Template:958-959 - Revision history

Jere Krischel at 00:17, 2 January 2006

2006-01-02T00:17:56Z

Jere Krischel at 04:59, 12 December 2005

2005-12-12T04:59:48Z

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958 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
" 3 . The Queen, her cabinet, and their supporters were utterly
demoralized, suspicious of one another, and devoid of leadership.
"4. The committee of safety and their supporters were united; bad
ample force to execute their purpose; knew precisely what they wanted,
and proceeded with intelligent deliberation, thoroughness, and confidence
to do it.
"There is no conflict concerning the facts of the first proposition. It
is admitted by all that the Queen began the revolution at noon on Saturday,
the 14th, by attempting to promulgate a constitution; that such
attempt was immediately followed by preparation on the part of the
citizens for armed resistance, and that the United States troops landed
at 5 o'clock Monday, the 16th.
u In support of the second proposition, that there was no concealment
from the Government of the intentions of the committee, I submit
the following:
" 1. On the afternoon of Saturday, the 14th, in reply to the request
of the Queen's cabinet for advice as to what they had better do, the
Queen then still insisting upon the proclamation of the constitution
and supporting it by force, I advised them to declare the Queen in revolution
and the throne vacant, and at their request and at the expressed
approval of two of them and the tacit assent of the other two, then
and there drew up a form of proclamation to that effect.
"2. At half past 4 in the afternoon of Saturday, the 14th, at a
meeting of about 200 citizens at the office of W. O. Smith, the
Queen was denounced in the strongest terms, armed resistance and a
counter revolution were openly advocated, and the Queen's minister of
the interior, John Colburn, addressed the meeting, asking their armed
support against the Queen. The Queen's attorney-general, Mr. Peterson,
and her attorney, Paul Neuman, were both present taking part in
the meeting. The committee of safety was publicly then and there
named and proceeded forthwith to organize.
" 3 . At 6 o'clock on Sunday morning, the 15th, I told Mr. Peterson
and Mr. Colburn, two members of the Queen's cabinet, that the committee
intended to depose the Queen and establish a provisional government;
that if they would take charge of the movement, well and
good, otherwise the committee intended to take action on its own
account. They ask for twenty-four hours in which to consider the matter.
I declined to wait, stating to them that the committee intended
to proceed forthwith.
"4. The committee met openly that morning at 10 o'clock, with the
full knowledge of the Government of the place of its meeting. It
remained in session during the greater part of the day, while several
police kept watch of the building from the street.
"5. On Monday morning at 9 o'clock the committee, without attempt
at concealment, met in my office, within 200 feet of the police station,
Marshal Wilson's headquarters, where the entire police force was stationed.
While the meeting was in progress Wilson came to the office
and asked to speak to me privately, and we went into an adjoining
room. Our conversation was, in substance, as follows:
"Wilson said: 'I want this meeting stopped,' referring to 1he mass
meeting for that afternoon.
"I replied: 'It can't be stopped. It is too late.'
"He said: 'Can't this thing be fixed up in some way?'
"I replied: 'No, it can not. It has gone too far.'
"He said: 'The Queen has abandoned her new constitution idea.'
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 959
" I replied: ' How do we know that she will not take it ap again as
she said she would?'
" He said,' I will guarantee that she will not, even if I have to lock
her up in a room to keep her from doing it; and I'll do it, too, if necessary.'
" 1 replied : ' We are not willing to accept that guarantee as sufficient.
This thing has gone on from bad to worse until we are not
going to stand it any longer. We are going to take no chances in the
matter, but settle it now, once and for all.'
" Wilson then left the office. He has since stated that he immediately
reported to the cabinet and advised arresting the committee, but
the cabinet was afraid and refused to allow it.
" 6. At 2 o'clock on 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
Queen. The meeting, with tremendous cheering and enthusiasm, unanimously
adopted resolutions declaring the Queen to be in revolution,
and authorizing the committee to proceed to do whatever was necessary.
The police were present, but no attempt was made to interfere
with the meeting or make any arrests. The meeting adjourned amid
the most intense excitement, and the citizens dispersed throughout the
town awaiting the further call of the committee. While this meeting
had been in progress another was being held by the royalists in the
streets, within a block of the armory, which adopted resolutions in
support of the Queen.
"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 immediately after the adjournment of these two radically
opposed meetings. Mr. Blount's statement that the community
was at peace and quiet is 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 request or actions of the committee,
landed the troops, which were distributed in three parts of the city,
instead of being massed at 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 citizens in June, 1887.
" In support of the third proposition, that the Queen and her supporters
were demoralized and devoid of leadership I submit the following:
" 1. During the few weeks prior to the revolution Mr. Colburn, minister
of the interior at the time of the revolution, had been one of the
leadersofthepoliticalparty opposed to myself, and he wasbitterlyhostile
to me personally. My first intimation of the revolutionary intention of
the Queen was at 10 o'clock on the morning of Saturday, the 14th, when
Mr. Colburn came to me greatly excited. He told me of the Queen's
intention to promulgate a new constitution, and asked my advice. I
said to him: 'Why do you not go to the members of your own party?'
He replied: 'I have no party. Those who have been our supporters
are supporting the Queen. The down-town people [referring to the
merchants] have got no use for me, and, unless the members of your
party and other citizens will support us, we are going to resign right
away.'

