Show MINISTER THURSTON I 1 I 1 blounts report gives but one side THE TRUE SITUATION IN lif HAWAII it looks as if it blount blounts s mission was to get got only data from the enemies of 1 tho the Queen Dolph views I 1 washington nov 21 lorrin A thurston the hawaiian minister gave out a statement tonight he ile a says as 1 I am urged to make a statement lor or publication I 1 li setting forth tho the position and I 1 claims of the hawaiian government and slid t making a reply to tho the ells charges es contained i in blounts report As T I 1 received no official information inor mation that blount has made a report I 1 am unable to intelligently state what the position and I 1 claims of the government covern ment are A largo large portion of the published extracts from blounts report consist of personal attacks 1 upon me jaad and those associated with me in the provisional government impugning our veracity eracio era cit good faith and courage and charging us wath with fraud and duplicity I 1 first I 1 desire to call attention to blounte blounts method of constructing his report although in in several places lie elates states I 1 was the leader of the tile movement lie never asked me a question concerning the same nor has given me an opportunity to make any statement the same is is true of 0 ft it large number of other men who took a leading part in the movement it in january his ilia evidence consists exclusively of prepared r affidavits or answers to leti leading questions put by himself at private interviews ter views no one else being present but a stenographer in no instance was there any cross examination or opportunity given to explain the evidence A brief examination of 0 the published portions of the report shows numerous incorrect statements blount charges the american troops were landed under a prearranged agreement with the committee of safety at no time did stevens or captain wilts assure me or the committee or any sub committee thereof that united states troops would assist in in overthrowing the queen or establishing the provisional government and as a matter of fact they did not so assist 1 I can produce witnesses in in support of my statement in statement he says when tho the committee of safety told stevens they were not ready to act ho lie replied gentlemen the troops of the boston will land at 5 whether you aro are ready or not the reason for this reply and the subsequent sequent landing of the tile troops is manifest the troops were landed to pr protect 0 feet american citizens and property and not to co operate cooperate with themy c cittee and the committee had no more knowledge than did the tile queena queens government where the troops were going nar nor what they were going to do hie tile whole gist of damons long examination is likewise contained in the statement when the request was made forthe for the support of tho the united states troops etwas it was refused refuel by commander sending back word captain wilts ordera orders are remain passive sive blount charges but for the support 0 of the united states representative and the troops the establishment of the provisional government was impossible me although tile of the american troops may bavo have prevented tet bloodshed ahey they were w ere not essential essen bial and did not assist in in the overthrow of the queen the result of the movement would have been eventually the te same if there had not been a marine within 1000 1 miles oi of t Ilono honolulu lulu in support of this OAS statement the troops did not kind land till I 1 monday slon day night might tho the iolli of january a after the revolution was in in full fall pro progress grose since tile afternoon of saturday tho tile irth during wh which ch t time 0 t the e comm committee atee 0 of safety openly orga organized n iz forthe for alie avow avowed w d purpose 01 of overthrowing vort hr ing the queen IS second nd there was absolutely no attempt at concealment from the government mant of the objects and intentions of the tile committee third the queen her cabinet and aup supporters were utterly demoralized sus suspicious of one another and devoid of leadership leager leadership ship fourth tho the committee and their supporters were united they had amvie amile force to execute their purpose they knew precisely what w hat they wanted and n proceeded with intelligent deliberation thoroughness and confidence to it it is admitted by all that the queen began tho tile revolution at noon on saturday by attempting to promulgate a constitution ution such an attempt was immediately followed by preparations for armed resistance and the united states troops were landed at 5 on mon da in j n of tile on the afternoon of saturday in in rep reply to a request from tho the cabinet for a advice the ie queen botill insisted upon the promulgation P tin ti n of I 1 a constitution and supporting g ibby it by force I 1 advised them to artin declare I 1 clr thea the queen e en in in revolution and the throne vacant and at tho the request and approval of two of them and the tile tacit assent of the other two then and there drew up the form of the proclamation that in in effect the same afternoon at a meeting of about citizens the queen denounced e armed resi resistance stence and counter revolution were openly advocated