The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-11

Washington, Feb. 10.-L. A. Thurs
ton, the Hawaiian minister, being ask
concerning the alleged sentencing of |
death of some OF the leaders in the !
late Hawaiian instruction and
whether, in his opinion, such sentences, !
if given, would be carried out, made |
the following statement:
I have received no direct conlmu-
nication concerning the sentences, nor
do I know precisely what action Will
be taken; but from my intimate ac-
quaintance with all the Hawaiian au-i
thoritieS and their characteristics and
methods, I can state positively all
trials will be open and fair; that the
accused will be allowed the assistance
of counsel of their choosing who Will
be allowed the fullest right of cross
examination and of defense: thatl
there will be no convictions which are
not based upon the clearest evidence.
Has Been Too Lenient.
IF there is any particular policy in
which the Hawaiian government has
erred in the past two years it has been
in having been too lenient in dealing
with those who have continuously
schemed to overthrow it; frs by STRAIT
egic diplomacy and then by force.
From its inception. the government
has exhibited a leniency towards its
enemies that is unparalleled in his
tory This extreme leuiency has been
a feature of the administration OF Dole
which has caused criticism from many
of his strongest supporters.
Il will state few facts in substan-
tiation of what I say:
The penalty for treason from the
foundation to the overthrow of the
monarchy was death and contiscatton
of all property. On the Goth of Janu-
airy, 1898, three days after its creation,
the provisional government passed an
act providing an alternative penalty
for treason Of fine and imprisonment,
and otherwise mitigating the harsh
ness of the former law
''WaS there ever before known
government, scarce seated in power, in
the midst of enemies, involved in all
the multitudinous plans attendant
upon a reconstruction of the entire
system Of government. devoting its
first moments to mitigating the penal
ties which might be visited upon its
enemies if they undertook to over
throw it?
Lii Well Treated.
Again although the revolution of
1894 was caused by the attempt of the
queen to abrogate the constitution
and disfranchise nearly every person
connected with the new government,
: she has since been treated with the
: utmost consideration by that govern
} ment. She has been allowed to occupy
her comfortable residence in Homo
lulu. within a block of the executive
+ building, in peace and without moles-
L -, .1-T--
| publicly and privately, plotted for the
: overthrow of the government and
: finally made an arsenal in which were
I discovered forty rifles. two dynamite
= bombs, pistols, swords and ammuni-
} ton in quantities.
again, although Liliuokalani has
made no claim for compensation, the
annexation commission, in the interest
of harmony, and to avoid even the ap-
lpearance of harshness, secured the in
il sertion in the proposed annexation
treaty OF a clause giving her an an
. nual pension of $4,000, and until she
! began to openly work for the over
:. throw of the government, the salary
! which she had received as queen con-
; tinued to be paid to her by the Provis-
y ional government, and until Princess
Kaiaulani came to Washington to work
: for restoration she also continued tC
e 1.-The ex-Queen has twice applied to
q the government for protection against
n supporters of the government, whom
\ she feared might do her harm, one
of the times being when she was in the
act of negotiating with Mr. Willis for
Iher restoration and the overthrow OF
V the Provisional government
t. Anything But Grateful.
d Upon both occasions squad of pc
; lice was detailed to guard her from
- harm for as long a period as she de
sired them.
Her only response to all this treat
i. ment has been the behead1ng propo
sition made to Minister Willis. and {
continuous plotting to overthrow tn,
government, eliminating in las
p" months insurrection.
The royalists have been allowed anC
have repeatedly aYailed themselves O
the privilege to associate unmolesteC
ID in the public square in front of the eX
~ ecutive building at Honolulu, and I'm
restrictedly to pass such resolutions al
y they chose. condemning the govern
ment, protesting against annexation
against the constitution and the repub
lie and declaring in favor Of the restor
e alton of the monarchy.
n .'One of the serious features of tn
y situation in Hawaii is that number O
ID leading insurrectionists are what ma,
N be called professional revolutionists
ir The rank and file are ignorant dupes
Of Wilcox, the military leader in the las
"a instruction, is mentioned as one O
W the leaders. Wilcox's doings on tn
4 island in the past decade, in which h
Sc is put down as a turncoat, ready at an
lie minute to support the side which bes
le suited his purposes, is cited as one O
y such a class. This is a fair sample O
h the material of which the leaders an