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
+{{p|958}}
-" 3 . The Queen, her cabinet, and their supporters were utterly
+"3 . The Queen, her cabinet, and their supporters were utterly
 demoralized, suspicious of one another, and devoid of leadership.
-"4. The committee of safety and their supporters were united; bad
 ample force to execute their purpose; knew precisely what they wanted,
 and proceeded with intelligent deliberation, thoroughness, and confidence
 to do it.
 "There is no conflict concerning the facts of the first proposition. It
 is admitted by all that the Queen began the revolution at noon on Saturday,
@@ Line 12: / Line 14: @@
 citizens for armed resistance, and that the United States troops landed
 at 5 o'clock Monday, the 16th.
-u In support of the second proposition, that there was no concealment
 from the Government of the intentions of the committee, I submit
 the following:
 " 1. On the afternoon of Saturday, the 14th, in reply to the request
 of the Queen's cabinet for advice as to what they had better do, the
 Queen then still insisting upon the proclamation of the constitution
@@ Line 22: / Line 26: @@
 approval of two of them and the tacit assent of the other two, then
 and there drew up a form of proclamation to that effect.
 "2. At half past 4 in the afternoon of Saturday, the 14th, at a
 meeting of about 200 citizens at the office of W. O. Smith, the
@@ Line 31: / Line 36: @@
 the meeting. The committee of safety was publicly then and there
 named and proceeded forthwith to organize.
 " 3 . At 6 o'clock on Sunday morning, the 15th, I told Mr. Peterson
 and Mr. Colburn, two members of the Queen's cabinet, that the committee
 intended to depose the Queen and establish a provisional government;
@@ Line 39: / Line 45: @@
 I declined to wait, stating to them that the committee intended
 to proceed forthwith.
 "4. The committee met openly that morning at 10 o'clock, with the
 full knowledge of the Government of the place of its meeting. It
 remained in session during the greater part of the day, while several
 police kept watch of the building from the street.
 "5. On Monday morning at 9 o'clock the committee, without attempt
 at concealment, met in my office, within 200 feet of the police station,
@@ Line 49: / Line 57: @@
 and asked to speak to me privately, and we went into an adjoining
 room. Our conversation was, in substance, as follows:
-"Wilson said: 'I want this meeting stopped,' referring to 1he mass
 meeting for that afternoon.
 "I replied: 'It can't be stopped. It is too late.'
 "He said: 'Can't this thing be fixed up in some way?'
 "I replied: 'No, it can not. It has gone too far.'
 "He said: 'The Queen has abandoned her new constitution idea.'
-HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 959
+{{p|959}}
-" I replied: ' How do we know that she will not take it ap again as
+"I replied: ' How do we know that she will not take it ap again as
 she said she would?'
 " He said,' I will guarantee that she will not, even if I have to lock
 her up in a room to keep her from doing it; and I'll do it, too, if necessary.'
-" 1 replied : ' We are not willing to accept that guarantee as sufficient.
 This thing has gone on from bad to worse until we are not
 going to stand it any longer. We are going to take no chances in the
 matter, but settle it now, once and for all.'
 " Wilson then left the office. He has since stated that he immediately
 reported to the cabinet and advised arresting the committee, but
 the cabinet was afraid and refused to allow it.
 " 6. At 2 o'clock on 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
@@ Line 80: / Line 97: @@
 streets, within a block of the armory, which adopted resolutions in
 support of the Queen.
 "Never in the history of Hawaii has there been such a tense condition
 of mind or a more imminent expectation of bloodshed and conflict
@@ Line 96: / Line 114: @@
 his supporters were cowed under precisely similar circumstances by the
 same citizens in June, 1887.
 " In support of the third proposition, that the Queen and her supporters
 were demoralized and devoid of leadership I submit the following:
 " 1. During the few weeks prior to the revolution Mr. Colburn, minister
 of the interior at the time of the revolution, had been one of the
-leadersofthepoliticalparty opposed to myself, and he wasbitterlyhostile
+leaders of the political party opposed to myself, and he was bitterly hostile
 to me personally. My first intimation of the revolutionary intention of
 the Queen was at 10 o'clock on the morning of Saturday, the 14th, when