and the I 1 queens een I 1 a minister of the interior john 0 lin colbourn I 1 addressed a ine meeting eting the queens attorney general peterson and her attorney paul neuman Neur nan were both doth present r besent 1 taking part in the meeting the h e committee of safety publicly then and there armed and proceeded forthwith to organize bat at 0 6 sund sunday morning the tile I 1 told peterson aff and colbourn Col bouru tho the committee intended to depose the queen and establish a provisional government 11 ern ment if they would w take char charge e 0 of f the movement well and good M otherwise e r the committee intended to tako take action on its own account they asked I 1 for twenty four hours in which to con eider the matter I 1 declined to wait stating the committee intended to proceed forthwith the committee met openly at 10 and remained in session during the greater part of tile day while several government police kept watch over the building from the street monday morning at 9 tal the e committee without any attempt at I 1 I 1 concealment met at my boffice office ice within feet of the th police station and marshal ab a I 1 wilsons headquarters where the entire police force was stationed while the meeting was in progress wilson came to my office and asked raked to to mp me privately and we went into int tc ackad an adjoining room our conversation in substance was as follows wilson said I 1 awat want the the meeting ts stopped topped referring to the mass meeting or for the tile afternoon I 1 replied it cant be stopped it is too late he ile said the queen hag has abandoned the new constitution idea 1 I replied now do we know she will not uko take it up again she said she would ho said 11 1 I will guarantee she will not even if I 1 have to lock her up to keep her from doing it and ill do it too it if necessary 1 I replied wo we ure not willing to accept the guarantee as RS sufficient the thing has gone from bad to worse until we are not goine going to stand it any longer we are going to take no chances in the mauer matter but will settle it now once for all wilson has sicco stated that tha t ll 11 lie e immediately reported to W the cabinet an and d advised arresting the committee but the cabinet were afraid and refused to allow it at 2 on the afternoon of monday the 16 themas the mass 8 meeting of unarmed men was held within a block of the palace the meeting was held with tremendous enthusiasm and unanimously adopted resolutions declaring the queen in revolution and authorizing the committee to proceed to do whatever was necessary the police were present but no attempt was made to interfere with the meeting or make any arrests the mealing adjourned amid the most intense excitement and the citizens dispersed waiting the further call of the committee while the meeting was in progress another meeting was being bield by the royalists within a block of the armory which adopted resolutions in support of the queen never in the history of hawaii had there been such a tense condition of mind or more imminent expectation pec tation of bloodshed and conflict than after the adjournment of these two radically opposed meetings 0 blounts Blo unta statement that the community was at peace and quiet is grossly inaccurate two hours after the ie adjournment journ ment of the above meetings captain wilts and stevens acting upon their responsibility and discretion and irrespective of the request or actions of tho the committee landed the troops troop which were distributed in three parts part ot the city instead of being massed at one point as stated by blount 1 in support of the third proposition during the few weeks prior to the revolution colebourn minister of the interior one of the tile leaders ol 01 the political party op opposed ased me and wag was openly and bitterly hostile to me personally the first intimation of a revolutionary intention of the queen was at 10 on the when colbourn came to me greatly excited he told me the queens intention was to promulgate a new constitution and asked my advice I 1 said why do you not go to the members of your own party he replied 11 1 have no party those who have been our supporters are supporting eup porting the queen the down town people people referring to the merchants have got no usg use for me and unless the members of your party and the other citi citizens zeni will support us we are going to resign right away at I 1 the same day I 1 met all the members of the tile cabinet they had just come from an interview with the queen at t which she announced lier her intention of promulgating a constitution and demanded their support they stated sho she threatened them with mob violence whereupon where a they immediately left the palace each one going out by a separate entrance while we wo were talking a messenger came from the queen requesting them to immediately return to the palace pal lace peterson and colbourn Ool bourn positively refused to do eo so stating they did not consider their lives safe there I 1 shortly afterward started down town but was overtaken by the mes messenger akl asking mo me to return which I 1 did T they hey ask asked me to ascertain what support the they could expect from the citizens and F formally authorized me to state the condition of affairs to the leading citizens and in