The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-12-18
LOOKING BACKWARD.

arms against tne united states pON
eminent. 1t was one of the most re
> markable and impressive spectacle
the varied history of Hawaii eve
gave; and its results were far-reach
, ing in the development of constitu
tional authority here.
, UP to the actual demand of Minis
ter willis for the restoration of tn,
Queen no one on the American sid,
of the question believed such a thint
possible. Opposition to kingshp wat
the cornerstone of American liberties
Whenever there had been an uprising
in Europe against the throne and
scepter American sympathy, official as
well as private. had gone out to It
Our people had sympathized with the
! French revolution; they had done
something for Greece against Turkey:
they were hand-in-g glove with Kossuth
against Austria: they had welcomed
three Republican experiments in France
and one in Spain; yet here was the
United States government condemning
an American colony, owning the great
er part of Hawaii, for overthrowing a
Queen who had abolished the Consti-
tuition and put herself in its place;
not only lHt ColOly
threatening to rebuild the throne. AS
constituent came upon Honolulu like
fog. What was the United States
thinking Of? Would 1t attempt to en-
force its Minister'S demand? If it did
not intend to do so why did 1t make a
demand at all? Surely a great power
| would not run a bluff" Yet here
were the cold facts Acting upon or
| ders from Washington, brought by
revenue cutter, Minister Willis had
called upon the new American order to
make way for the old Royalist order.
There were two United States war
ships in the harbor, the Philadelphia
and Adams, commanded by Rear Ad-
miral Irwin. One of the first acts of
the Hawaiia- government, after trans
hitting ~ Minister Willis it's official
refusal to abdicate, was to suspend
permission for the United States naval
forces to come ashore without passes.
A violation of this order would, of
course, have to be construed as an act
=, way. sha Citizens Guard was suns
moned, the palace fortified with sand
bags and artillery, guards with tele-
scopes were put on the tower of the
palace to watch the warships, the Roy
alists were under surveillance by spe-
cial police and in that state of prepa-
ration and anxiety Honolulu waited
for the news which should follow the
arrival at San Francisco of the reve-
nue. cutter which carried to the near
est telegraph station the defiance of
the Provisional government
Things were ready on the Warshps
also. Shore cannon, with wheels and
caissons, were piled on deck and small
arms stacked there; the men We're in
service dress; the boats We're ready for
instant launching. Long afterwards 1t
was known that, If forces had been
ordered to land they would have gone
by night to Waikiki and entered the
town by that route.
OF course the Provisional govern
ment was not expecting to fight the
United States" but 1t felt able to
stand off all the men the ships could
land until word could be sent to the
mainland that President Cleveland was
making war without the authority of
Congress. The possibility of such an
act had already been written in a
letter addressed to high officials and
concealed in guava Jelly which had
been sent on board the departing
revenue cutter. No fear was ex-
pressed that the ships would lombard
the town; there was too much foreign
property exposed. If fighting came
it would be street-fighting. The Roy
alists had been generally disarmed;
hn hot ha hot
visionals and 500 seamen from the two
ships, most Of the latter being in full
sympathy with the American cause.
1t was a queer situation, unparalleled
in our own or perhaps in American
history. The Japanese consul-general
offered hospitality to the wives and
children of Americans who might
have to fight other Americans in de-
Tense of basic American principles.
Grand Army men, old and infirm, call
ed on President Dole asking permission
to stand where they could shoot at
the American flag and the blue uni
form in the cause of Hawaii's ulti
mate annexation to the United States
Officers from the fleet came ashore on
passes and secretly gave the Executive
or the militia pointers of value if
fight came off. One officer said: You
needn't be afraid of killing Americans
in my battalion. All but four of my
men are foreigners" For Gods sake,
stand your ground!" advised one naval
man. FOR If YOU do we will not go to
extremes" Some said that Admiral
Irwin would refuse to fire on his
fellow-countrymen, but later the Adj
miral told his brother, Minister Irwin,
that he should have obeyed orders.
There was little sleep in Honolulu
until, after many days, the news came
that Congress had taken the Hawaiian
matter from the hands of Cleveland
and that, for all time, our cause was
safe from American Interference. Con-
gress might not annex, but 1t would
not destroy. What had been done here
would stand as long as we ourselves
should stand. And so, on the day
when that news came, the Stars and
stripes We're raised for an all night
Vigil on hundred nagstafrs and Hoo
nolulu, going TO bed at eight o'clock,
slept profoundly until returning light
showed sky almost blazing with the
national colors-the harbingers OF a
new era.