The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-02-14

COubdlu bWO VI buO SlCdb NViShhOpo VI
the world, Kilauea and Mauna Loa
They lie in the track of the great lines
of communication between Asia and
America. The people were pagan
savages when, in 1920, their condition
enlisted the efforts of American mis-
sionary enterprise and they readily &C
cepted Christianity. The savage chief
known to fame as Kamehameha l., who
died in 1919, had brought all the islands
under his dominion. The population
at that time was estimated at 100000.
The third of the royal line of the Kane
hamehas, during the years between
1889 and 1912, under the influence of
the missionaries, gave his people con-
stitution modelled, very naturally, on
the American plan, and providing for
general suffrage and legislature of
two branches. In 1864, Kamehameha
V. abrogated this constitution and pro-
mu gated new one, restricting suffrage
and eligibility to the legislature, and
centralizing the government in the
hands of the king. Retrogression,
morally and politically, thenceforward
marked the course of events in Hawaii.
With the death of Kamehameha ", in
1872, the dynasty became extinct. Will
liam Lunalilo was elected king, and, on
his death in 1874, David Kalakaua sue
ceeded to the throne by election,
triumphng after period of strife over
the partisans of Queen Emma, the rep
preventative of British interests A riot
sprang up among the natives during
the progress of the election, whereupon
| the American marines came ashore on
the request of the United States minis
ter, order was restored, the election
concluded, and the new king was inaug-
urated under the guard and supervision
OF the American military power. The
government of Kalakaua became corrupt
and inefficient beyond precedent. The
king had taken the backward track to
barbarism, and in his life and rule were
mingled the beastly rites of the old pa
gan days and the vices and profligacies
acquired from contact with foreigners.
For his missionary advisers he substi-
tuted cabinet chosen from among cor
rupt natives. The opium bill was in
troduced, and the king took bride of
ST. 900 from Chinaman in considera-
ton of an exclusive license to be issued
to him, and received $4,000 for the
same thing from another. The scandals
of his reign produced a revolution in
1887. The foreign element rebelled
and forced the king to grant a new con-
stitution, and to substitute in his cab
met good men for the corrupt ministers
he had called around him. Among the
new members of his cabinet was Mr..
Thurston, now the minister at Wash
ington OF the provisional government.
The new constitution was formulated
by convention of citizens. 1t guar
anteed freedom of speech; provided for
a legislature of two branches; voters for
the upper house to have property
qualification of SO 900 or an income of
5000; to have been residents for three
years, and to be able to read Hawaiian
or some European language; for the
lower house electors were to be able to
read Hawaiian, but no property qualif.
cation was required. But this was re-
forming only the outside of the platter.
The king continued on his maynard and
willful course, and in 1889 there was
another revolution. There was fighting
and bloodshed in the streets of Homo
lulu, and, to preserve order, the Amer
lean marines were again landed under
instructions from President Cleveland
and Secretary Bayard. Kalakaua's dis
solute and troubled reign ended in 1890,
and his sister, Mrs. Dominis, by his
election, succeeded him under the title
of Lilioukalani.
From the time of the enforced grant
ing of the new constitution in 1887 till
the day of his death, the king had been
FESTIVE under the restrictions imposed
upon his authority. There were plots
and counterplots in which Mrs. Dominis
was concerned to depose her brother,
but in all of which the main purpose
was to get rid of the constitution of 1887
and deprive the people of American or
European birth of the civil rights con-
ferred by that instrument So Mrs.
Dominis, when she became Queen Lii
oukalani, was ripe for sedition and
conspiracy. She had taken an oath to
support the constitution of 1887, but
Immediately began to conspire to do
what she attempted in January, 1893.
She had procured, by scandalous means,
the passage of the opium-license statute,
from which she was to realize 5000, 900,
and the Louisiana lottery franchise,
..l