People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1893 — REVOLUTION. [ARTICLE]

REVOLUTION.

Hawaiians Object to the Rule of Queen Liliuokalani and Therefore Force Her to Relinquish Her Scepter—A Provisional Government Formed—S. B. Dole Made President—Commissioners Sent to the United States with a Request for Annexation. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30.— Hawaii’s government has been overthrown by a revolution. Queen Liliuokalani has been deposed, and a provisional government, headed by President S. B. Dole, has control of affairs. The news was brought by the steamship Claudine, which arrived here on Saturday from Honolulu. The Claudine brought a commission, headed by Mr. Thurston, and they are now en route to Washingtion with a petition to the American government to annex the Hawaiian islands to the United States. The first intimation of trouble came on January 15, when the qneen tried to get the cabinet to sign a new constitution that disfranchised all foreigners and put the whole government in the hands of the native politicians. The ministers refused, and when threatened by the queen fled for their lives. They returned later and induced the queen to postpone the coup. There was a public meeting in front of the palace. The queen announced the failure of her plans and a native orator demanded the lives of the ministers. Early in the evening citizens met and formed a committee of public safety. On the 16th a mass meeting was held in the armory. About 5 o’clock p. m. the United States steamship Boston landed 300 men, fully armed. They marched to the office of the consul general of the United States. The marines were sent to the American legation, while the sailors marched out along Merchant street with two Gatling guns and camped for a time on private grounds. They staid there all night. All day on Tuesday, the 18th, the community was in a state of expectancy, looking to the committee of public safety to do something to end the tension. The committee in the meantime was not idle, being incessantly occupied completing its organization and making the final arrangements necessary to the proclamation of the provisional government and its protection by an armed force. In the meantime the committee of public safety, accompanied by members of the government about to be formed, proceeded to the government bnilding. There a proclamation was read of which the chief points are as follows: 1. The Hawaiian monarchical system of government is hereby abrogated. 2. A provisional government for the control and management of public affairs and the protection of the public peace is hereby established to exist until terms of union with the United States of America have been negotiated and agreed upon. 3. Such provisional government shall consist of an executive council of four members, who are declared to be S. B. Dole, J. A. King, P. C. Jones and W. O. Smith, who shall administer the government of the Islands and administer the executive departments of the government, the first-named acting as president and chairman of such council and administering the department of foreign affairs, and the others severally administering the department of interior, finance and attorney general, respectively, in the order in which they are enumerated, according to existing Hawaiian law as far as may be consistent with this proclamation, and also of advisory council, which shall consist of fourteen members. Such advisory council shall also have general legislative authority. Such executive and advisory council shall, acting jointly, have the power to remove any member of either council and to fill such or any other vacancy. 4. All officers of the government are to exercise their functions except the queen, Marshal Wilson and the cabinet. All Hawaiian laws and constitutional principles not inconsistent herewith shall continue in force until the further order of the executive and advisory councils. The provisional goverment and the cabinet went to the palace and submitted their plan to the queen. She refused at first to yield, but finally retired to her country residence, her troops surrendered and the government was in the hands of the foreigners. All the fereign powers except England promptly recognized the new government. Prior to the sailing of the Clandine from Honolulu the following proclamations were made: “I, Liliuokalani, by the grace of God and under the constitution of the Hawaiian kingdom, queen, do hereby solemnly protest against any and all acts done against myself and the constitutional government of the Hawaiian kingdom by certain persons claiming to have established a provisional government of and for the kingdom; that I yield to the superior force of the United States of America,whose minister plenipotentiary, his excellency John L. Stevens, has caused United States troops to be landed at Honolula, and declared that he would support said provisional government. Now, to avoid any collision of armed forces and perhaps loss of life, I do under this protest and compelled by said force, yield my authority until such time as the government of the States shall, upon the facts being presented to it, undo the action of its representative and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian islands. "Done at Honolula this 17th day of January, A. D., 1893. LILIUOKALANI.'' S. B. Dole, president of the provisional government of Hawaii, is a son of one of the late American missionaries to Hawaii, is a graduate of Williams college and has been second associate justice of the supreme court of Hawaii. He is a scholarly man, of acknowledged legal and judicial ability. Fully 75 per cent. of the taxes are paid by American investors and residents. WASHINGTON, Jan. 30. — Hawaiian annexation is bound to become a burning question. There is no escape from it. Little additional news of the revolution is looked for until the commissioners reach Washington, when it is presumed they may have some facts to communicate to the president which for prudential reasons have not been made public. That they come with an authorized proposition for annexation from the provisional government was confirmed by the intelligence the state and navy departments received. That they have studied the relations of the United States carefully is shown by their declaration that all they ask now is to come in under a territorial form and not as a state. There can be no joint protectorate of the United States, Great Britain and Germany over the Sandwich islands such as prevails over Samoa. There

