Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-21
Interest Manifested as to Where
They Got Their Arms.
CLAUS SPRECKLES MONEY SUSPECTED
Why the Administration Made a
Change Of Front.
ALLEGED 4 SIS U r A N G E S

There is much interest manifested by
Congressm as to the source from which
the Hawaiian royalists obtained the arms
which were found In the possession or
the native mob which sought to create
a revolution. The reports have stated that
600 stand of modern arms and a field piece
were landed on the island by vessel
which brought them from British Column
bia. Robert Wilcox and his riff-raf native
crowd had no money to purchase 500 stand
of arms and bring them from British CO.
lumbia- The report is current that these
arms were purchased in Vancouver by
Theophilus Davies. the guardian Of the
Princess Kaiulani. who Is called by the
Ioyalists the heir to the Hawaiian throne
But, while Mr. Davies is a man of con-
siderable means, he is not wealthy, and is
is not likely. on his own account. to have
made these purchases. He was quite lib
eral in spending money on behalf of his
ward when he had the treasury Of the de-
posed queen to draw upon. And his drafts
were honored for his long journeys to Eu-
rope with the princess, as the queen was
able to constantly replenish her treasury
by levfes upon the lottery and opium rings
and by other assessments which partook
of the nature cf blackmail. Moreover.
Claus Spreckles, who practically owned the
posed queen. generally kept the private
purse of her dusky majesty well filled.
Claus SEreckles and Cleveland.
The fact has occurred to many in con-
sidering the problem as to the source OF
money supply for the rcyalists, that the
son OF Claus Sprec!kles is reported to be
engaged to this Princess Kaiulani. The in
terests of Claus Spreckies have been with
the royalist party, and he has done his best
to restore the queen and to discourage the
republic. The story now Is that 1t IS the
morey of Claus Spreckles which has been
expended to provide the royahSt reyolu-
tionists with arms. If Spreckles owned the
monarchy under the queen. much more
might he hope to own 1t with Princess
kaiulani on the throne. and the wife of his
son. Moreover. it is stated with confidence
matter of reasonable belief, il not of
positive proof, that the Hawaiian policy of
the administration is the plan OF Claus
Spreckles. that ii was adopted Dy MIR.
Cleveland while he was yet President-elcct,
and before Walter .. Gresham had been
called to his cabinet, and that this Ha-
waiian intrigue is the result OF some sigan-
tic campaign operations, in which Claus
Spreckles and some of the campaign man
ayers were chief agents. Some of the
friends of Secretary Gresham would be
glad to believe this. This story is the gOS-
sip of the republican cloak rooms. and ref
erences to 1t are very likely to be made
In the forthcoming debates.
Sudden Change of Front.
The administration furnishes no expla-
nation of the reasons why the President
changed his opinion In three hours time
Saturday in the matter of sending war
vessel to Honolulu. Special efforts appear
to have been made by the supporters of the
President to make it appear that the indig-
nant feeling in Congress had nothing to
do with this change of purpose. One Curl
Gus fact remains unexplained, that on
Saturday. January 10. at 1 pm, the Pres
ident and Secretary Gresham. after con-
tinuouS consultation since 10 O'Clock in the
morning of tina. day. decided not to send
a naval vessel to Honolulu, and that at
2:30 o'clock of the same day the order
was given to send war vessel to Honolulu
with the utmost possible dispatch 1t is
a matter of common knowledge, more
over, that the indignation in Congress was
increasing every hour. and that nothing
was more certain than that the democratic
leaders would not be able to prevent the
two houses from taking some definite ac-
ton in the matter on Monday. 1t was dis
covered that the royalist party in the Sen
ate very small
1t is intimated that one of the reasons
why the President so suddenly changed his
mind and determined to send a war ship to
Hcnolulu is that he was informed by his
supporters in the Senate that it would be
impossible for the administration to hope
to prevent the aggressive action which the
Senate would undoubtedly take in this mat
ter by Monday. and that the severity of the
attack might possibly be Modified If ship
should be cent at once.
Alleged Assurances to ROyalists.
There seems no reason to doubt the fact
that the royalist conspirators who under
took to overthrow the republic on January
were assured by British authorities that
the British consul would recognize the
revolution IL the conspirators could seize
and hold the government house for three
hours And II is believed here by residents
of Hawaii that the royafists We're given to
understand that the sympathies and sup
pert of the United States government would
be given to them. aud that President Cieve-
land would promptly recognize the queen
should she again get possession of the
throne. and that il was because of this con-
viction on the part of the royalists that the
uprising attempted.