Hawaii Holomua, Volume I, Number 77, 17 December 1893 — The Rights of Hwaii. [ARTICLE]

The Rights of Hwaii.

The ietter of Secretary Greshana dealing wiih ihe Etatus of between this country and Uawwii. is one that will be reid witn :olerest by all whw have f<tIIowed the course of events since the a;inexationist8 on the isiand *sserted them9e!ves and estab!ished a provitionaI government whieh secured the hasty reci>gniti<>n of the L T nited Statee. Tne state document whieh the Secretary has made puhlie is • full and candid review of the o.i»e from its ineeplion. and, if correct in its details, ie cerlainlv correct 5n the conclusion that the mdej>endence of the Hawaiian government should be restored, and that with thia performance of a plain duty in--terference on the part oftle Uniieii States should c»ase. The fact that Minister Stevens exceeded hie autbority and c<>mmitted thie g»)vernment to an act of gro.-s and coward!y injustice is positiveiy aswhile tbe marines frora the United States ship Boston gave aid, comfort, and succe8s. to the revolii' iuniela under the prete nse cf protecting the life and property of Amenean citizens in Honolulu. This showing accounts for several facts that were at the time of their occurrence a matter of general d:scussion. It wili now he understood why the commisioner8 of the provisional governraenl and the representatives of Qneen Liluu okalani raced acr<>s3 the continent, eaeh seeking to first gain the eaj: o{ Secretary Fuster with the hope of securing favorable action on the part of ihe UniWd States. It expiains the bauling down of the American flag by Minister Blount when he reached Honolulu and there Iearned the true condition of affiirs, but it does not make clear why Minister Stevens pUyed the part of a usurper and made falae representations to his government,

afterwards admitting that they were false. Neither doesit account for the undue haste with whieh thc Harrison administration seiz»-d upon the opp«..rtunity for annexation and gave one of the most marked illustrations of jingoism in ihe whole history of tbe nation. The assertion9 made by Secretary Gresham are amply backed by th# c*>rre«pondence, letters. dispatches and verhal testimony u]K)n whieh such assertions are made. Th#y indicate beyond room f»r reasonabie doubt that Stevens acted with and for the annexationists. Il was •tipulated by him that if they

woulii gain p<3g3««aio!i of the hall and read tbeir pr*c!arnation. they ahould receive the recognition and protection of this government. They were not atro.ig enough to etand alone and were oppoaing a large majonty of the people in their revolutionary actiun. The co-oper-ation of Stevens waa the«r only hope and it waa heeauee of hia course, aupported by the force from the Boatoo, that tbe queen yielded. It waa an unparalleled act of injnatice on hia part and placed thi« nation in the hnmiliating attituda of neing ita superier power with the wanlon cruelty of a tyrant It *w«» a ehameleaa aasertion oftb« doctrme that might make& right and it wae a diagrace to hoiet the Americao flag whieh is the emblem of freedora, notofa people great power ia guided by greed of conqaest or who are indifferent to the rights of a aister govern ment whieh this naiion was the first to recognize. Stmple ju§tice calls for tbe restoration of the liawaiian government as Stevene fonnd it. —Dttroit Free Frets.