct line marked
out by Secretary Marcy in 1sA and nv
Secretary Bayard in his instructions 10
Minister Merrill in 1887. He had IandeS
the troops simply for the purpose of nro
lecting American life and property and he
queen, herself. did not, by her acts take
4 contrary view of the case. This part of
MI. stevens testimony touched on new
ground. and was of Importance.
the Queens Request tn the Marines
He said that twenty-five hours after the
marines had been landed, and after the
queen had been deposed, she sent to him
and asked tha5 he would direct the marines
TO be used in her behalf, a request which
showed. Mr. Stevens said. that the queen
old not look upon the landing of the marines
as intended TO be inmiCal to her While on
Sn1 SUBJECT OF the landing of the troops
Mr. stevens referred to the statement in
commissioner Blounts report that his reply
70 tHe request of the committee of safety
10 iand troops could not be found on file
anu SAID the intimatiOn of Mr.. Blount was
ooNlous There was nothing in his inti-
NATION however, for the reason that there
was no reply made to the committed Mr.
Stevens said he should have asked Cant
w HtSe 10 land the troops anyhow had NOT
ue committee asked him. The conditions
Were critical and the circumstances iusti-
NED MIN in carrying out the standing in
structlOns of lSSI. Such landing of the
troops, he said. had been made repea tedIv
III i>,4. lSS' and fSS.,, and was on the owe
OF Delns done on several other occasions.
fimphatfcaiIy and Categoricaux In
true.
Replying to Mr.. Blount-s assertion -,lt