The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-03-17
You will inform me at the earliest
practicable moment of any change in
the situation.
Very respectfully,


CAPTAIN, T.. S. Nary, Command
ing L. S. S. Boston.
AS between the United States and
Hawaii, as separate and Independent
| governments, that order defines the
| full liability of the Government of the
| United States in respect of landing the
| troops at Honolulu. As between the
Government of the United States and
its officers, the question may arise
| whether that order was issued in good
faith and for the purposes declared
| upon its face, or whether it was pre-
text used for the purpose of assisting
in the overthrow of the Queens Gov
! eminent and the ultimate annexation
of Hawaii TO the United States.
In reference to this last suggestion,
| the committee, upon the evidence as
it appears in their report (Which
they believe is full fair and impair
tial statement OF the facts attending
and precedent to the landing of the
| troops, agree that the purposes of
Capt. Wiltse and of Minister Stevens
| were only those which were legiti
| mate, viz. the preservation of law and
order 10 the extent of preventing dis
| turbance of the public peace which
| might, in the absence of the troops.
injuriously affect the rights of the
| American citizens resident in Homo
| lulu.
| The troops from the Boston having
| rightfulIy and lawfully entered Homo
| lulu, and having carried with them
| the protection of the laws of the
| United States for their citizens who
| otherwise were left without the pro-
lection of law, it was the right of the
| United States that they should remain
| there until a competent chief eXecu-
| tive of Hawaii should have been in
| stalled in authority to take upon him
| self the civil power and to execute the
necessary authority to provide for the
protection of all the rights of citizens
of the United States then in Honolulu,
whether such rights were secured by
treaty or were due to them under the
laws of Hawaii. 1t was the further
right of the officers representing the
United States in Hawaii to remain
there with the troops until all the |
conditions were present to give full |
assurance of security to the rights |
of all the citizens of the United States |
then in Honolulu.
Before the landing of the troops a |
committee of safety had been organ !
lied that sent a request to the COM |
mander of the Boston that troops |
should be landed for the purpose of |
preserving the public peace To this |
request no response was made, and |
later in the day the commander of the |
Boston was informed that the COM |
mittee of safety had withdrawn its re- |
quest and then desired that no troops |
should be landed. But, disregarding |
all the action of the committee of |
safety and acting only upon his sense |
of duty to the people of the United |
States who were in Honolulu, Capt. !
Wiltse came to the conclusion that |
the troops should be landed, and he |
put them in state of preparation for |
that purpose by lowering the boats, |
filling the cartridge belts of the men,
and supplying them with proper ac- |
couterments for stay on shore. After |
these preparations had been completed |
Minister Stevens went on board the |
ship ION Mondayl, and had an inter
view with Capt. Wiltse. The evidence |
shows that this interview related alone |
to the question of the preservation of |
law and order in Hawaii and the pro-
lection Of Americans in their treaty |
rights. 1t seems that neither Min |
lister Stevens nor Capt. Wiltse then |
fully comprehended the fact that the |
United States had the right, of it's own
authority, to send the troops on shore |
for the purpose of supplying to Ameri-
can citizens resident there the pro-
lection of law, which had been with
drawn or annulled, because of the fact |
that there was then an interregnum in
the executive department of the Gov
eminent of Hawaii. The rights of the
United States at that moment were
greater than they were supposed to be
by Minister Stevens or Capt. Wiltse,
and they were not the result of treaty |
rights or obligations, but of that I'M
failing right to give protection to citi-
Zens of the United States IN any coun-
try where they may De found when
the local authorities have, through
their own mismanagement or contri-
vance, rendered nugatory the power
of the government to perform it's
proper duties in the protection of their
lives, property, and peace.
A further statement of ascertained
facts may be necessary in order to
bring out more clearly the situation in
Hawaii on Saturday, the 18th day of
January, and to render more cOnspicu-
Gus the justification of the United
States in entering with its troops upon
the soil of Hawaii for the protection
of all the rights of it's citizens.
On Saturday afternoon and Sunday
earnest and decisive steps were being
taken by the people OF Honolulu who
were most prominent in social infiu-
ence and in commerce and the profess
sions to arm the people who resented
the disloyalty ofthe Queen to the con-
stitution and to install new eXecu-
1--WE HSdC Oh Tile OONeTnInenG. his
movement had resulted in the organi-
ZatiOn of a committee of safety, that
proposed programme for the
purpose of inaugurating Il Pro-
visional Government. This was an
open, public movement, which
the Queen took no steps to suppress.
No arrests were made, and even the
apprehension of arrests seems to have
been almost entirely absent from the
minds of the people engaged in this
movement. An effort was made to
divert those people from their purpose,
on Monday morning, by the Queen
and her ministers, who caused the fol-
lowing notice to be posted on the
streets of HonOlulu: