People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 November 1893 — THURSTON HITS BACK. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THURSTON HITS BACK.

The Hawaiian Minister'* Reply to CommlMloner Blount, Washington, Nov, 23. Minister Thurston, the representative of the Hawaiian provisional government, is out in a statement to the public in reply to Mr. Blount’s report On the main question of fact as to the landing of the American naval forces before or after the revolution Thurston flatly contradicts Blount and declares that the revolution had been an accomplished fact for two days before the American marines landed. He acquits Minister Stevens

of any foreknowledge of the revolution. and he generally denounces the Blount assertions of a conspiracy as false. He says: “I desire to call attention to Mr. Blount’s method of constructing ’bis report. Although he in several places states that I was the leader of the revolutionary movement, he has never asked me a question concerning the same nor given me opportunity to make any statement, although I have at all times been ready and willing to do so. The same is true of a large number of other men who took a leading part in the movement of January. “In the second place, his evidence consists exclusively of prepared affidavits, or of answers to leading questions put by himself at private Interviews, no one else being present but the stenographer. In no instance has there been any cross-examination of witnesses. opportunity to give contradiction or explain evidence given, or present as evidence. “First, Mr. Blount charges that the American troops were landed under a prearranged agreement with the committee of safely that they should so lend assistance in the overthrow of the queen. In reply thereto I hereby state at no time did Mr. Stevens or Capt. Wiltse assure me or the committee.or any subcommittee thereof that the United Slates troops would assist in overthrowing the queen or establishing a provisional government, and, ns a matter of fact, they did not so assist The troops were landed to protect American citizens and property in the event of the impending aud inevitable conflict between the queen and the citizens, and not to cooperate with the committee in carrying out its plans. In fact the troops did not cooperate with the committee, and the committee had no more knowledge than did the queen’s government where the troops were going nor what they were going to do. “Second, Mr. Blount charges that the queen had ample military force with which to have met the committee, and that but for the support of the United Stales representatives and the troops the establishment of the provisional goverment would have been impossible. “In reply thereto I hereby state that although the presence of the American troops had a quieting effect on the rough element in the city and may have prevented some bloodshed the troops were not essential to and did not assist in the overthrow of the queen. The result of the movement would have been eventually the same if there had not been a marine within a thousand miles of Honolulu

“At 2 the afternoon of Monday, the 16th, a mass meeting of 3,000 unarmed men was held within a block of the palace. The meeting was addressed by a number of speakers, all denouncing the qveen. The meeting, with tremendous enthusiasm, adopted resolutions declaring the queen to be in revolution, and authorizing the committee to proceed to do whatever was necessary. "Never in the history of Hawaii has there been such a tense condition of mind or a more imminent expectation of bloodshed and conflict than there was after the adjournment of these two radically opposed meetings. Mr. Blount’s statement that the community was at peace and quiet was grossly Inaccurate. It was at this juncture, two hours after the adjournment of the above meetings. that Capt Wiltse and Mr. Stevens, acting upon their own responsibility and discretion and irrespective of the requestor actions of the committtee, landed the troops, which were dis tributed in three parts of the city instead of being massed a" one point, as stated by Mr. Blount. The reason that the queen’s government took no action against the committee or its supporters was that they were overwhelmed by the unanimous display of indignation and determination shown by the citizens and were cowed into submission in the same manner that the king and his supporters were cowed under , precisely similar circumstances-by the same I citizens in June, 1887.” Mr. Thurston then at great length presents facts and arguments to prove that the queen and her supporters were demoralized and devoid of leadership, and that the committee and their supporters were united, had ample force to execute their purpose and proceeded i with deliberation and confidence to do i so. He continues: I "It is unnecessary for me to here restate the ; details of the bitter constitutional conflict j which had been carried on between the queen j and the legislature during the seven ; months prior to January last, nor to • speak of the intense indignation existing ; among all classes of citizens by reason of the ■ open and successful alliance of the queen ’ with the opium and the lottery rings. The po I litical liberties of the people were trampled up. I on and their moral sense shocked. It simply • needed the added provocation of the arbitrary 1 attempt to abrogate the constitution and disfranchise every white man in the country to spontaneously crystalize opposition into a force that was irresistible.” “In reply to the sneer that the persons taking part in the movement Jwere 'aliens, I would say that every mau of them was by the laws of the country a legal voter, whose right to franchise was by the proposed constitution to be abrogated: a large proportion of them were born in the country and almost without exception those who were not born there had lived there for years, owned proper ty there and had made it their home. They were the men w’ho had built up the country commercially, agriculturally, financially and politically, and created and made possible a civilized government therein. They were and are such men as to-day are the leading citizens of the most progressive communities of the United States, with interests as thoroughly identified with the interests of Hawaii as are the interests of native and foreicn-born citizens in similar communities in this country identified with it."

LORIN A. THURSTON.