HAWAII. 



888 



dent Cleveland's letter accrediting him in the 

 following language: 



I have nui.lf choice of J unit's II. Hlount, one. of our 

 distinguished eiti/eiis, as my special commissioner to 

 visit the Hawaiian Islands, to make a report tome. 

 coned niiii: tlu- present status of alfairs in that country, 

 llr is well informed of our sincere <l..-irc to cultivate 

 and maintain to tin- fullest extent the friendship which 

 1 between the two countries, and in 

 all matters atleetiiii: relations \\ ith the Government 

 of the Hawaiian Islands his authority is paramount. 



On the 31st he gave notice to President Dole 

 of his intention to terminate the American pro- 

 tectorate, and on April 1 the naval authonties 

 hauled down the American flag and withdrew 

 the garrison of marines to the ships. In the even- 

 ing Mr. Stevens called on the commissioner to 

 urge the necessity of keeping the troops on 

 shore to prevent Japanese interference, as it was 

 suspected that the Queen had arranged with 

 the Japanese commissioner to have troops land- 

 ed from the Japanese man-of-war " Naniwa " to 

 reinstate her. The Japanese commissioner, 

 when he learned that the presence of the " Nani- 

 wa " had given rise to such a suggestion, request- 

 ed his Government to order the vessel away, and 

 expressed regret to Mr. Blonnt that any one 

 should charge that the Empire of Japan, which 

 had so many reasons for valuing the friendship 

 of the Government of the United States, should 

 consent to offend that Government by entering 

 into the conflicts of the Hawaiian Islands. On 

 May 4 Mr. Blount wrote that the indications 

 were unmistakable that a majority of the people 

 of the islands are opposed to annexation. In 

 his last letter, dated July 31, he said: 



The condition of parties in the islands is one of 

 quiescence. The action of the United States is 

 awaited by all as a matter of necessity. This condi- 

 tion, it can be assumed, will remain until the propo- 

 sition to annex is accepted or rejected. 



In the latter contingency no sudden movement is 

 likely to occur. The present Government can only 

 rest on the use of military force possessed of most of 

 the arms in the islands, with a small white popula- 

 tion to draw from to strengthen it. Ultimately it 

 will fall, without fail. It may preserve its existence 

 for a year or two, but not longer. 



Mr. Stevens was recalled in May, and then 

 Mr. Blount was appointed minister plenipoten- 

 tiary. 



The question was raised in the Senate as to 

 the constitutionality of Mr. Blount's appoint- 

 ment without the consent of the Senate. 



The manner in which Commissioner Blount 

 collected testimony is in dispute. It is charged 

 that he refused to listen to any but such as would 

 further a predetermined purpose to condemn the 

 Provisional Government. 



In his report to Secretary Gresham, July 17, 

 he describes the antecedents and character of the 

 Missionary party in the following words : 



From 1820 to 1866 missionaries of various nationali- 

 ties, especially American, with unselfish toil, patience, 

 and piety, had devoted themselves to the improvement 

 of the natives. They gave them a language, a reliirion, 

 and an immense movement on the lines of eivilixation. 

 In proeess of time the descendants of these good men 

 grew up in secular pursuits. Superior by nature, edu- 

 cation, and other opportunities, they secured wealth. 

 Thev sought to succeed to the political control exer- 

 cised by their fathers. Thw revered missionary dis- 

 appeared, lu his stead there came the Anglo-Saxon 



in the person <>f his son, ambition* to acquire wealth 

 and to continue that political control conceded to hi* 

 |>ioiis ancestor. Hence, in .-at in the native .1, -iurmtod 

 him it missionary, which has become u campaign 

 phrase of wonderful potehe , . 



This leads Mr. Blount to ask whether, with the 

 native convinced that the foreigners had stolen 

 his land, degraded free labor, and exposed his 

 daughters to the evil influence of an overwhelm- 

 ing degraded male population, with the whites 

 vaunting their wealth and intelligence, their 

 missionary work, and condemning the weak- 

 nesses of the natives, there was not a powerful 

 provocative to divergence and political strife t 



The commissioner traces all recent troubles on 

 the islands to the Constitution lorced upon King 

 Kalakaua by the Missionary party, and never 

 submitted to the vote of the people. The success 

 of the revolution of Jan. 17 he attributed to the 

 encouragement of Minister Stevens and the 

 menace of armed intervention. 



On Saturday evening, Jan. 14, a small body of men 

 Germans, natives, and Americans took upthe sub- 

 ject of dethroning the Queen and proclaiming a new 

 government with a view to annexation to the United 

 States. 



The first and most momentous question with them 

 was to devise some plan to have the United States 

 troops landed. Mr. Thurston, who appears to have 

 been the leading spirit, on Sunday sought two mem- 

 bers of the Queen's Cabinet and urged them to head 

 a movement against the Queen and to ask Minister 

 Stevens to land the troops, assuring them that in such 

 an event Mr. Stevens would do so. 



Failing to enlist any of the Queen's Cabinet in the 

 cause, it was necessary to devise some other method 

 to accomplish this. A Committee of Safety, consist- 

 ing of 13 members, had been formed from a little 

 body of men assembled in W. (). Smith's office. A 

 deputation of these, informing Minister Stevens of 

 their plans, arranged with him to land the troops if 

 they would request it " for the purj>ose of protecting 

 life and property." 



It was further agreed between him and them that 

 in the event they should occupy the Government 

 building, and proclaim a new government, ho would 

 recognize them. The two leading members of the 

 committee, Messrs. Thurston and Smith, growing un- 

 easy as to the safety of their persona, also went to him 

 to know if he would protect tnein in the event of their 

 arrest by the authorities, to which he gave his assent. 



A meeting of the committee was held that ni-rht at 

 the house of Henry Waterhouse, next door to Minister 

 Stevens's house, where they determined on the de- 

 thronement of the Queen, and selected ollicei- 

 this meeting it was assented to by all that Mr. Steven.-, 

 had agreed with the Committee of Safety that in the 

 event it occupied the Government building and pro- 

 claimed a provisional government he would recog- 

 nize it as a de facto Government. 



The leaders of the revolutionary movement would 

 not have undertaken it but for Mr. SteveiisV promise 

 to protect them airainst any danger from the Govern- 

 ment. Hut for this their' mass meeting would not 

 have been held ; but for this no request to land the 

 troops would have been made. Had the troops not 

 been landed no measures for the organi/ation of a 

 new government would have been taken. The Amer- 

 ican minister and the revolutionary loaders had deter- 

 mined upon annexation to the United States, and had 

 agreed upon the part each was to aet t the very end. 



He comments on the absence from the files of 

 the legation of Mr. Stevens's reply to the call of 

 the committee for the landing of marines, and 

 says that it was the first time that American 

 troops were ever landed on the islands at the in- 



