HAWAII. 



353 



the same purpose, furnished tangible subjects 

 of complaint. International, commercial, and 

 political jealousy was an important element in 

 the situation, as the Americans, who had been 

 instrumental in the development of the country 

 and possessed the main commercial interests 

 there, were suspicious of the English loan. 

 Revolutionary plans were discussed. Many 

 were in favor of proclaiming a republic, and 

 appealing to the United States Government to 

 annex the country. Receiving no encourage- 

 ment from that quarter, the substantial citizens 

 of Honolulu and the vicinity, representing a 

 large part of the wealth of the kingdom, de- 

 termined at least to compel the King to lay 

 down the power that he was using to ruin the 

 country. At thia stage of affairs a scandal 

 transpired that afforded a pretext for action. 

 The Assembly had passed a bill to license the 

 sale of opium. A Chinese planter and mill- 

 owner of Ewa, named Tong Kee, and usually 

 called Aki, was approached by another China- 

 man and by Junius Kaae, the register of con- 

 veyances, a Kanaka, who told him that he could 

 have the license or monopoly if he would bring 

 $60,000 to the King. He declared in an affi- 

 davit that he took $20,OUO to the palace and 

 placed it in a drawer that the King pointed 

 out, and at another time he and his friends and 

 servants carried $40,000 in bags of gold, and 

 laid it in a trunk as the King requested ; and, 

 when more was demanded, raised $11,000 

 more ; but when he had paid it over he learned 

 that another Chinaman had received the license, 

 having agreed, it was supposed, to share the 

 profits with the King. When Aki went to the 

 King to demand his money back, Kalakaua told 

 him that he had made it by smuggling, and it. 

 had now come to the right owner. 



The Revolution. The white residents of the 

 capital laid their plans of revolution with de- 

 liberation. The movement was conducted by a 

 secret political association called the League, 

 having about 600 members on all the islands, 

 with an executive committee in Honolulu. A 

 volunteer organization, called the Honolulu 

 Rifles, usually about 40 strong, was increased 

 to 800 members, and other military bodies 

 were formed. On June 25, as soon as 1,000 

 rifles, 70,000 cartridges, and other munitions 

 had arrived from San Francisco, they took pos- 

 session of the city. Minister Gibson had sent 

 to the agents of the English loan in Australia 

 for arms, but they arrived too late, and fell 

 into the hands of the rebels. Kalakaua's Royal 

 Guards, a native corps, admirably drilled in 

 parade exercises, and costing $80,000 a year, 

 could not be depended on, nor could the na- 

 tive and half-caste volunteers. 



On June 30 a large meeting was held in the 

 armory of the Honolulu Rifles, and resolutions 

 were adopted declaring that the administration 

 of the Government had ceased through incom- 

 petency and corruption, and calling on the King, 

 1. To dismiss the ministry, and invite either 

 William L. Green, Henry Waterhouse, Godfrey 

 VOL. xxvn. 23 A 



Brown, or Mark P. Robinson to form a Cabi- 

 net ; 2. To dismiss Walter M. Gibson from 

 every office held by him ; 3. To restore the 

 $71,000 that he had taken as a bribe for the 

 opium license ; 4. To dismiss from office Junius 

 Kaae, who was implicated in the transaction ; 

 5. To give a specific pledge that he would not in 

 the future interfere, either directly or indirectly, 

 in the election of representatives, or interfere 

 with or attempt to influence legislation or legis- 

 lators. The same day the King announced his 

 intention of calling on William L. Green to form 

 a Cabinet. The next morning, however, he 

 summoned the American minister and the Brit- 

 ish, French, and Portuguese commissioners to a 

 conference, and asked them to take over the 

 Government. They declined the trust, and 

 advised him strongly to choose a Cabinet, and 

 to grant a new Constitution without delay. 

 He denied having received a bribe from Aki, 

 but they counseled him to make the restitu- 

 tion. Gibson, who had tried to escape during 

 the previous night, but had returned to his 

 house through fear of the native populace, and 

 requested a guard of the Honolulu Rifles, was 

 arrested on July 1 by Col. Ashford, the com- 

 mander of that organization. The King re- 

 quested the foreign representatives to select a 

 ministry, but they declined, provided he would 

 allow Mr. Green to name the Cabinet. The 

 King consented, and the Cabinet was formed 

 as follows : Premier and Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs, William L. Green ; Minister of the In- 

 terior, Lorrin A. Thurston ; Minister of Fi- 

 nance, Godfrey Brown ; Attorney-General, 

 Clarence Ashford. The King returned the 

 following answer to the committee who pre- 

 sented to him the demands of the citizens : 



GENTLEMEN : In acknowledging the receipt of res- 

 olutions adopted at a mass meeting held yesterday 

 and presented to us by you, we are pleased to convey 

 through you to our loyal subjects, as well as to the 

 citizens of Honolulu, our expressions of good will and 

 our gratification that our people have taken the usual 

 constitutional step in presenting their grievances. 



To the first proposition contained in the resolutions 

 passed by the meeting whose action you represent, we 

 reply that it has been substantially complied with by 

 the formal resignation of the ministry, which took 

 place on the 28th of June, and was accepted on that 

 date, and that we had already requested the Hon. W. 

 L. Green to form a new Cabinet on the day succeed- 

 ing the resignation of the Cabinet. 



To the second proposition we reply that Walter M. 

 Gibson has severed all connection with the Hawaiian 

 Government by resignation. 



To the third proposition we replv that we do not 

 admit the truth of the matters stated therein, but will 

 submit the whole subject to our new Cabinet, and 

 gladly act according to their advice, and will cause 

 restitution to be made by parties found responsible. 



To the fourth proposition we replyj that at our com- 

 mand Mr. J. Onins Kaae resigned his office of Eegis- 

 trar of Conveyances on the 28th of June, and his 

 successor has been appointed. 



To the fifth proposition we reply that the specific 

 pledges required of us are each and severally acceded 

 to. 



We are pleased to assure the members of the com- 

 mittee and our loyal subjects that we are and shall at 

 all times be anxious and' ready to co-operate with our 

 councilors and advisers, as w'ell as with our intellL- 



