Huntsville gazette., 1894-01-20


those impressions of the state of affairs whtcH
could best have come TO him incidentally
through wide social intercourse with tne
people of the country and personal acquaint-
aEce with its various communities and INDUS
trial enterprises.
He saw the country from his cottage II
Honolulu mainly through the eyes of witnesses
whom he examined. Under these clrcum-
stances it is not probable that the most earnest
of men would be abe to form statement that
could safely be relied upon as the basis of a de-
cision upon the question of the standing form
of a government
LII view therefore of all these facts in rela-
tion to the question of the presidents author
itv to interfere and concerning which the
members of the executive council were actors
and eyewitnesSes. am able to assure your ex-
cellency that by no action OF this government
ON the seventeenth day of January last or
since that time. has the authority devolved
upon the president of the United States to in
terfere in the internal affairs of this country
through any conscious act or expression OF
this government.
TIL. Correctness OF the Presidents Con-
clusions Specifically and EN-
phattcally Denied.
You state in your communication that afte,
a patient examination of Mr. BlountS reports
the president is satisfied that the movement
against the queen, il not instigated, wa5 en-
couraged and supported by the representative
of this government at Honolulu: that he prom
ised in advance to aid her enemies in an effort
to overthrow the Hawaiian government and
| set up by force a new government in its place;
| that he Kept this promise. causing detdcn-
| lnent of troops TO be landed from the Boston
on the 10Th Of January, 1898, and by recognizing
| the provisional government the next day when
| II was too feeble to defend itself and the CON
| stitutional government was able to success
| fully maintain its authority against any threat
| ening force other than that of the United
| States already landed
Without entering into a discussion or the
| facts beg to state in reply that am unable to
| judge OF the correctness of Mr.. Blount 8 re-
| port from which the presidents conclusions
ryn,s dra hnd nj
| lining gsuch report but desire 10 specifically
| and ernphaticaly deny the correctness of each
| and every one of the allegations OF fact con-
| tanned in the above quoted statement Yet as
| the president has arrived at a positive opinion
in his own mind in the matter I will refer to it
| from his standpoint.
| President Dole's Position Briefly and
| Forcibly Stated.
NV position is briefly this:
| If the American forces illegally assisted the
| revolutionsts in the establishment of the pro-
| yisonal government, that government is not
| responsible for their wrongdoing. It was
purely private matter for discipline be-
| tween the United States government and its
officers. There is, l suppose. no prec-
edent in International law for the the
troops has conferred upon the United
States authority over the international affairs
| of this government. Should IA true, as YOU
! have suggested. that the AMsgican govern
| ment made itself responsible - the queen,
who, it is alleged, lost her throne through such
| action. that Is not matter for ME to discuss,
except to submit that II such be the case 1t is
| matter for the American government and her
| to settle between themselves
This government. d recognized sovereign
power equal in authority with the United
States government and enjoying diplomatic re-
| lations with it. cannot be destroyed by it for
| the sake of discharging its obligations to. the
ex-queen. Upon these grounds, MIR. Minister
| in behalf Of my government, respectfully pro-
| test against the usurpation Of its authority az
| suggested by the language OF your commun1ca-
| tion.
1t is difficult for stranger like yourself. and
| much more for the president Of the United
| States with his pressing responsibilities,
| crowding cares and his want or familiarity
| with the condition and history of this country
and the inner life of its people. to obtain clear
insight into ths real state of affairs and to un-
derstand the social currents. the race feelings
and the customs and traditions which all con.
| tribute to the political outlook We who have
| grown up here or who have adopted this coun-
trV as our homo are conscious of the dlfft culty
of maintaining stable government here.
community which Is made up OF five races
| of which the larger part but dlmly appreciates
| the significance and value of representative
constitutions offers political problems which
| may well tax the wisdom of the most expert.
enced statesman.
progression of the Monarchy
For long years large and influential part Of
| this community. including many foreigners
| and native HawaiianS. have observed
| with deep regret the retrogressive tenden-
| cies Of the Hawaiian monarchy, aud have
sought. through legislative work the news
papers and by personal appeals and individual
| influence to support and emphasize the repre-
sentative features Of the monarchy and to ere
ate public sentiment favorable thereto, thereby
| to avert the catastrophe that seemed 1nevlta.
bic IL such tendencies were not restrained.
These efforts have been met by the last two
sovereigns in spirit of aggressive hostility.
| The struggle became at length well-denne0
| issue between royal prerogative and the right
| OF representative government, and most bit
or1r- ayd It1tl1n Giy- IN
| on in the interests of the former.
President Dole here enters upon an
account of the events in Kalakua' 3
reign and proceed follows.
The Queen Did Not Owe H T Downfall to
American Interference.
No man can correctly say that the queen
owed her downfall to the interference OF Amer.
| lean forces. The revolution was carried
| through by the representatives now largely
reinforced of the same public sentiment which
forced the monarchy to its knees IN 1877
which suppressed the insurrection Of 1889, ana
| representative government in this country.
| If the American forces had been absent the
| revolution would have taken place. for the
| sufficient causes for it had nothing TO do with
| their presence !. therefore, in all friendship
| for the government Of the United States, which
| you represent and desiring to cherish the good
will of the great American people submit the
| answer of my government to your proposition,
/ and ask that you will transmit the same TO
the president of the United States for his con-
| sderation.
An Impregnable Position.
| Though the provisional government is far
/ from being great power. and could not long
| resist the forces of the United States in a
| hostile attack, we deem our position to be i'm
| pregnable under legal precedents. under the
| principles of diplomatic intercourse and In Vhe
| forum Of conscience. We have done your gov
| ernment no wrong: no charge of discourtesy
/ is or can be brought against us. Our only issue
| with your people has been that because we re-
/ vered its institutions of civil liberty we have
| desired to have them extended to our own
| distracted country, and because we homo.
/ its flag and deeming that Its benen-
! cent and authoritative presence would be for
| the best interests OF all people, we have
| stood ready to add to your country new star
| to its glory and to consummate union which
we believed would be much for the beneht
/ of your country as for ours. Ii this is an Oh
1 fense we plead guilty to il.
| am instructed TO inform you, Mr. Minister,
| that the provisional government OF the Ha
| waiian islands respectfully and unhesitatlngly
| declines to entertain the proposition of the
| president of the United States that ii should
! surrender its authority to the ex-queen
| This answer is made not only upon the
| grounds herelnfore set forth, but upon our
!, sense of duty and loyalty TO the brave mer
| whose commissions we hold who have falth-
! fully stood by US in the hour OF trial, whose
/ will is the only earthly authority we recognize
| We cannot hetray the sacred trust tneY nave