Jere Krischel at 16:38, 13 January 2006

2006-01-13T16:38:04Z

Jere Krischel at 16:35, 13 January 2006

2006-01-13T16:35:42Z

Jere Krischel at 15:01, 6 January 2006

2006-01-06T15:01:35Z

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Jere Krischel at 05:00, 12 December 2005

2005-12-12T05:00:17Z

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964 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
mass meeting or combination of citizens to his longer remaining on the
throne?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. There was a committee of thirteen appointed at
the mass meeting to wait on the King and present the resolutions to
him, and he was given 24 hours to accede to the demands or take the
consequences.
Senator FRYE. And you were a member of that committee?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. NO; I was of the executive committee. This was
a committee appointed for the purpose of carrying the resolutions to
the King.
The CHAIRMAN. Did the King accede to the demands?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. He did.
Senator GRAY. Did he grant a new constitution?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Yes; he proclaimed the new constitution which
we wrote out. I can tell the details of that. *
Senator FRYE. That was the constitution of 18S7?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Yes.
Senator GRAY. Did the King proclaim that by his own authority?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Did his cabinet join him in signing it?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Do you know whether the legislative assembly took
any action in regard to that constitution?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. It was taken in this way—recognized as the law
of the land, and that question was never raised.
The CHAIRMAN. The general grievances of which you have been
speaking, I suppose, consisted of the King's connection with the opium
bill?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. That was one.
The CHAIRMAN. What else?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. It got to that point that the Government did not
exist for anything but to tax the people and give them no return for
it. Money was squandered in different directions—it was squandered
in an embassy to Russia to assist at the coronation of the Czar. Then
there was a man-of-war bought by Kalakaua, in which there was a
stealage of something like $10,000. This was common report in Honolulu.
The CHAIRMAN. That is the information upon which you were acting?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Yes. Two of the ministers got $500 a month,
but they actually only got $150 a month, and the remainder went to
the King. The register of public documents, an office the same as
our county recorders, whose office is carried on and supported by fees—
in that office the King put a notorious man and entered into an agreement
with him that he should have $150 a month and the balance of
the fees to go to the King.
The CHAIRMAN. This is a general description of the nature of the
abuses of which the people were complaining?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. HOW long was it after that reconciliation or restoration
of confidence in Kalakaua that you remained in Honolula or in
the islands?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Of course, the revolution was the 30th day of June,
1887, and I remained there until the middle of July, 1888.
The CHAIRMAN. Where did you go then?
Mr, MCOANDLESS. I went over to the State of Washington and
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 965
stayed there about a year. But my interests were the same in the
islands.
The CHAIRMAN. And you returned to the islands?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. And remained there until when?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. The 1st day of June, last year.
The CHAIRMAN. Where was your place of residence on the islands?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Honolulu.
The CHAIRMAN. Were you carrying on this business of sinking wells
dining all this time?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. That was your vocation in this country?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you have many men in your employ?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. The business varies there. At times I had 30 or
40 men.
The CHAIRMAN. Were these wells sunk on private account or Government
account?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Mostly on private account.
The CHAIRMAN. Did the Government have any interests in any of
them?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Yes; we have drilled wells for the Government.
The CHAIRMAN. Under contract?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. Under contract.
The CHAIRMAN. Between the period of the establishment of the
constitution of 1887 and, I will say, within a year before this recent
revolution, what was the state of the public mind, the public order, in
Honolulu, I mean among the Hawaiian people?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. The state of the public mind from 1887 was that
we had made a mistake, a serious one, that we had not carried out our
intentions, because the King had no sooner proclaimed the new constitution
than he began to reach out for his prerogatives, and it was a
conflict from that day up to January, 1893, between the people and the
sovereign.
The CHAIRMAN. During that period of time do you know of any
movement to break down the constitution or of dethroning Liliuokalani
or for the purpose of annexation to the United States?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. From that period up to the 14th of January of
last year?
The CHAIRMAN. Yes.
Mr. MCOANDLESS. I do not; except the Ashford and Wilcox conspiracy.
The CHAIRMAN. If such an organization as that had existed in
Hawaii would you necessarily have known it?
Mr. MCOANDLESS. I will state it this way: I was in the revolution
of 1887, and was one of the executive committee. I was one of the
committee of thirteen that made the constitution of 1887, and I was
one of the committee of safety that was organized that afternoon from
a large crowd, and I do not think anything of that kind could have
been in existence in the Hawaiian Islands and I not know it.
The CHAIRMAN. SO that your position was a prominent one in connection
with this movement that you have been describing?
Mr. MCCANDLESS. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. NOW, at what time did you personally get the fir^t
information that Liliuokalani had discarded the constitution of 1887, or
intended to do so ?

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 Senator {{sc|Frye.}} And you were a member of that committee?
 Mr. {{sc|McCandless.}} No; I was of the executive committee. This was
 a committee appointed for the purpose of carrying the resolutions to

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 we wrote out. I can tell the details of that.
-Senator {{sc|Frye.}} That was the constitution of 18S7?
+Senator {{sc|Frye.}} That was the constitution of 1887?
 Mr. {{sc|McCandless.}} Yes.

Template:964-965 - Revision history

Jere Krischel at 16:38, 13 January 2006

Jere Krischel at 16:35, 13 January 2006

Jere Krischel at 15:01, 6 January 2006

Jere Krischel at 05:00, 12 December 2005