Template:996-997

-p996-

of safety went there. When the committee went there they asked ton them, and they made the demand of the chief clerk----

Senator Frye. What was the danger to your committee of safety that made you call on Minister Stevens and ask him not to land the troops? What did you apprehend?

Mr. McCandless. We apprehended fire and the looting of the city. We heard those rumors right along.

Senator Frye. Incendiarism?

Mr. McCandless. Incendiarism; yes. There were two or three fires the very night that we took charge of the Government—two or three fires that they never accounted for.

Senator Frye. And that you apprehended from the lawless element and not the Queen?

Mr. McCandless. From the element that were her supporters.

Senator Gray. You knew you were going to make some trouble, did you not?

Mr. McCandless. Yes.

Senator Frye. Do you know why Arion Hall was selected?

Senator Gray. Of your own knowledge?

Mr. McCandless. I do not know of my own knowledge.

Senator Frye. Do you know of any other suitable place for the soldiers to be protected that night?

Mr. McCandless. That is the only reason for selecting that. I did not know of any suitable place. That is the only suitable place that they could get.

Senator Gray. Were you with Capt. Wiltse and Minister Stevens when they were selecting the place?

Mr. McCandless. No.

Senator Gray. You said you knew it was the only place they could get?

Mr. McCandless. Of course I knew; they marched out beyond the Government building; I saw them there myself, with stacked arms. They marched out King street until they got in front of Mr. Atherton's, that is a mile from the business center, and Mr. Atherton, I understood, invited them into his yard to get them out of the street.

Senator Gray. Did you see them out at Atherton's?

Mr. McCandless. No.

Senator Gray. Did you go out with them?

Mr. McCandless. No. Senator Gray. You went out afterwards?

Mr. McCandless. Yes; I passed them afterwards, going home.

Senator Frye. Did the committee of safety have anything to do with making any request as to the placing of troops in Arion Hall?

Mr. McCandless. No.

Senator Frye. When the Provisional Government took possession of the Government building, were there any American soldiers drawn up in sight of the Government building, in martial array?

Mr. McCandless. Not that I know of.

Senator Frye. When you went there was there any in sight?

Mr. McCandless. No.

Senator Gray. Do you know where they were?

Mr. McCandless. Yes.

Senator Frye. Do you know of any interference on the part of the United States to help or hurt the Provisional Government's cause?

Mr. McCandless. No.

Senator Frye. Or to help or hurt the Queen's cause?

-p997-

Mr. McCandless. No; it was one of strict neutrality.

Senator Frye. What was the understanding of the committee of safety—that these troops were to be absolutely impartial?

Mr. McCandless. Why, yes; that was all the information they had. They would not be anything else.

Senator Frye. You were there while Mr. Blount was there?

Mr. McCandless. Yes; for some time after he arrived.

Senator Frye. Did the various members of the committee of safety call on Mr. Blount with any communication?

Mr. McCandless. The committee of safety called on him—not the advisory council—called on him in a body to pay our respects to him, and he was informed there that any members of the committee of safety or advisory council were ready at any time to come before him.

Senator Frye. Were they invited?

Mr. McCandless. Not that I am aware of.

Senator Frye. You were not invited?

Mr. McCandless. I was not invited. The only one that I know of being invited before I left the islands was Mr. Bolte.

Senator Frye. What was he; a member ot the commitee of safety?

Mr. McCandless. He was a member of the committee of safety and member of the advisory council, and still of the advisory council.

Senator Frye. Is he an American?

Mr. McCandless. He is a German. He is at the head of the American house of Gimbaum & Co., of San Francisco.

Senator Frye. Do the Germans sympathize with you there?

Mr. McCandless. Yes.

Senator Frye. Almost unanimously?

Mr. McCandless. Almost unanimously. I do not know of a German in the Hawaiian Islands who was against the movement.

The Chairman. Claus Spreckels was?

Mr. McCandless. He was not there. But at the beginning Claus Spreckels was in favor of it.

Senator Gray. Do you know the fact of your own knowledge that when this committee, the members of the council, or any of them, called on Mr. Blount that he said it was a matter of extreme delicacy on his part to ask any of them to come before him to testify as to the strength or ability or authority of their own government, but he would be glad to hear them?

Mr. McCandless. I never heard that statement before. I called on him and Mr. Damon was the spokesman. After the assertion was made that any members of the advisory council, or the committee of safety, would be glad to call on him at any time, he said, "Mr. Damon, I want to have a talk with you one of these days." "Very well," said Mr. Damon, "I will be ready at any time."

Senator Gray. I wanted to know if you knew of Mr. Blount making that statement?

Mr. McCandless. No; I spoke to him and told him that I represented the younger element of Honolulu, and was there to assure him there were hundreds of young men in Honolulu who were prepared to call on him and make statements if he desired to have them, but they knew he was busy and did not care to call unless invited by Mr. Blount. That is the statement I made to him. He told me to thank the Americans for the offer, and that was all there was of that.

Senator Frye. Do you think of anything else you wish to state that you have not stated?