966-967
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Mr. McCandless. So soon as she came on the throne, or so soon as the remains of Kalakua came back (of course that was the first information that we had of his death), rumors were circulated that she did not intend to, or would not, take the oath under the constitution of 1887. We had information that she hesitated, and that the chief justice urged her, and the friends urged her, to sign the constitution, and she did so with hesitancy. Then, probably in the fall of 1892, my brother came to me with the information that the Queen had a programme. This information came to him, I think, from Mr. Peterson, but I am not sure on that point—that is, her late attorney-general—that the programme was to give the opium to the Chinese, which would win the Chinese; to give the lottery to the gamblers, which would win the gamblers, and to grant a new constitution to the Hawaiiaus. All that was then left were the missionaries, who could go to Hades. That was the programme that was given to me in the fall of 1892. But we did not believe it. There were rumors of that kind constantly through the Legislature during the term of the Legislature of 1892. But anything aside from that—it came to me about half past 1 on Saturday afternoon, the 14th of January.
The Chairman. Do you recollect the month in which the Legislature met?
Mr. McCandless. On the 30th day of May.
The Chairman. And continued in session without interruption?
Mr. McCandless. Without interruption; yes.
The Chairman. Was that an exciting term of the Legislature?
Mr. McCandless. Very much.
The Chairman. And the public attention was brought to its proceedings?
Mr. McCandless. Constantly.
The Chairman. And it was during this session of the Legislature that you heard this rumor, that it was suggested that Liliuokalani intended to overthrow the constitution?
Mr. McCandless. Yes.
The Chairman. And you stated the information to be that she had in fact attempted or intended to make the attempt to overthrow the constitution?
Mr. McCandless. Yes; on the 14th of January I was walking up Fort street and I met Mr. Hopper, a gentleman who has a large rice mill in the Hawaiian Islands and lives just adjoining the palace grounds. He said, "The Queen is up there attempting to promulgate a new constitution." I laughed at it, because she had won everything, and had appointed her own ministers and had control of everything for a year and a half.
The Chairman. And had passed the opium bill?
Mr. McCandless. Had passed the opium and lottery bills, and the ministry would do her bidding.
The Chairman. And you thought that was all she would do?
Mr. McCandless. I thought that was enough for her to do. He said, "You go into Spreckels' bank, and you will find out." I went into Mr. Spreckels' bank, to Mr. Spalding, and I said, "I understand that the Queen is giving us a new constitution." He said, "It is so; I have just come from there." I walked up to the corner of Fort and Merchant streets—that is probably the business center of Honolulu—and the people began to congregate immediately. In a little while the information began to come down from the palace, which was about three blocks from there, of how matters were progressing there. Finally
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the crowd grew to several hundred—of course this was all white people's business—and probably about 2 o'clock, or half past 2 o'clock, the information came down from the ministers to know what support they could get as against the Queen.
The Chairman. Who brought that information?
Mr. McCandless. I could not say; It was sent down by messenger.
The Chairman. Sent to whom?
Mr. McCandless. Just down town. They knew who the business men were and where they would be likely to be.
The Chairman. What did you say was the nature of the message which had been sent?
Mr. McCandless. To know what support the ministers could get from the white people as against the Queen. They went into the office----
The Chairman. Let me understand whether it was the common understanding of the crowd there that the ministers had made such a suggestion or such a request?
Mr. McCandless. Yes.
The Chairman. Then they went into the office?
Mr. McCandless. Went into the office of W. O. Smith. Someone took a piece of office paper, brown paper such as lawyers use, the size of a sheet of legal cap, and then wrote a heading in lead pencil stating that, "We hereby agree to stand by the ministers against the encroachments of the Queen"—something to that effect. It was only a line or two, and the people as they came in signed that.
The Chairman. About how many?
Mr. McCandless. There may not have been more than a hundred. That included most of the lawyers there. Paul Neumann----
The Chairman. Paul Neumann?
Mr. McCandless. Yes; and Mr. Cecil Brown, an Englishman, who was very much wrought up over the matter. There was scarcely anyone who entered the office, and whom I knew, but signed the paper.
The Chairman. DO you remember any person who refused to sign it?
Mr. McCandless. I do not.
The Chairman. Do you think there were as many as a hundred signatures to the paper?
Mr. McCandless. I should judge so.
The Chairman. What was done with that paper?
Mr. McCandless. I do not know.
The Chairman. Do you know who took charge of it?
Mr. McCandless. It was left on that desk. It was certainly there the next day. In fact, it was there Monday. Of course, the information kept coming down right along, and finally some of the ministers came down.
The Chairman. As I understand you, that was an enrollment of the citizens who were with these ministers in their antagonism to the Queen?
Mr. McCandless. Yes.
The Chairman. Well?
Mr. McCandless. About 2 o'clock in the afternoon two of the ministers came down.
The Chairman. What day?
Mr. McCandless. The same day, within an hour.
The Chairman. Do you mean Saturday or Monday?
Mr. McCandless. Saturday.
Senator Gray. Name the ministers.
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