Evening star., 1939-02-24
By G. A. LYON.


Honolulu Advertiser attracted my
attention and caused the revival Of
memories Of stirring events half 8
century ago here in this city of usual
calm and peace. It was headed
To-day Is the 46th Anniversary OF
the End of Monarchy" and it read
as follows:
To-day marks the 46th anniver-
sary of the overthrow of the Ha-
waiian monarchy, founded in 1895
by Kamehameha the Great. The
revolution whereby Queen Liliuoka-
lani was deposed and a provisional
government established was blood
less.
Immediate cause of the revolu-
ton was the attempt of Liliuokalani
to promulgate new constitution
which would have given her more
autocratlc power than the leaders
OF the opposition, mostly Americans,
felt was wise or tolerable by the
people as whole.
The revolutionists formed a COM
mittee of safety, and on January
16. 1893, applied to the American
Minister at Honolulu for force of
American troops to take control of
the city. American troops were
landed from the U. S. S. Boston and
on January II, 1893, the revolu-
tionists deposed Liliuokalani and
abrogated the monarchy-thus paw
ing the way for annexation Of
Hawaii to the United States
This has prompted me to go to the
files of the Advertiser-Which is now
in its 83d year-in the public Ii
brary and further refresh my men,
ory of an incident" as the the
Japanese official press bureau would
say, that made important history.
Having had somewhat to do with
the reporting of the annexation de-
bate in the Senate nearly half a
century ago, this research proved
particularly interesting to me.
Queen Was "Acting Up"
On the surface of the news there
was little doing so years ago here
in Honolulu. The Queen was "act-
ing up" as some of our home folks
are prone to say, and was becoming
increasingly antagonistic to those
members of the Hawaiian commu-
nifty who desired a more liberal
government, with greater consider
alton for the rights of the "haoles," I"
those Hawaiian citizens who were
of alien birth or parentage. But
no breath of revolt was discernible
IN the news of the period. Rather,
it was the Queen who was stirring
things, with her disposition to dis
regard the rights of the foreign
born population and her advocacy
of lottery for the benefit of her
royal revenues.
January 4 the most conspicuous
news item related to the arrest of
q white man for "burglarizing" a
saloon. Then on the 5th of January
the Advertiser printed an editorial
headed The Crisis Over" noting
that the cabinet had by a vote in
the lower house been sustained
against the influence of the Queen
on an administrative issue. The
editorial concluded:
1T is only by a spirit of mutual
concession that popular government
IS possible at all. and the cultivation
of this spirit must not be neglected
here, if Hawaiian institutions. are
to live and prosper"
There was difficulty in maintain
Ing a quorum in the lower branch
OF the Legislature, the Advertisers
report stating:
AT 2:30 there was again no
quorum. Noble Marsden moved that
the rule against smoking be sus-
pended; that was the only way
quorum could be got. Carried"
Considered Delegation.
On the sixth of January the Leg
1slature was considering the advis-
ability of sending a delegation to
Washington to inquire into the pos
slble terms of future commercial
treaty.
On the seventh of January bill
was passed by the Legislature rails
Ing the pay of representatives from
$3.50 to $500. During the discussions
there were repeated calls of "ninau,"
III,
The bill was eventually passed.
On the 18th of January the Ad-
vertiser printed a column editorial
protesting against the passage of
bill to establish lottery in Hawaii,
then under consideration. If the
bill passes" said the Advertiser, 1T
will be passed by the votes of native
HaWaiians, and if so it will furnish
a fresh illustration of the way in
which the blind Hawaiian leaders
betray and degrade their race"
The lottery bill passed on that
same day and on the 18th the Ad-
vertiser asked, editorially: will
the Queen sign the lottery bill?"
She did.
This move intensified the feeling
IN the legislative body, and step by
step the situation developed a revo-
lutionary aspect. But the initiative
was taken by the Queen, who sought
to strengthen her own position by
maneuvers calculated, if successful,
to destroy the privilege of repre-
sentatlon of the foreign-origin and
foreign-born population.
On Monday. January 16, the Ad-
vertlser reported the events of the
preceding day and a half with an
extended account headed, "Revolu-
ton! The Queen Attempts a Coup
dEtat." 1t reads, in part, as fol-
lows:
Saturday afternoon, between l
and 2 o'clock, the community was
startled by the information that a
coup detat was in progress and that
the Queen was endeavoring to force
her cabinet to sign a new consti-
tuition, which she then proposed
to promulgate Immediately to the
people. The political changes of
the last few days, the renewed vote
OF want of confidence, the secret
attemOtS of the Oueep r. co,,,,,