The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-02-18
HAWAIIAN GAZETTE: TUESDAY FEBRUARY 49, sss-sEmwEEKnY

Il decline to answer that question. u
l asked what II any instruction had
been given to Mr.. Willis.
4 He replied: ~ cannot answer
YOU"
| then asked for a copy OF the
Blount report After some hesitation
he, said he had no more cOpies, but
that more would be printed and he
would send me one He did not do
so, and | bad to send twice TO the
state department before q copy was
secured.
Embarrassing Conditions.
The publication of the Blount re :
port and Secretary Gresham's letter
placed me in an embarrassing posi-
ton. On the one hand I was the dip
lomatic representative of Hawaii aud
by conventional rules was not author.
lied to discuss questions affecting the
two countries, except with Mr..
Gresham. On the other hand, Mr..
Gresham was publishing broadca-
false and defamatory matter concern
Ing myself and those whom repr..-
sented; administration papers aud
members Of congress We're taking tn e
charges up and reiterasiug them
public opinion was forming. 1 could
not hear from home, nor obtain d..
mails nor explanations from there for
weeks. Most of the matters treate u
OF by Mr.. Blount and Mr. Gresha %
were peculiarly within my person al
knowledge. This they knew, but had
persistently refused to give me hear
ing.
L was being held subject 20 all of
the obligations, while accorded noue
OF the rights or privileges of dipIo
matte position.
With regret, 1 was forced by the
necessities OF the situation and the
tactics OF the administration to meet
them on the field of their own cho0--
ing, and published reply over my
signature to the charges contained in
the Blount report and the Gresham
letter. No notice was then taken of
the matter by Mr.. Cleveland, but, to
use an American expression, the ad-
mini-tration chad no use" Tor me
from that time on. At the same time
| addressed an official protest to Mr.
Gresham against the suggested re-
stOration of the queen. No acknowl
edgment of or ans Her thereto was ever
made.
IntriSues of Minister Willis.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Willis, in Honolu-
lu, was persisteniy pursuing the
policy of the Administration, making
public speeches foreshadowing action
on his part, while repeatedly refusing
to inform the Government of his
instructions or Intentions; secretly
Intriguing with the queen for her res.
toratloU; menaclng the Government
by d display of force on the American
war vessels, and by demands upon
President Dole, in the name of Pre-i-
dent Cleveland, to deliver up the
Government TO LiliuokaIani.
Mr.. CleveIand's message to Congress
upon the restoration proposition re
Iterated and intensified the abuse of
all couEected with the overthrow at
the monarchy, and from that time on
this has been the keynote of the Ha
waiian policy of the Administration
and its supporters, both in press and
in Congress-; while, with occasional
lapses, the attitude of Mr.. Gresham
was one of studied insOlence and in
suit toward myself and the Govern,
ment which l represented, although
at all times, even during the dark
days of the attempted restoration, the
Dole Government was the only one
officially recognized at Washington.
and l was its representative, with full
official recog nitiou.
A few Incidents will suffice to illus
trate the courteous methods of those
who have since developed into stick
lers for diplomatic etiquette.
Having temporarily returned to
Hawaii during December, 1898, Mr..
Hastings represented the legation as
Charge d'Affairs, and was officially
recognized as such. Upon the occa-
sion OF the dinner to the diplomatic
corps, the list of those to be invited
was, as usual, forwarded from the
State Department to the White
House, with Mr.. Hastings name
included. 1t came back with mark
drawn through it, placed there, W..
are reliably Informed, by Mr.. Cleve-
land himself. Mr.. Hastings was not
invited to the dinner, although the
Changes dAffairs of other countries
were.
Gresham's Astonishing Words.
On January 25, 1894, made state
ment 70 Mr.. Gresham concerning the
friction that existed in Hawaii by
reason Of the continued demand by
Japan that the franchise be granted to
Japanese.
He said: "Wbat do you mean by
to me with complaints about
Japan? Do you expect US to protect
you from Japan? / should think that
the last country in the world you
would appeal to for assistance would
be the United States. 1t is most ex-
that you should make this
statement to me. What do you want
me to do?" etc.
replied that 1 had not applied for
nor did want him to do,
that the United States had
for years followed q certain line of
policy concerning Hawaii's relations
with other foreign powers that / was
simply stating fact, and that it was
for him to say whether rr not
i was of interest to or concerned
Am. rican policy or interests. He re-
terated his former statements in diff
erent forms several times, and wound
Up by branching off from the subject
aud demanded what Presi-
lent Dole meant by sending an lin