must be either an exclusively American protectorate or annexation, and the drift of events seems to to annexation. “And pending the settlement of the question of Hawaiian annexation we shall permit no foreign interference." Secretaries John Foster and Tracey bowed, and the conference Saturday between them and the president, who uttered the quoted words above, came to a close. The conference, which began as soon as the secretary of state had carried the news of the Hawaiian revolution to the president, lasted an hour. The question was discussed in all its bearings. Its great importance demanded prompt action lest American interests should suffer; and while it is certain that the annexation idea will be combated strongly in congress, and that nothing could at present be done regarding that phase of the question, it was taken for granted that the country would not for one moment brook encroachment upon Hawaiian territory by any European power. It was determined that every possible step should be taken to prevent such interference. The immediate dispatch of Rear Admiral Skerrett with the Mohican to Honolulu, to be followed later by the Ranger, Adams and possibly the Thetis, the only available warships on the Pacific coast, means, and the authorities do not deny it, though they are reluctant to give information on the subject that all available forces will be used to enforce the Monroe doctrine in the Pacific and to maintain and strengthen the advantages the United States now have in the rivalry between this country and Great Britain for supremacy in Hawaii. The senate in executive session Saturday took up the annexation question and discussed it freely. The democrats seemed to oppose the idea, while the republicans favored it. But as no official notification of a Hawaiian desire to be annexed had been received no formal action could be taken. It is understood that the majority of the committee on foreign relations will favor annexation. The most earnest champions of this idea are Senators Sherman and Morgan. The president will receive the provincial commissioners and without encouraging or discouraging them will, it is believed, send their request to congress without recommendation. Although it is a little early yet to predict what President Harrison will say about annexation —for it is not known what conditions the commission will propose—it is firmly believed by naval officials that he will urge legislative sanction to the desire of the provisional government of Hawaii for United States guardianship. While it is hoped there will be no clash with England, such a contingency is not looked upon as outside the range of probabilities. The United States are not courting trouble; but will, nevertheless, take all possible precaution against being overreached by British greed. While, of course, no statement of the policy to be pursued will be made, at least until after the arrival of the commissioners from Hawaii, who are to present the request for annexation to the United States, it may be said that the visit of the Hawaiians will hardly be successful, if the purport thereof has been correctly stated. Aside from the innovation upon the policy of the government since its organization, which the annexation would be, the interests of other countries in the Sandwich islands are too large to permit on the part of the government of those nations an acquiescence in such annexation. It would involve consequences that the United States would not care, and which its long settled policy forbids, to assume. The only danger of serious complication is from Great Britain, whose representatives, it is believed, have encouraged the queen to attempt the coup which led to her downfall. Should Great Britain refuse to recognize the provisional government and send a naval force to back up her representatives in supporting the queen trouble will follow. Half a dozen British war vessels could be concentrated at Honolulu long before the United States could get any force strong enough to cope with them to reenforce the Boston. The fact that the Boston was in the harbor at the time of the revolution proved the wisdom of Secretary Tracy’s policy of keeping a war vessel at the islands. Had a British vessel been there instead a force of British sailors and marines would have been sent ashore and then the United States would have had the wrong end of the subsequent negotiations. Because should Great Britain once obtain any sort of a foothold on the Sandwich islands she would hold on until compelled to retire. The talk that it is against the American government’s policy to annex Hawaii is scouted by some of the most distinguished senators and representatives at the state capital. They cannot blind the fact that unless a bold course is adopted at once John Bull will soon be master at Honolulu. Any compact entered into with England will be violated in spirit, if not in letter. Great Britain’s jealousy and greed will override all arrangements that may be entered into for the control of these coveted islands. Harrison, it is confidently predicted, will play a bold hand and see to it that henceforth American authority will be pretty decisively felt in Hawaii A halt will be called on British aggression and practical annexation will, it is thought, be the presidential programme.