Template:1032-1033 - Revision history

Jere Krischel at 08:06, 5 February 2006

2006-02-05T08:06:01Z

Ken Conklin at 23:15, 4 February 2006

2006-02-04T23:15:17Z

Jere Krischel at 05:06, 12 December 2005

2005-12-12T05:06:57Z

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1032 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
wished me to let him know what I did. He said nothing further to
me about it, but went to the Queen and did as he stated in his
report. I have no doubt whatever that if Mr. Blount had not prevented,
and secondarily Mr. Olaus Speckels, the agent for the sugar trust, that
plan would have been carried out. I have no doubt of it in my own
mind.
Mr. Blount specifies that I was there to facilitate annexation, and
all the way through his statement regarding me asserts, or rather intimates,
that I was conducting an annexation propaganda. That was a
mistake entirely; I was not justified in doing anything of the kind. In
the first kind, it would have been contrary to the policy of my paper,
a tiling which no one attached to the paper would feel at liberty to do;
and, in the second place, my own mind was not clear on the subject.
While sentimentally clear there were practical objections which I
thought I saw. I had no purpose or interest in doing anything to
bring about annexation.
The CHAIRMAN. Was this before Mr. Neuman had been to the United
States.
Mr. BOWES. I had been with him and the commission. This was
before the treaty. All my associates were royalists; at the islands I
received more attention from the royalists than from members of the
Provisional Government. These dinners and my predelictions against
annexation would have been naturally that way if I had been going
for merely personal interest.
The CHAIRMAN. Have you seen the contents of the power of attorney
held by Mr. Neuinan?
Mr. BOWEN. Yes, I have read it as published in Mr. Blount's report.
If Mr. Blount had given me one hint that he regarded it as an impolitic
course, that it was embarrassing to him, I would have dropped it.
But he said nothing whatever, he simply listened at the first interview,
and after that said he would let me know. The next day I reported
progress to him, and he did not ask me not to tell him anything more
about it. In the meantime he had been to the Queen, to Mr. Dole, and
had done what he could to prevent the carrying out of the plan. Mr.
Neuman had an interview with the Queen. She told him that she
would do nothing more in the matter, and asked him to give back her
power of attorney, and he tore it up in her presence. This was the
22d, that he tore up his power of attorney.
There is another matter to which I wish to call attention. Mr.
Blount intimates, without specifically charging, that I represented
myself and Mr. Sewall represented himself as acting for the Government
here and that I represented myself to be a friend of the President.
I did not go to anyone whatever and represent myself in
any official capacity. Everybody knew that I was a journalist. A
reporter called on me and he told everyone who I was. I informed a
number of people that I had no official position there whatever. The
first one was Mr. Wodehouse, the British minister. He asked me,
and I informed him that I had no official position there. I informed
the President of the Provisional Government and many others, including
Mr. Hastings, who is here in Washington, formerly one of the
Hawaiian legation. Honolulu is a hotbed of rumors. It is an isolated
community. Really a little New England village is not to be compared
with Honolulu, especially during these troubled times. Everyone
was suspected of a motive, and there were all manner of rumors afloat
regarding everybody. There was a rumor every day in regard to Mr.
Blount and his actions, and this mysterious article appeared in the
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 1033
San Francisco Chronicle after I left there. That caused a good deal
of gossip regarding my visit and that of Mr. Sewall.
Senator GRAY. Feeling is pretty high there between the parties'?
Mr. BOWEN. Very bitter. Mr. Blount said I represented myself as a
friend of the President. On a number of occasions I said I had the
honor of Mr. Cleveland's acquaintance, and I was his friend. I was
justified in doing so, because I took a very active part during his campaign.
I furnished a good deal of political matter for the World, and
it is conceded that the World did its share in supporting party politics.
I acted for my paper according to its policy. I saw a good deal
of Mr. Cleveland at the time of his nomination. Mr. Cleveland gave
me a statement to print in the World, which was unique in its line. It
was the day after his election. He indorsed the World and its course
during the campaign and extended his thanks for it. No other paper
had anything of the kind. That Mr. Cleveland gave to me. I was at
Buzzard's Bay some time, and he showed me a good deal of favor. I
performed a good many small services for him.
Senator GRAY. When you said that you were President Cleveland's
friend you meant in a personal way; not that you were representing
him?
Mr. BOWEN. Not by any means. I said that I wras his friend and
represented it that way. I am not a partisan at all. I felt very kindly
toward the President, and as the World was very friendly toward him
I was justified in saying what I did. I did not make any boasts of
that; but in conversation in the islands I spoke of the fact that I was
the President's friend.
Senator FRYE. While you were there did Mr. Sewall take any part
in the affair of representing himself as having anything to do in the
matter?
Mr. BOWEN. Mr. Blount's allegations against Mr. Sewall are absolutely
false. We lived together in the grounds of the Hawaiian Hotel
in a cottage. I did not take Mr. Sewall in my confidence in this matter;
the affair was practically arranged before I hinted to him that it
was going on. Mr. Sewall was a high-minded young man; he was
devoting himself entirely to society; and without any motive I did not
take him into my confidence. Mr. Sewall knew nothing whatever
about this matter. The allegation against him was made of whole
cloth, and there is no justification whatever for it. Mr. Blount's suspicions
led him to make accusations that were not true.
Senator GRAY. Mr. Sewall's name was coupled with yours in that
article in the San Francisco paper, was it not?
Mr. BOWEN. Yes. Undoubtedly he was the cause of the whole
matter. The fact that he had been consul at Samoa was ground for
the suspicion that we were out on a mission. Mr. Sewall had said
nothing to anybody; he informed no one, and he certainly took no
part in it.
There is another allegation made there which I think is without
foundation. He speaks of Mr. Neuuian as being a plausible but very
unscrupulous person.
Senator GRAY. Mr. Blount says that is the impression he gathered.
I think he modified that in another dispatch.
Mr. BOWEN. I did not know of that.
Senator GRAY. Mr. Blount in an early dispatch, in giving information
that he thought proper to give to the State Department, spoke of
Mr. Neuman, and said, from what he could gather, he was plausible
but unscrupulous; but in another dispatch, after he had gathered

