Hawaii Holomua, Volume II, Number 3, 4 January 1894 — LOOKING BACKWARD [ARTICLE]

LOOKING BACKWARD

NOW ANNEXATIONISTS, WERE FORMERLY MONARCHISTS. They Demanded the Independcncc of Hawaii and the Sovercignty of the King. In tLe year 1889, Lorrin A. Tborston was Minister of the ]uterior, aud Samuel M. Damon Mmister of Einanoe in tbe, tl»en C»binet Tbe late Henry A. P. Carter was Hawaiiau Miu:ster at Washingt>n D. C. On Jaue 8tb of tbat year, Mr. i Carter arrived in Honolulu, having been permitted to leave Wa.shmgtou for a mueh needed rest. About tbree monthe after his arriv»l here, it was rumored ■ th :<t he badadraft of a now treaty whieh wus to take the plaee of the present lleoiprocity treaty j tbut exists betneen this king dom aud tbe United States; and tbat he hud submittcd it to the j then Cabinet; Austin, Foreign; Thurston, Interior; Damon, Finauee, and Ashfonl Atty. General. 1 Thero were two or throo , clauses in the proposed treaty whieh were considered objectionable, and for fear that tho then cabinet woukl endeavor to use | undue influonces to proeure His Majesty’s consent a meeting of 1 uativo Hawaiians was held to consider the question. A large and cnthusiustic number was present. Tbe following resolution was uuanimously passed, at this meeting: “Whekeah —Grave rumors are curreut tbat a proposition bas beeu submittod. to Your Mujest/ containing clauses a!most amounting to a protectorate by the United States Government, whieh nimors seriousl}’ alurmed all loyal subjects of Hawaii. THF.nEFoRE.-Be it resolved that we a largo and representative body of Your Majesty’s loyal snbjects iu mass meetiug assembled lhis 26th day of i Septeinber, 1889, in the city of! Honolulu, do hereby publicly i and e&Anestlv pray thut Your M«jesty will withhold Y'our Royal asseut to any agreement, :

troj»ty or propositiou wliioh ma} - j atfect the imlepeiKlonee, aml autonomy of Yonr Majesty s Kinpilom. and we further ns 'ioiu M.ijesty’s loyal subjects, hutnbly pray that iu the eveut of any such treaty, arraugeiaeuts or proposition beiug sabmitteil, ! \our Majesty wouhl be gracions* j ly plea«ed, belore any fiual decision is arrived at, to allow the feeling of the naiion to be ex- i pressed. throngh their duly i elet!tetl reprosentatives in Lcgis- i lature assemblod for that special | purpose." A Committee of sixteen was! appointed to preseut a copv of 1 the above resolntion to the Kiug, j and aiso one to the cabinet. One of the loeal ncwspaj>ers in its notioe of this meeting bas the following; ‘ ‘The ehainuan thau called ■ for any foreiguer who was »illiug to say something for the indepemlence of the couutry. Mr. Kinney, tpresamably W. A.) a spectator iu the audieuce, was ' ealle»! upon by membere of the i amlienee. and made a brief spech saying. he eame as a gpecUtor, , bot he beUeved be eouhl asanre j the nativos witb j>?rfect honesty , that tbe great majority of the , foreigners did not sympathise , w.th the poliliea) aspect of that ] tr*aty at alL The idea ol landing , foreign troop* here was as rcvoi- , tmg to the whites as it was to the ] native«, aud be nnderatood that ■, the cabinet had repudiated that elauae at onoe. Whatever was j

