Jere Krischel at 07:12, 5 February 2006

2006-02-05T07:12:15Z

Ken Conklin at 19:13, 30 January 2006

2006-01-30T19:13:02Z

Jere Krischel at 05:04, 12 December 2005

2005-12-12T05:04:36Z

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1004 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
The CHAIRMAN. And as being opposed to the Queen and her monarchy?
Mr. COFFMAN. AS opposed to the Queen and her monarchy. That
question never came up. I had no opinion of the old Queen, and I
would be glad if she lost her place.
The CHAIRMAN. Do you think that a proper estimate to form of the
Queen?
Mr. GOFFMAN. I think it is, because I do not think, from what 1 have
seen recently, that she is a fit person to have hold of the reins of the
Government.
The GUAIRMAN. AS an officer, and while you were there, did you form
an opinion that the Queen was conducting a fair, honest, and reputable
government?
Mr. GOFFMAN. That is a question I did not form an opinion upon.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you have an opinion on the subject?
Mr. GOFFMAN. NO; not prior to this trouble.
The CHAIRMAN. I mean during the trouble?
Mr. COFFMAN. No ; can not say that I had.
The CHAIRMAN. Upon what ground did you form the opinion that
the Queen was not a proper person to be in charge of the government?
Mr. COFFMAN. In what I have seen later in the letter replying to
Mr. Willis's question.
The CHAIRMAN. I am speaking of the time you were on shore as an
officer of the Navy. I understood while you were there you gave
expression to the opinion that the Queen was not a proper person to be
at the head of the government.
Senator GRAY. Did Mr. Coffman give expression to that opinion?
Mr. COFFMAN. In fact, I can say that I said at times that she would
not be restored.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you make use of that expression while you
were there as an officer?
Mr. COFFMAN. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Upon what did you base that opinion that the
Queen could not be restored?
Mr. COFFMAN. I based it upon the rush with whicli it was carried
on. That was before Mr. Blount came out there, before any investigation
; what we saw from the press, that the President had negotiated
the treaty and sent it into the Senate, and we saw the discussions in
the Senate.
The CHAIRMAN. Was that an estimate of the Queen's power based
on her want of military resources ?
Mr. COFFMAN. .Yes. I believe after her military resources were
taken from her she did not have the means to procure them again ; I
do not mean money means, but that the Provisional Government would
prevent her getting hold of the means for her restoration.
The CHAIRMAN. And that is the ground on which you base your
opinion that the restoration of the monarchy was not likely to take
place?
Mr. COFFMAN. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Now, comparing the people there, the main supporters
of the Queen as you knew them, with the main bodies of the citizens
there engaged in this adverse movement, which would you say
were the more intelligent and better class?
Mr. COFFMAN. I should say, as a man, those who are in the Provisional
Government are much more intelligent, that is, much better educated,
and I think that they have a greater number, a majority of those
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 1005
who are conceded to be the best people in the island; although I must
say that there are men who are supporters of the Queen, and whom I
know personally, whose integrity 1 believe as good as any man's in the
Provisional Government.
The CHAIRMAN. I am speaking of the general masses.
Mr. COFFMAN. Yes. The natives, you might say, are almost as a
unit opposed to the Provisional Government/
The CHAIRMAN. Without reference to whether they are property
holders or not?
Mr. COFFMAN. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. It is a question of sentiment and devotion to their
own institutions?
Mr. GOFFMAN. A question of sentiment and devotion to their own
institutions.
Senator GRAY. I omitted to ask one question. Why were you of
opinion that another place than Arion Hall or the Opera House should
have been selected for the troops?
Mr. COFFMAN. For the reason that the Government building would
be the point of attack, and that unless we were to be in the way of any
firing that might be going on, it might be better to be placed at a point
which I considered at that time needed more protection than any property
around Arion Hall—that portion of the city which is the residence
portion.
The CHAIRMAN. Were there any troops located in the Government
building ?
Mr. GOFFMAN. There were none there when we went there.
The CHAIRMAN. NO; I mean at the time you considered the controversy
between the Hawaiians and the Provisional Government Would
involve, necessarily, the United States troops ?
Mr. COFFMAN. Prior to that time I formed this opinion—prior to the
time they went into the Government building, and I had it more
strongly after tliey went in there.
The CHAIRMAN. Was there any garrison in the Government building
at the time your troops were first stationed there?
Mr. GOFFMAN. NO.
The CHAIRMAN. Where was the garrison?
Mr. GOFFMAN. There was none, except that of the Queen's troops,
which was back of the palace.
The CHAIRMAN. Well, an attack by the populace upon the Provisional
Government, or by the troops of the Provisional Government upon
the Queen's forces, would have been made at the barracks where the
forces were?
Mr. GOFFMAN. No; I do not think they had any idea of attacking
the Queen's people. I think they thought the Queen's people would
attack them.
The CHAIRMAN. Suppose they had the idea of attacking the Queen's
people, would they or not have made it at the barracks?
Mr. COFFMAN. I think they would have gone and taken possession
of the Government building, feeling if any attack were to be made
the Queen's people would make it.
The CHAIRMAN. From anything you saw there at that time, was
there any demonstration on the part of the Queen's troops to indicate
that they would make an attack upon the Government building or on
any of the troops about the Government building ?
Mr. COFFMAN. NO; not that I saw.

Template:1004-1005 - Revision history

Jere Krischel at 07:12, 5 February 2006

Ken Conklin at 19:13, 30 January 2006

Jere Krischel at 05:04, 12 December 2005