Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-18


was, Of course, to arrest that annexation
movement, which it accomplished. But
among the political prisoners the most SAN
sune hopes were the were
ity was certainly near its end. At the same
time rumors arose of an intended uprising
among royalists upon the island or Maui
Very little Importance was attached to all
this talk, although in the past royalists
have been found to be possessed Of genuine
Information from Washington.
Exilcd Trouble Makers.
A good deal has been heard by way of
Canada of intentions to call this govern
ment to account for its late dealings with
insurgents and conspirators, especially
with persons sent into exile. The notorious
c. w. Ashford has been particularly noisy.
and seems to have got the ear of some
Canadian papers. He writes with such ex-
travagance Of tone and disregard of con-
spicuous facts that he can scarcely i'm
pose upon any sensible class of the public.
He long since proved himself a reckless
and INSCRIPTIONS adventurer and lost all
public confidence here. His impudent be-
trayal Of his colleagues in the reform cabi-
net of 1889 left him hopelessly destitute
of trust from any one. At the revolution
of 1893 he tried hard to hitch on to the
provisional government. They would have
none of him. and he became IN active
royalist I saw him swing his hat and
Justify hurrah when Stevens raised the
American flag here. Three months later he
was busily contributing testimony to es-
tablish Col. Blounts contention that the
revolution was the result of Stevens con-
sptracy. There is no doubt whatever of
his having been thoroughly in coaplicity
with the late insurgents; The government
showed the greatest moderation in permit
ting him and others to accept exile instead
of trial and convict ton.
So far no troublesome protest has been
| offered against any of the recent proceed
citizens If ion ho
were implicated in the late inSurrection.
In the case of John T. Bowler, who is serv-
ing five years term at hard labor, Mr..
Gresham has declined to interfere, on the
ground that he lost his American citi-
zenship by taking an unqualified oath of
| allegiance to Kalakaua. Bowler is much
disappointed. His hopes were built upon
the alleged illegality of his trial by mill
tsry commission for an offense less than
mat OF treason, question which Mr..
Gresham did not feel called to consider.
Richard, Walker and Gulick were convict
ed of treason and could not allege the
same ground for interference as Bowler.
A British Protest.
There is another case in which H. B. M.
Commissioner Halves presented some COM
plant as early as in February, and which
still remains unsettled 1t Is that of a
Jemaica negro named Dunwel a hack
| driver, who was arrested during martial
law 1t was found that he could give i'm
portant testimony about the movements
of v. v. Ashford. On his refusing to do
so the prosecuting officer caused pressure
to be put upon him by confinement, not in
| dungeon. but in an ordinary cell, dark
ened, for twenty-four hours. He then ad-
mitted the facts, but other witnesses had
supplied the needed testimony. Halves
thought that those who SO treated Dunwell
probably ought to be punished for assault.
The government gave him full particulars
OF the ,e, case Meantime the Anglican bish-
| OPP, Willis, filled up two-thirds of his little
| quarterly Diocesan Magazine with a de-
nunciation CT the inhumanity of the gov
| eminent In putting man into a dark cell
| for whole day, illustrated by a chapter
OF sensational horror on that subject from
Charles Reade, showing that such confine-
ment would drive any ordinary man in
sane. Bishop Willis had, however, not
wcrd of reprobation for the conspira tors
| who had attempted to fill Honolulu with
slaughter on the It'll of January
This case of DunwelPs is the only one in
which any charge of improper severity has
been made here on the spot If Bishop
Willis had known Of any other case he
would undoubtedly have commented on it.
| 1t is indeed remarkable that with all the
violence of feeling awakened by the events
of January Z, such degree of orderly con-
duct prevailed. The Posts correspondent
Palmer. alleges that an attempt to lynch
some prisoners was frustrated This IS
news to everybody in Honolulu.
Every letter of Palmer's that has come
back here abounds in Interesting items
about us which have never before seen the
light here. He evidently has found sources
of information not accessible to the ordin-
airy correspondent. We have had a number
OF active and experienced gatherers of
news, eager for interesting items busily al
work here the past four months, and they
have reported many things true and un-
true-but Cspt. Palmer has come here and
distanced them all. He has evidently fall
| most productive invention who stuffs his
receptive mind with appalling facts. Pal
mer's main background upon which he
depicts his damning facts, is his great dis
covery that the affair of January was not
really an insurrection or war at all. 1t
was only an accidental riot, provoked by
the unjustifiable attempt of the police to
prevent the innocent and laudable endeayor
OF the royalists to supply themselves with
arms, of which this uSurping government
had cruelty deprived them. This little riot
the government seized upon as a pretext
for proclaming martial law, with all its
train of outrages upon the liberties and
rights of honorable and worthy citizens
and residents. Palmer has publicly stated
very worst that could be said of us all
which commission he has faithfully full
| filed without making troublesome dis
elimination as to the genuineness of the
facts discovered.
Perhaps this little country of Hawaii is
not worth so much trouble to the American
people. Yet, as we have somehow occupied
so much OF your attention for two years
past, and such very conflicting statements
about us continue to be published, is it not
time that this system was given up of
sending out here the ordinary newspaper
correspondent to tell all about u.s. with a
private hint to lean hard on one side?
Would it not be worth while to send out a
commission of responsible gentlemen, known
and trusted by the whole public, to INQUIRE
and report and settle the question whether
this government is honorably conducted
or not, and whether it represents the high
est and best interests of these islands?
Col Blount came here and investigated but
his inquiry was wholly an ex parte one. and
secretly conducted. Are we not really enti-
tied to an open, thorough investigation by
an impartial and competent commission?
Newspaper Changes.
Some important changes are taking place
in Honolulu journalism, in the reorganiza-
ton Of papers in opposition to the govern
ment. The Bulletin" an evening opposi-
ton paper, has long been financially en-
barrassed, while the "Holomua" had be-
come suspended by the imprisonment dur
ing martial law, of it's editor, Norrie, whose
utterances had been markedly seditious
A new morning opposition paper is now
being issued from the old "Hoomua" plant,
named the Independent" under the editor
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