Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 182, 7 August 1894 — FACTS! STUBBORN FACTS! [ARTICLE]

FACTS! STUBBORN FACTS!

To the Eklitor of the Chrisli<m ) Leader : Wouhl it not be well for tbe Lea<ler to give its readers some of the testimonv submitted by Secretary Greshara and Commis- | sioner Blouut in the case against ex-Minister Stevens and the i Provisional Hawaīian Government? The current number of i tbe Leader attacks President Cleveland, theSecretary of State, aud Commissioner Glount in its i eolumn of “Personals” and by its extracis from ths Watchman. Now, in the first pla«.V, Messrs. Grosham and BIonnt are botb gentlemen of the bighest integrity. The word of either is cer-'| tuinly as good as that of ex Min- j ister Stevens or Thurston, while weight ought to bo attached to the fact that the two former geutlemen are not personaliy iuvolvcd and interested, as are i the two latter. Conseqnently they wouKI naturally be freer from bias.

But, apart from all tbis, the oommunications whieh passed between the Committee of Safety aud Miuister Stevens as referred to or giveu by Mr. Orosfaam in his report. sbow tbat the Committee was snpported in deposing tbe Queen by Mr. Stevens and our navy; while tbe testimony of Messrs. Wunderberg (or Nuudeuberg), Damou, and Carter, members of tbe Committee of S«fety aod leaders in tbe movement, as given in Commissioner filonut’s report, prove tkat, by direction

of Mmistoi Steveos. oor aaanne* *rere Ianded oa the afternooa nf Jan. 16‘h—25 hours bef >re the provisional gover:.raent was proelaimed; tiiat they sopporte<l the Comraittee of Safetv iu overtbrowing tbe monarcby; and thnt tbe revo!utiou could not bave succeeded witbout the support of our raiuister and the navy. In his reply to the charges in Bloont’s report, Hawaiian Miaister Thurston confirms the truth of the charge that tbe marines of the Boston were landed on the afternoon of Jun. 16th. In fact the puhlisbed defence made by Stevens und Thurs?on oniy serves to sostaiu tbe dam«ging charges aguinst the former gentlemun. wbose zeal in behalf of the revolutionists caused President Hjrrisou‘s S eretury of State.?.Ir. F.<-.ter, to rebuke him for going beyoud the boands of propriety. In view > f a!I this, would it not be wol! to credit the Administrution with an honest aad sincere desire to undo a«t far a« possible tbe wrong done to a weak and friendly natiou? The fact that the overthrown governraent was a monarchy has nothing to do with the right and wrong of the question, while the ideu that the oligarchy now in control of Hur waiian atfuirs is a republic is too absurd to be a worthy of serious throught or eonsideration. If to refuse to annei the islands or extend a j>rotectorate over thera is “unAmerican;” then the attitude of our government in ihe past has 1 been “un-American’’ for Mr. | Cleveland is only following tbe precedeuts establisīiēd by Mr. Webster in regurd to Hawaii in 1842, by Mr. Clayton in 1850, by Mr. Macy, aud by Mr. Blaine in 1891. And ean wo refuse to do less than £ngland did dnring the reign of King Kamehameha 111. when Adrairal Thomas, eommandiug the British naval forces iu the Pacific, hauled dowu the Biitish tlag whieh had been raised over these i.slands some months before by Lord George Puulet? This act of restitution on the part of England was eonsidered highly honorable. Will the dignity of onr nation suffer if we are equallv honorab!e? F. M W. \ Belfast, New Y'ork.