Show celebration of independence asked to recognize the event by a salute his curt refusal but added to the prejudice himself and cleveland oration delivered by W C smith he asserted their protection from harm by the american people alone prevented a of the scene at thermopylae Ilon olula jan 17 copyrighted 1894 by tho associated press since 1 the last advices but little of importance J baa happened here the people are J preparing for a grand blow ont in the celebration of the anniversary of the 4 provisional government established one year ago the annexation dab and american league have gone into the celebration with a will and there is little doubt but that it will be a great success adverse comment has been created by i tha fact that yesterday afternoon a j notice was sent to the united states minister by the provisional government that the of january was a national holiday end asking him if he would honor it with public notice and salutes from the united states war ships in the port this letter of invitation included two others addressed to the captains of the united states steamers philadelphia and adams askine them to join in the celebration at 4 p m yesterday a was re i which greatly startled the government ern ment the substance of willis reply is unofficially given as follows 1 I have received your notice of yester day and am obliged to say the united jj states binds it impossible at present to participate in the celebration of the national independence as proposed bv the provisional government of hawaii therefore I 1 decline to take part in such celebrations on the part of alie united states upon the receipt of this message the wildest excitement prevailed in govern ment circles they had thought that administration had ac the provisional government the states was prepared to eland by its guns the situation at the present writing is one in which the annexation ests are standing shoulder to shoulder the royalist question remains can this strained condition of affairs last it will bo bard to decide both B parties claiming the vantage minister a acillis haa undoubtedly decided against the an party and on the other hand the american party has decided against willis and consul general mills thought is still on and the result will be interesting the old charge that the royalists are better posted than the annexationists was received yesterday when the ex queens paper the II the fact several hours before known to the annexationists that willis had refused to burn powder in honor of the of january every preparation is now completed for the to be continued is throughout the day and a mass meet ey ing will be held tonight at union square formerly palace square A number of prominent speakers will deu addresses chief among these will artt a be a speech delivered by walter 0 smith candidate and leader of the american league and party in hawaii smith in his speech calls at to the fact tant the of 4 january 1793 the french people 3 beheaded a despotic king one hundred years from that day liere in hawaii the last independent sovereign on the western hemisphere lost her tl irone the of january has therefore gained alie right to known as one of the worlds democratic speaking of alie provisional govern ments recent defiance to president cleveland in refusing to surrender its power to the queen smith said there is nothing more inspiring in the annals of 1876 than the unwavering front which you presented in your great emergency one side was the chief of 1 l hero waa an armed boda of a paltry 1000 there was the strongest of modern powers with an army and fleets here were a few lone rocks in the ocean without a fort upon their pin without a gun upon n deck 4 there was a great government whose president had declared our dethroned a queen should reign again liere was a little band of men who said she must pass over their dead bodies first there in our harbor were alie broads idea of a possible foe liere on the shore wae a battalion behind ita sandbars sandbags sand bags the odds were great but alie patriots of 1 hawaii took them and if the american people aroused by that had not placed themselves between us and harm I 1 feel that bore upon this soil would have been a thermopylae not lesa consecrated to human courage than that which made immortal the memory of the greeks smith urged that alie idea of tion should not be given up but every energy should bo used toward that end if annexation was defeated bo advocated a on the american plan until lucli a time as hawaii was taken into the union he concluded as follows standing here on ground once consecrated to the pomp of monarchy knowing no dear as the stars and stripes we appeal to our countrymen to open their gates to ua of kindred blood but we pledge ourselves if that cannot bo dotie to at least be worthy of alie service by the work we ahall do on this soil for the elory of american principle |