The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-08-12


Smith thus writes of it. Following
! is recital of the events of the Revo-
luton and the sending of commits
sioners to negotiate treaty of an
neXatiop with the United States. He
says:
meanwhile events were taking
new turn in Honolulu. AS soon as the
Royalists had caught their breath
they began to agitate. Their press
was free and it lost no chance to dis
credit the Government and incite the
fears and passions of the natives, the
low whites, the half whites and the
Japanese in their turn. The British
Minister Resident, a Tory whose
hatred of things American was not
ways concealed by diplomatic caution,
condemned the revolution and declar-
ed it to be the duty of the United
States to restore the Queen. \ num-
Der of his family limited to the inn
pressible natives that England would
Interfere and sneered in public
places at a government of nobodies.'
The Minister sent for a war ship and
the rumor got about that when it
came it's captain would raise and
salute the royal Hawaiian ensign and
land marines. To add to the public
uneasiness rumors also spread that
Japan would take hostile action, and,
although the Mikado's Consul General
was impressive and reticent, it was
known that he had sent a cable mes
sage to San Francisco by the last
through steamer, to be transmitted
thence to Japan, calling for the as
signment to Hawaiian waters of a
powerful cruiser. Credulous beyond
the manner of any but an undevelop-
ed race of people, the natives believed
all that was told them by the Royalist
malcontents and began to gather at
Honolulu from the country and from
other islands to witness, as they said,
the downfall of the missionaries. The
time, while it may not have been so
critical as it seemed, wore an ominous
look, and so, to restore a feeling of
security, the Provisional Government
asked the American Minister to de-
clare protectorate and put the
islands under the Stars and Stripes
pending the result of the negotiations
at Washington.
This was promptly done. On the
morning of February !, 1898, Minister
DttNtilS lSSutti tIllS
To the Hawaiian People: At the
request of the Provisional Govern
ment of the Hawaiian Islands, | here
! by, in the name of the United States
of America assume protection of the
Hawaiian Islands for the protection
of life and property and occupation
of public buildings and Hawaiian
soil, so far as may be necessary for
a the purpose specified, but not inter.
: fering with the administration of pub
lie affairs by the Provisional Govern
D ment.
This action is taken pending anC
). subject to negotiations at Washing
ton.
JOHN L. STEVENS.
: :" Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
: Plenipotentiary of the United
United States Legation, February
/, 1898.
Approved and executed by G. c
Wiltse, Captain U. S. n, com
handing the United States shiT
Boston.
THAT morning Captain Wiltse haC
gone to the government building tC
= raise the flag and have Mr.. Stevens
Cured at 0 o'clock and was brief. TIL,
Boston's battalion and three compa
MES of the provisional infantry were
present, and as the American color'
went up, a moment after the verba
declaration of a protectorate had beer
!. made, the troops saluted and the guns
a of the Boston, roaring in the harbor
carried the news to the uttermost con
fines of Oahu. People slept soundlN
k in Honolulu that night and the minut,
men, who had been keeping tiresom,
l. vigil at the barracks. were relieved
from duty. Uncle Sam was on guarC
: and he would keep the peace"
The flag remained up as the en-
i sign of the protectorate thus estab
; lished, just two months to a day. w
ID. Alexander, in his History of Late
e Years of the Hawaiian Monarchy ant
g the Revolution of 1898" thus de
scribes the hauling down of the flag
On the afternoon of March 81 Nh
|, Blount notified President Dole tina
he would order the ensign of the Unit
ed States to be hauled down and SEM
Z the American troops on board of thei
respective vessels. At President Dole
n request he postponed action until tn
a next morning. The following per
: emptory order was then addressed t.
Rear Admiral Skerrett:
''Sir:-You are directed to hau
down the United States ensign from
the Government building and to EN-
: bark the troops now on shore to tn
ships to which they belong. This vii
be executed at II o'clock on the Is
day of April.
81 am, Sir, your obedient servant.
JAS. H. BLOUNT,
Especial Commissioner of the Unite
States"
AS the hour of IL approached
company of regular troops under Car
tain John Good, and a company of vo
unteers, together with a detachmeI
N of artillery, marched over from tn
barracks, and were drawn up in fror
of the Government building. At tn
re same time a large concourse, both {
no tIn,.