The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1908-12-27
CLAUS SPRECkELS,
SUGAR KING, DEAD
fContinued from Page One.l

Continued from Page One.l
kingdom for years 1t was through the
refusaI of the then Attorney General
Hartwell and the Minister of the In
terror MOtt-Smith to grant the Haiku
water rights to Spreckels that their res
ignations were called for and the Viii
der ministry appointed, fact which
illustrates the influence exercised by the
Sugar King over the King of the land,
while the selection of the late s. G.
Wilder at the claimed instance of Mr..
Spreckels is an indication that while he
desired those in power to be his friends
he at the same time used his influence
in the appointing of able men, Mr.. Viii
der being judged by the Hawaiian his
torian as the ablest administrator the
kingdom ever had.
In many ways Mr.. Spreckels was
identified with the political movements
during the reign of Kalakaua. 1t was
he who supplied the bullion for the first
Kalakaua coinage, while at his personal
remonstrance with the King the bin
intending to grant charter to a LOusI-
ana lottery concern was withdrawn af-
ter the second reading in the Legisla-
ture of 1884.
In 1856 the friendship between the
King and Mr.. Spreekels came to an
end, and during the session of the
Legislature in that year there were
two parties struggling for control-the
Spreckels party, led by the Ministry,
and the Kings party, which favored
the floating of milliOn-dOllar loan
on the London market. AT that time
the government was indebted to
Spreckels for 100000. The Ministry
was defeated and the Sugar King left
the Islands in disgust. The debt to
year.
During the period of the Provision
al Government, Mr.. Spreckels worked
consistently in opposition to the an
nexation sentiment and was strongly
opposed to the final consummation of
the negotiations between the Republic
of Hawaii and the United States. His
belief was that for the interests of
the sugar planters the right to regu-
late their own immigration laws and
the right TO contract labor was of
greater Importance than the certainty
of the free market of the United
States. although it seemed at that time
that the reciprocity treaty which had
existed in force since 1876 would be
abrogated by the United States SEN
ate. He endeavOred to secure the
united effort of the planters against
annexation, but in this was not sue
cessful. To embarrass the govern
ment, he issued demand in May,
| 1899. for the immediate repayment of
some $4,000 due the Spreckels Bank
by. the government. This political
move was met by the prompt raising
of the money, the repayment of the
! loan and the political check causing
the Sugar King to again leave Hawaii
| in anger. stating that he would never
return TO the Islands until Queen Lii
| liuokalani was again seated on the
| throne. He had been a warm partisan
| of the deposed ruler, and in that time
iof great political excitement, when
| feeling ran high, it is stated that
| threats against his life had also been
made here.
/ The Deserted Spreckeis Mansion.
In leaving Honolulu as he did, Mr..
| Spreckels demonstrated his own faith
| in the belief that the condition he
named for his return might be some
day met with, by simply closing up his
! beautiful mansion on Punahou street
and refusing to either sell or lease 1T.
| The house has been opened since that
| time, however, once on the occasion OF
| a @isit here of his son, John ID.
/ Spreckels, and later, few years ago,
when the Sugar King and his wife
returned to pay a visit to Honolulu.
| The mansion, erected on a tract of
Punahou property purchased from
| Oahu College. was for many years the
| finest private residence in the city, be-
inc onlv. second to- that of the King Is
| palace. Fer years, until the hundreds
of palms and other trees set out by
! the owner grew so as to practically
hide the residence, the white three
! story house of the Sugar King was
one of the things pointed out to. tour
/ lists as a Honolulu landmark. During
| the period of excitement referred to
above. in 1898, placard was dlseov'
cred hanging ON one of the now pad
locked gates of the property, the warn
ing consisting of a skull and cross,
bones. across which, written in red
ink were the words: "Gold and sill
lver can not stop lead.'' This, added
! to the ehagrin of being thwarted po
Htieallv. resulted in the departure or
the next Oceanic liner to leave fol-
San Francisco of the whole spree'loi'
family.
Last Visit to Honolulu.
Twice since then has Mr.. Spreckel'
visited this city, both visits being
maid in 1905. These visits were paio
partlv in connection with the renewal;
of the contracts the sugar planters OF
Hawaii had entered into for the SAFE
of their entire product to the Spreck
els refinery. In the winter of 1904 al
attempt was made to secure better
! terms. the former agreements havlns
been based on New York prices less
as of cent a pound. No terms
could be arranged to satisfy both par
ties. however. and the result was th'
establishing by the Hawaiian planters
af their own refinery at Crockett.
spreckels' Sugar W9r.
In the meanwhile, during the tlm'
that Mr.. Spreckels dominated tn
sugar circles of the Hawaiian lsland
I oh which f3QG1