Template:386-387 - Revision history

Jere Krischel at 10:16, 18 December 2005

2005-12-18T10:16:34Z

Jere Krischel at 04:17, 9 December 2005

2005-12-09T04:17:25Z

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The fact cannot be ignored that this revolutionary movement of
Liliuokalani, which had its development in the selection of a new
cabinet to supplant one which had the support of all the conservative
elements in the islands, was set on foot and accomplished during the
absence of the American minister on board the ship Boston during
the ten days which preceded the prorogation of the Legislature. The
astonishment with which this movement was received by the American
emigrants and other white people residing in Hawaii, and its inauguration
in the absence of the Boston and of the American minister, show
that those people, with great anxiety, recognized the fact that it was
directed against them and their interests and welfare and that when
it was completed they would become its victims. These convictions
excited the serious apprehensions of all the white people in those
islands that a crisis was brought about in which not only their rights
in Hawaii, and under the constitution, were to be injuriously affected,
but that the ultimate result would be that they wouid be driven from
the islands or, remaining there, would be put at the mercy of those
who chose to prey upon their property. This class of people, who
were intended to be ostracised, supply nine-tenths of the entire tax
receipts of the Kingdom; and they were conscious that the purpose
was to inflict taxation upon them without representation, or else to
confiscate their estates and drive them out of the country. This produced
alarm and agitation, which resulted in the counter movement
set on foot by the people to meet and overcome the revolution which
Lilioukalani had projected and had endeavored to accomplish. Her ministers
were conscious of the fact that any serious resistance to her revolutionary
movement (of which they had full knowledge before they
were inducted into office) would disappoint the expectations of the
Queen and would result in the overthrow of the executive government;
and, while they had evidently promised the Queen that they would
support here in her effort to abolish the constitution of 18S7 and substitute
one which they had secretly assisted in preparing, when the
moment of the trial came they abandoned her—they broke faith with
her. The Queen's ministers took fright and gave information to the
people of the existence of the movements and concealed purposes ot
the Queen and of her demands upon them to join her in the promulgation
of the constitution, and they appealed to the committee of safety
for protection, and continued in that attitude until they saw that the
kindled wrath of the people would not take the direction of violence
and bloodshed without the provocation of a serious necessity. Being
satisfied that they could trust to the forbearance of the people, who
were looking to the protection of their interests and had no desire for
strife and bloodshed, they began to finesse in a political way to effect
a compromise between the people and the Queen, and they induced
her to make the proclamation of her intentions to postpone the completion
of her revolutionary purposes, which was circulated in Honolulu
on Monday morning. These men, whose conduct can not be characterized
as anything less than perfidious, hastened to give to the President
of the United Stotes false and misleading statements of the facts leading
up to, attending, and succeeding this revolution. To do this they
made deceptive and misleading statements to Mr. Blount. Upon them
must rest the odium of having encouraged the Queen in her revolutionary
intentions; of having then abandoned her in a moment of apparent
danger; of having thrown themselves upon the mercy of the people,
and then of making an attempt, through falsehood and misrepresenta