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{p|1032}}
 wished me to let him know what I did. He said nothing
 further to me about
@@ Line 30: / Line 29: @@
 annexation.
-The CHAIRMAN.   Was this before Mr. Neuman had been to
+The {{sc|Chairman.}} Was this before Mr. Neuman had been to
 the United States.
-Mr. BOWEN.   I had been with him and the commission.
+Mr. {{sc|Bowen.}} I had been with him and the commission.
 This was before the
 treaty.  All my associates were royalists; at the
@@ Line 45: / Line 44: @@
 interest.
-The CHAIRMAN.   Have you seen the contents of the
+The {{sc|Chairman.}}   Have you seen the contents of the
 power of attorney held by
 Mr. Neuman?
-Mr. BOWEN.   Yes, I have read it as published in Mr.
+Mr. {{sc|Bowen.}} Yes, I have read it as published in Mr.
 Blount's report.  If
 Mr. Blount had given me one hint that he regarded it
@@ Line 106: / Line 105: @@
 {{p|1033}}
 San Francisco Chronicle after I left there. That
 caused a good deal of
 gossip regarding my visit and that of Mr. Sewall.
-Senator GRAY.   Feeling is pretty high there between
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}} Feeling is pretty high there between
 the parties?
-Mr. BOWEN.   Very bitter.  Mr. Blount said I
+Mr. {{sc|Bowen.}}   Very bitter.  Mr. Blount said I
 represented myself as a friend
 of the President.  On a number of occasions I said I
@@ Line 141: / Line 139: @@
 him.
-Senator GRAY.   When you said that you were President
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}} When you said that you were President
 Cleveland's friend you
 meant in a personal way; not that you were
 representing him?
-Mr. BOWEN.   Not by any means.  I said that I was his
+Mr. {{sc|Bowen.}} Not by any means.  I said that I was his
 friend and represented
 it that way. I am not a partisan at all.  I felt very
@@ Line 157: / Line 155: @@
 President's friend.
-Senator FRYE.   While you were there did Mr. Sewall
+Senator {{sc|Frye.}} While you were there did Mr. Sewall
 take any part in the
 affair of representing himself as having anything to
 do in the matter?
-Mr. BOWEN.   Mr. Blount's allegations against Mr.
+Mr. {{sc|Bowen.}} Mr. Blount's allegations against Mr.
 Sewall are absolutely
 false. We lived together in the grounds of the
@@ Line 181: / Line 179: @@
 were not true.
-Senator GRAY.   Mr. Sewall's name was coupled with
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}}   Mr. Sewall's name was coupled with
 yours in that article in
 the San Francisco paper, was it not?
-Mr. BOWEN.   Yes. Undoubtedly he was the cause of the
+Mr. {{sc|Bowen.}} Yes. Undoubtedly he was the cause of the
 whole matter.  The
 fact that he had been consul at Samoa was ground for
@@ Line 197: / Line 195: @@
 being a plausible but very unscrupulous person.
-Senator GRAY.   Mr. Blount says that is the impression
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}} Mr. Blount says that is the impression
 he gathered. I think
 he modified that in another dispatch.
-Mr. BOWEN.   I did not know of that.
+Mr. {{sc|Bowen.}} I did not know of that.
-Senator GRAY.   Mr. Blount in an early dispatch, in
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}}   Mr. Blount in an early dispatch, in
 giving information that
 he thought proper to give to the State Department,