I dooe shoold bc dooe above ! bo«rd.” '; Tbe C*binet made o leogtby ' ' reply to the Committee. from . whieh. is iakeo the following , ’ O&eial otteraccee; no doubi also repreeentiog the rieire of Thors- j | ton and Damon, now leading; Annexationi8ts: "We believe it to be the daty of tke Hawaiian Governnient to endeavor to secore the placing of our prodocts opoo the &nue ba?is as American prodncts in respeet I of bonnties and pririieges. “The Cabinet nre of the j opioion that the interests of this ! conntiy' f and pf everj’ race and indnstry resident or Iocated therein. will be best served by eonlinuanee of its present independent state, free from any protector.»te or controI ou tne ; part of anv foregu government.” , • It is, and ever will be, the endeavor of the present adtnin- j listration, to not only nnqualifiedly maiulaiu this statns, bnt ! to obtain sueh assarances and • guarantees thereof, as will re- | move the qnestion from the debatable politics of the world.” I Anim >ted as we are by the desire to strengthen aud extend tiie commerci«I ties whieh have done so mueh for onr national prospe- | rity and to secure the safe{y aud perpetuation of our institutions by an nllianee whereby we shall have the positive aud eflieacions guarantee of a strong friend against interference by itself or others with our perfeet antonomy , indeper.dence and sovereignty. j i we have instrncted our represen- ! tative at Wt;shington to ascertain, if the United States wonld | bo wiiling to negotiate with us a ; ; convention wberebytfae following ] objects may be secured.” < “1st. To eoniinue in force all i Treaties and Conveutions now i existing between the two nations, i until they shall find it mutually ] advantageous to abrogate or i raodify sncb treaties or Conven- < tious, or any of them. 2xd. That all products of either < eountry whieh are by virtue of tbe Eeciprocity Treatv admitted - free of duty iuto the other eoun- i ( trv shall be treated in respect of [ < bounties paid, exeraptions or ( immuuities and in all other res- ' pects as if such articles were of * the growth, produce or manufac- 1 ture of the couutry into whieh ( they are so admitted. s 3rd. To provide for the entry iuto either of the two countries, withont payment of dnty of all j products of the other, excepting, however opium, spirituous liqnors of more than 18 per cent. ‘ aleoholie strength, and all arti- , eles probibited hy law in either j conntrv.

: vv kiuu t • 4th. A positive and efficackms I guarantee by the United States j Government, of tfae perfect inilepemleuee aud autonomj' of tbe i Hawaiian Governmont in all its dominious, and its right of sovereigmty over such dominions. To euahle the United States Government to do this withoot danger of eompliealion with ] other powers, «« do agne not to negotiate treaties with other nations without the knowledge of the 1 uited States Government.’' “Any statements of objects or inteutions, and anv purported draft of a treaty stating more or other than is above iudicaied whieh raay havo been published are unfounded and incorrect.” ‘The Ministers are stronglv and unanimously of the opinion j that the accompiishnaent of the objects abore iudicated will tend to greatly increase tbe material prosperity of the eoun- ! try, and perpetuate the independence of Hawaii, and the sovereignty of His Majesty and I. His successors over all His , domiuions.’* I, “The statesments of objects or |, intentious ’ referred to. as being , unfounded and īnoorrect were ' < the following, *‘rroposed addi- 1 tions to artieie 4.” “And the Hawaiian Govern-11 ment further *grees in consider- | i ation of such guarantee. «nd to 11 enahlo the* United States to j e eftectually proteci ihe iudepou- j f ilenee and tranqoility o! Uie 11 Uawaiian lslandr. that’the forces t of the 1 nited States may have i access to aneh parta of the U Hawauan dominions as may ' x e • « aeeessary f.>r that purpoae.” 1, “lf (whieh God forbid) the ! s independence and sovereignty or ' r

the tr«Dqoii a.iraiaistr*tiou of tbe Hawaiiao Govemmei»t shoaKl ' be threatened, it is agreetl tb*t tbe force of the United Sk»tes msv have sacb freedom of action • • _ in the territories of Hawaii as mav be nccessarr of secnring tbe [ independeoce and peaeeloi administration of the Hawaiian Oo^emmeni” The AdrerH#rr in Ociober 1889 pablished the fol!owing; “We have been r»H|aested. on behalf of bis Majesty, to contra* ! dict tbe statement whieh has been poblished, thal the draft of | the so-called treaty' ’ was written at his reqoest. lt is nnderstood tbat neither he D3r his Cabinefc approves of a recipn>city treaty. on the terms given in that docament.” Speaking editorial!y tha above paper says, - TLat the Cabiuet j i.lo not intend to propose any form of annesation norany alienation o£ sovereignty is apparent.” | ‘ To this proposition all will . he«rtily say Amen!—tbat there shali be no annexation to the I United States or to any foreign : coontiy wbatever.” ■‘In any efforts that may be made by the government towards the perpetuation of the present treaty, or to eularge its operations to secnre free trade between the t\vo countries, everyone will heartily join. Mr. Cleveland is reported to havo said, that if we had asked to have the term of oar recii>rocity treatv exteuded to twenty years instcad of | seven years, the Senate wonld probably have granted the Ionger \ term just as re:idily as it did the shorter. If that be so, tho sarae body may be relied ou to perpetuate it when the necessity culls for their actiou. To eularge its operations so as to secure free trade between the two couutries requires the approval of the House iu Congress, regarding whieh there is more doubt, and could ouly be secured with great labor aud pecuinary eost.” Where do we find Thurston, ' Damon, and tbe Advertiser to- j day? Strongly advocating the carrying out of a scheme whieh they four years ago seemed to I look upou with horror, and whieh they eaunok, as honest men, look ! backward at with any feeling other than shame when they eousider their present positiou.