tion,to regain power in the Government of Hawaii, which the people
would, naturally, forever deny to them.
A question has been made as to the right of the President of the
United States to dispatch Mr. Blount to Hawaii as his personal representative
for the purpose of seeking the further information which the
President believed was necessary in order to arrive at a just conclusion
regarding the state of affairs in Hawaii. Many precedents could be
quoted to show that such power has been exercised by the President
on various occasions without dissent on the part of Congress or the
people of the United States. The employment of such agencies is a
necessary part of the proper exercise of the diplomatic power which is
intrusted by the Constitution with the President. Without such
authority our foreign relations would be so embarrassed with difficulties
that it would be impossible to conduct them with safety or success.
These precedents also show that the Senate of the United States, though
in session, need not be consulted as to the appointment of such agents,
or as to the instructions which the President may give them.
An authority was intrusted to Mr. Blount to remove the American
flag from the Government building in Hawaii, and to disclaim openly
and practically the protectorate which had been announced in that
country by Minister Stevens, and also to remove the troops from Honolulu
to the steamer Boston. This particular delegation of authority
to Mr. Blount was paramount over the authority of Mr. Stevens, who
was continued as minister resident of the United States at Honolulu,
and it raised the question whether the Government of the United
States can have at the same foreign capital two ministers, each of
whom shall exercise separate and special powers.
There seems to be no reason why the Government of the United
States can not, in conducting its diplomatic intercourse with other
countries, exercise powers as broad and general, or as limited and
peculiar, or special, as any other government. Other governments
have been for many years, and even centuries, in the habit of intrusting
special and particular missions to one man representing them at a
foreign court, and to several men in combination when that was found
to be desirable. In fact, there has been no limit placed upon the use
of a power of this kind, except the discretion of the sovereign or ruler
of the eountry. The committee fail to see that there is any irregularity
in such a course as that, or that the power given to Mr. Blount to withdraw
the troops from Honolulu or to lower the flag of the United States
was to any extent either dangerous or interrupting to any other lawful
authority existing there in any diplomatic or naval officer. There may
be a question as to the particular wording of the order which Mr. Blount
gave to Admiral Skerrett for the lowering of the flag and the withdrawal
of the troops, but that is a hypercriticism, because the substantial
fact was that Mr. Blount executed the command of the President
in communicating to Admiral Skerrett such order, as the order of the
President of the United States. Mr. Blount's authority had been made
known to Admiral Skerrett; his instructions had been exhibited to
Admiral Skerrett; and they both understood that what Mr. Blount
was then doing had received the sanction of the President of the United
States before Mr. Blount had entered upon the discharge of his ministerial
functions, and that his actwould receive the unqualified approval
of the President of the United States. That being so, the mere form
in which the order was addressed to Admiral Skerrett seems to be a
matter of no serious consequence.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 The fact cannot be ignored that this revolutionary movement of
 Liliuokalani, which had its development in the selection of a new
 cabinet to supplant one which had the support of all the conservative
 elements in the islands, was set on foot and accomplished during the
-absence of the American minister on board the ship Boston during
+absence of the American minister on board the ship ''Boston'' during
 the ten days which preceded the prorogation of the Legislature. The
 astonishment with which this movement was received by the American
 emigrants and other white people residing in Hawaii, and its inauguration
-in the absence of the Boston and of the American minister, show
+in the absence of the ''Boston'' and of the American minister, show
 that those people, with great anxiety, recognized the fact that it was
 directed against them and their interests and welfare and that when
@@ Line 29: / Line 30: @@
 Queen and would result in the overthrow of the executive government;
 and, while they had evidently promised the Queen that they would
-support here in her effort to abolish the constitution of 18S7 and substitute
+support here in her effort to abolish the constitution of 1887 and substitute
 one which they had secretly assisted in preparing, when the
 moment of the trial came they abandoned her—they broke faith with
 her. The Queen's ministers took fright and gave information to the
-people of the existence of the movements and concealed purposes ot
+people of the existence of the movements and concealed purposes of
 the Queen and of her demands upon them to join her in the promulgation
 of the constitution, and they appealed to the committee of safety
@@ Line 47: / Line 48: @@
 on Monday morning. These men, whose conduct can not be characterized
 as anything less than perfidious, hastened to give to the President
-of the United Stotes false and misleading statements of the facts leading
+of the United States false and misleading statements of the facts leading
 up to, attending, and succeeding this revolution. To do this they
 made deceptive and misleading statements to Mr. Blount. Upon them
@@ Line 53: / Line 54: @@
 intentions; of having then abandoned her in a moment of apparent
 danger; of having thrown themselves upon the mercy of the people,
-and then of making an attempt, through falsehood and misrepresenta
+and then of making an attempt, through falsehood and misrepresentation,
 A question has been made as to the right of the President of the
 United States to dispatch Mr. Blount to Hawaii as his personal representative
@@ Line 72: / Line 74: @@
 in session, need not be consulted as to the appointment of such agents,
 or as to the instructions which the President may give them.
 An authority was intrusted to Mr. Blount to remove the American
 flag from the Government building in Hawaii, and to disclaim openly
 and practically the protectorate which had been announced in that
 country by Minister Stevens, and also to remove the troops from Honolulu
-to the steamer Boston. This particular delegation of authority
+to the steamer ''Boston''. This particular delegation of authority
 to Mr. Blount was paramount over the authority of Mr. Stevens, who
 was continued as minister resident of the United States at Honolulu,
@@ Line 82: / Line 85: @@
 States can have at the same foreign capital two ministers, each of
 whom shall exercise separate and special powers.
 There seems to be no reason why the Government of the United
 States can not, in conducting its diplomatic intercourse with other
@@ Line 91: / Line 95: @@
 to be desirable. In fact, there has been no limit placed upon the use
 of a power of this kind, except the discretion of the sovereign or ruler
-of the eountry. The committee fail to see that there is any irregularity
+of the country. The committee fail to see that there is any irregularity
 in such a course as that, or that the power given to Mr. Blount to withdraw
 the troops from Honolulu or to lower the flag of the United States
@@ Line 106: / Line 110: @@
 was then doing had received the sanction of the President of the United
 States before Mr. Blount had entered upon the discharge of his ministerial
-functions, and that his actwould receive the unqualified approval
+functions, and that his act would receive the unqualified approval
 of the President of the United States. That being so, the mere form
 in which the order was addressed to Admiral Skerrett seems to be a
 matter of no serious consequence.