The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-04-10


alarmed by threats to deprive them or their
constitutional liberties Tho her salary and
income from crown lands exceeded the sal
ary of the President of the United States by
nearly twenty thousand dollars, she was
| not satisfied. She was adVi ed to be queen
| in splendor as well as name. A crowd OF
| evil designing friends were constantly about
| her advising her to do what they should
have known would be her rum. mere
| were nearly two thousand Americans ana
over one thousand Germans, as well as many
English, atthis time living on the, ISLANDS:
! who did not believe in t % divine rights OF
kings Many of these had, by thrift ana
honest toll, accumulated property amount
ing to millions. With them 1T was Dusl-
ness proposition. Should they, In order 10
maintain tradition born in the dark days
of barbarism, and Graded in ignorance and
superstition, yield up the hard earnings OF
| their lifetimes? 7. .rl.., =,
Among the other schemes to replenish the
depleted treasury of the queen was what IS
known as the lottery The. rig nat OF IL
was a Mr.. Thomas E. Evans, whose wile
was a maid of honor to the queen, and VINO
had held some offices under the kings.
After the Louisiana Lottery had been
driven out of the United States. its hackers
and supporters began block about Tor some
| pIace convenient to America where the gl-
pantlc swindle might be resusitated. The
| Hawaiian Islands were regarded as tne
most convenient place. Mr.. Evans went to
| Chicago where he met the capitalists wiling
| to engage in the enterprise. An arrange
ment was made whereby the Chicago capl,
talists, providing the franchise was granted
were to pay the government the sum OF nVe
hundred thousand dollars per annum for the
term of twenty-five years. At the time tne
| lottery bill was being agitated in the leglS,,
| lature, another bill, fully as odlous 10 al
decency and morals, known as the "opiuii
Bill" was brought up.
/ n1aSa l. ar mi
who inspired confidence in the minds OF the
people, but they did not prove sufficient TO
| check their headStrOng ruler. The leglsia-
ture, like the Long Parliament in Crom-
| wells time, was in session until the more
respectable members were compellea 70
| leave for their homes to attend to their ousl-
ness. They had scarcely left before the
opium and lottery men, taking advantage
Of their absence, hurriediy passed the DIS
known as the "Opium" and Lottery" bills.
The decent and respectable people OF Ha-
wall saw the danger that menaced them:
The missionaries realized that the race just
rescued from heathendOm was about TO be
exposed to all the vices of civilization, and
a land to day filled with churches and
schOol-hOuSeS, about to become the Monte
Carlo of the Western Hemisphere. Anoth-
er class of Americans looked on with alarm
at the condition of affairs-thOse who had
business interests at stake which were In
jeopardy. A party of Christian ladies wait
ed on the queen and petitioned her not TO
h sign the odious bills. 1t is said she wept
with them; they prayed with her ana leLt,
assured she would veto the bills, but she
signed them almost as soon as they were
The alarm spread and increased. Meet
ings were held, and some discussed taking
measures to avert moral and hnanclal rum
The queen prorogued the legislature, oIs-
missed her cabinet, and appointed In It's
place set of ministers obnoxious to most
of the respectable people of the islands.
The excitement was now at its height. This
high-handed trampling on the liberties OF
people, many of whom were born on the
islands, was resented. Committee OF
, Safety was formed, and citizens began tC
> arm themselves.
The queen announced that she was going
f to give her people new constitution The
new constitution was written and signed
but she failed to get the signatures of al
, her cabinet. The document never came tC
. light, but il is known tn t it provided fol
i the disfranchisement of all white men no
: married to native women, and that only the
property of the whites should be liable fol
taxes.
The Committee of Safety organized ant
+ formed in companies. Arms were conceal
ed in hardware store, and, on the morning
: of Jan. II, 1898, Mr.. John Good, now Capt
: Good, Mr.. Benner. and two others, starteC
with them to the arnory of the Committee
of Safety On Fort street they were attack
J ed by the police. Capt, Good fired an(
) wounded one man Mr.. Benner knocked
! another down with the butt of his whip,an6
j thus they escaped. .,
y In the meanwhile Mr.. John l.. Stevens
=, !. United States minister to Hawaii, who wa
, away up to this time, returned to Honolulu
-, after the Committee of Safety had Deen Oh
u ganized He issued the following reques
= Capt. &. C. Wiltse, of the United State
v Cruiser Boston:
q sIR;-ln view of the existing critical circun
~ stances in Honolulu, indicating an inadeqnai
W force, l request you to land marines and sailor
- from the ship under, your command for the PR
Is lection of the United States Legation and Unite
lie States Consulate and to secure American NE an
r. property JOHN T. STEVENS.
,r EnyoV EXTRAORDINARY and Minister PlempOtel
- tiary ct the United States.
ID Capt. Wiltse had already anticipated tn
t request of the minister, and issued the 10
20 HONOLULU, Jan, rs, 1888.
ID Lieut.. Com W. Il. Swinburne, United states n
~ w, Executive officer of United states Cruls
n. STR:~You will take command of the battalio
c. and land in Honolulu for the purpose OF protecuf
s. our legation, consulate and the lives and proper
H. of American citizens, and to assist in preservli
ne order Great prudence must be exercised
"a both officers and men, and no action taken tnat
~ not fully warranted by the condition of affairs al
oe by the conduct ofthose who may be inimlcal
r. the treaty rights OF American citizens. You w
~ inform at the earliest possible moment OF al
ne change in the situation.
ii. Very respectfully,
- q e. WILTsE.
VI Captain Unitg States Navy, Commando
no United States Cruiser Boston.
20 The troops were landed. and during Il
40 day divided into small squads. A mart we
nj placed to guard the United States Legatlo
en- a small squad sent to the Consulate. al
no eight to the home of an American rrslde'
nnSS named HoOper AS the troops had no ten
lie the minister secure quarters for them fro
ne a royalist
nd There has probably been more wholesa
od living. i'm print and out of print, about u
on action of Minister Stevens and Capt witt
." than about any other subject since to da
q of Ananias. The day after the landing
hv the troops. the queens cabinet called
~ Minister Stevens To ask the aid of the Unlt
-ar states marines in sustaining the que
he against the Provisional Government then
I'D course of formation. Minister Stevens al
-rr wered:
40 .sGentlemen these men were landed he
m. for one purpose only, pacific purpose. al
" we cannot take part in any contest ca
In. not use this force for sustaining the queen