Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-23

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could not be true, because the latter were
massed behind two large buildings inter-
posing between them and the government
building. and in case of q battle, might
reasonably be expected to retire to dis
tance< go ...'.''.
That the pressure Of the naval forces
contained any menace to the queens forces
was wholly afterthought adopted as a
convenient plea for non-action. / am GER
tain that no one believed such q thing be-
fore actual conflict became imminent. All
were well used to seeing naval forces land
ed in times of disorder, and read in 1t
no threat to either party, but only that
lawless destruction of property or OF lives
of non-comhatants would be prevented.
When the provisional government had been
proclaimed with abolition of the monarchy,
and the new government was In possession
of the public offices, archives and treasury,
and attack to recover these must be made
at once if at all, the queens people had
to hunt for decent reason for Sinking
the conflict they felt unable to engage IN
with the determined and warlike whites:
They found it in the pretense that they
feared such attack would bring them INTO
collision with the United States forces,
who were really doing nothing to justify
such pretense.
Natives Without Courage.
No one familiar with public affairs IN
Honolulu could think it probable that the
resolute white men. The queens four min
listers never thought SO. They were palsied
with fear from the moment that she under
took to proclaim new constitution, which
they we'll knew would precipitate the wrath
of the whites In their terror they hurried
to give the alarm to the whites in hope o.
deterring her by the commotion made Her
own personal favorite and trusted marshal,
Wilson, "a resolute man. warned her of the
30.
$50 rifles of the provisional government
were amply sufficient to meet any native
force that could be rallied against them.
1t would have been absolutely Impossible
to induce the natives to expose themselves
to the sure and sharp fire of those rifles,
and the queens officers web knew 1t. Th@
good reason was that twice before, in 1897
and 1889, the native forces had igne-
mniously given way before those same
armed whites. On the second occasion,
when the natives were holding the palace
yard, behind six-foot stone walls. a num-
Der of them were killed by sharpshooters,
and all surrendered They had been taught
to feel the prowess of the whites irresist-
IDLE. and their officers knew it, The con-
hdence and courage with which the whites
were acting We're born of those previous
conflicts which had been an effective edu-
cation to both parties. To attribute the
courage of one party and the fear of the
other to the very quiet and undemonstra-
tive presence of the naval forces is the
grossest of errors. whatever Mr.. Blount
may profess to have discovered.
In farther confirmation Of the unfoundel
nature of this pretense, adduce the testi-
mony given at the time. by the Evening
Bulletin, an unusually accurate chronicler
of events. which was the CHIEF organ of the
queen s party. On the evening of the proc
iamation of the new government. the Bull
letin made only the Driefest alIusion to The
presence of the naval forces as if a fact of
no moment; and said that they were entire
ly quiet. Not for more than a week did in
tlmations begin TO appear in the paper that
those forces had some agency In the result
the ex-queen having thentpcdtied 20, prose-
cute an appeal to the President upon that
pretense. That she thought OF really max
ing such appeal occurred to none of the
pubic at the time of her surrender sirnnly
because the United States forces notorious
ly had nothing to do with that event Tho
intlmatfon of such intention made in her
Ie,ter or surrender was looked upon by Mr.
Dole and everybody else as being merely n
form of speech adopted in order to mitigate.
the shame of SO speedy surrender The
1act was too notorious that the United
states forces had no connection whatever
with the affair. Her transparent pretens
proved, however, to have been a measure
very successful with Mr.. Cleveland.
Mr. stevens Character,
Mr.. Stevens was an earnest and ont
spoken man, strongly American in senti-
ment, and loving liberal government. The
mad deeply disguised him. The hopelessly
arpltrary ieaninss Of Liliuokalani had Of
lehded and alarmed him. Her covert sup
port OF the lottery bill for several months
had awakened his hostility, and her final
open adoption of 1t completed his conyic-
tlon OF the near end of the monarchy I'm
"hich event he saw that the time would
arrive TO fulfill the long manifest destiny of
me isiahds TO belong to the United States
All liltSe tHlllSS the minister diligently nd
duti1uily reported to his supcriors at Wash
Llstoh ana those secret reports were af-
forwards published and used against hin,
as a. evidence OF his completely in the de-
thronement of the queen, of which he had
peen merely much-interested observer
knew Mr.. Stevens well as an honest and
upright man. In early life he had been a
ChiFersailst preacher and continued to be
an earnest Christian, with much of the old
1aShlored Puritan in his tone | am NOR
ally certain that he had no secret or covert
poilcy He was outspoken in his disappro-
pation or royal despotism and corruption,
ana TOOK no pains to make himself popular
win the royal party. He was in strong
sympathy with our large and flourishjug
American colony, and did not hesitate to
MAKE that sympathy understood and felt.
compelled to take up arms in behalf of
clFlilzed and constitutional government
against barbaric despotism and caprice, we
knew that the American minister's heart
was entlrely with US, as it ought to be.
But at the same time we. expected no di-
rect assistance from him, nor did he ever
IN any way encourage such expectation.
Our people knew that they had to work out
their own salvation by their own efforts
and resolve; and that they achieved them
selves without aid. 1t is equally dispar-
asement of their purpose and courage and
of Mr.. Stevens honesty, to make him the
author OF our Well-conducted revolution.
KAMEHAMEHA.