their behalf call for arm armed ed volunteers to resist the queen I 1 I 1 immediately proceeded to comply with the request and with the assistance of others within an hour or two thereafter about eiga eighty ty leading citizens signed a written statement agreeing to support the cabinet against the queen by force later the same afternoon colbourn Ool bourn informed me they had finally come to the palace and held a stormy interview with the queen ue ile told me he lie had bad no confidence in hia his colleague peterson who he believed was playing double with him bim and told me to beware of telling peterson anything further lie ile said while were discussing tho tile matter with the queen she said in reply to an objection made by py peterson why did you not make this objection before you had the tile constitution in your possession for a month and raised no objection to it colbourn further stated that at a caucus of their party the previous friday night one ono of the members of the executive kalanda by name said if ho lie could establish the new constitution he lie would die happy if he could kill five white men before dying the queen was furiously ang anery ry at the refusal of the cabinet to join in pro T mul eating the constitution and publicly denounced them when the queen made the announcement of her failure to promulgate the constitution two leading royalist members of the executive one on the throne steps and one on the steps of the building build ing addressed the as assembled bowd crowd denounced tho the cabinet as trait ors and eaid said they wanted to shed blond blood one of them included tho the queen abeen in his denunciations during the entire time between noon oon on saturday the and the afternoon of tuesday the tile when tho the provisional govern government was proclaimed the tile queens cabinet was without a plan of f action and did practically nothing but rush about tho the city consulting with various foreign representatives and citizens ciar of all 11 parties as to what they had bad better do begging the american minister for the support of the american troops against the tile committee of safety and nd securing from th the queen the declaration that sho she would not again atte attempt ampt to abrogate the constitution which they hurried I 1 into print and distributed I 1 broadcast to try band and appease the indignation of the citi citizens zens and break up the proposed mass MRSS meeting in support of the fourth proposition the es essential factor ia is judging whether the force of the committee was sufficient and their confidence was well founded is to know what the same men under under conditions bad done upon previous circumstances in 1887 the tile king by a manipulation of the tile electorate encroached upon popular rights and and obtained an autocratic power over the people lie ile was supported by practically the same persons who now constitute the royalist party in hawaii the situation then the 0 opposition 1 into an organization practically tica if the tile same as the men who organized and now constitute the provisional government such an organization tl 0 n was wa formed with the openly avowed intention of wresting from the king ir s powers and dethroning him the tile executive committee of 0 thirteen in control of the tile movement called a mass meeting resolutions were e adopted denouncing the king and demanding the granting of a new constitution depriving the king of all personal power the resolutions were presented to the king by the committee who were unarmed and alone proceeded direct fim finta the meeting to the fortified palace with the tile ultimatum that ho lie was to corn coin ply aljy with the demands within twenty four four hours or take the consequence the king was then in in absolute control his ilia military strength was greater and the control of the public buildings build inea was more complete than that of tho the queen in Janu january arr last lie ile did not fire a shot but submitted to all the demands disbanded the troops and turned the whole control of the tile over to the revolutionary party darty who in consideration of his abject submission allowed him to continue on the throne in a figurehead capacity caFa capacity city in 1889 while wIle the same men who now constitute tho the provisional government were in control of the kings government ern ment a conspiracy was organized among the royalist supporters of the kine king and Liliu okalani for the overthrow overt lirow of the cabinet and the restoration of the old roval 1 power and constitution the consa conspirators orators took the cabinet by surprise and on tho the night of july took possession of all till the artillery and fortified the palace all the regular troops by order of the king refused to assist the cabinet who called upon the whole militia and white citizens for assistance si the call was promptly responded to the fighting opened at 9 in the morning with less than thirty cabinet supporter supporters in position in front of the palace which number was later increased to about the royalist revolutionists opened with a furi ious ioas fire of both lyth artillery and small arms within half an hour they were driven from their guns seventeen were killed and twelve wounded and before dark all of them had dispersed or were |