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Blount Report: Affairs in Hawaii

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400	HAWAIIAN   ISLANDS.
Mr. Foster to Mr. Stevens,
No. 70.]	DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, Feb. 1, 1893.
SIR : I append a copy of telegraphic * correspondence with your lega- 
tion, relative to the new Government of Hawaii. 
I am, etc.,
JOHN W. FOSTER.
Mr. Stevens to Mr. Foster.
No. 82.]	UNITED STATES LEGATION,
Honolulu, February 1, 1893.
SIR : Everything is moving on here quietly. The Provisional Govern- 
ment is discharging its responsibilities with firmness, discretion, and in 
the spirit of conciliation and magnanimity. The annexation sentiment 
has constantly increased since the departure of the commissioners for 
Washington, and with heartfelt earnestness is taking possession of all 
classes. Nearly all the Germans, the large proportion of the respect- 
able and responsible English, and almost the entire Portuguese popu- 
lation are warmly for annexation. This inclination of the Portuguese 
is quite important, for they number seven or eight thousand, are among 
the most industrious and saving, and they are thoughtfully led by 
Senor Canavarro, their charge d'affaires, who has resided here for years, 
and commands the respect and confidence of all the best citizens of the 
island of whatever nationality. Canavarro's wife, on account of health, 
and business, is obliged to spend much of her time in California, where 
she owns valuable property. Annexation and the United States have 
good friends in the Canavarros.*
As to terms of annexation, I still adhere firmly to the opinion ex- 
pressed in my despatch No. 74 that the sugar bounty to be paid to the 
Hawaiian sugar planters should be limited to 6 mills per pound - $12 
per ton, so long, and only so long as the United States bounty system 
shall be maintained. To the objection that this allows only $12 per 
ton on Hawaiian sugar while the Hawaiian planters get twice the 
amount per acre that the Louisiana planters do on the average, and 
as I said in my despatch 74, the concensus of opinion among the lead- 
ing planters here, obtained by me five or six months since, was, and is, 
that $12 per ton bounty will place all the Hawaiian plantations worth 
maintaining on the road of financial safety and success.
As to the form of Government for the islands, I now only vary from 
views expressed in my 74 as to incline strongly to the opinion that the 
beginning should be substantially like that of President Jefferson and 
Congress in respect of Louisiana in the act of 1804, page 283, United 
States Statutes at Large, only differing from that by providing, in 
addition to governor, attorney-general, a commissioner of finance, a 
commissioner of the interior, and a legislative council of thirteen or 
fourteen, all to be appointed by the President, unless it should be 
deemed best for the governor to appoint the attorney-general, and 
the commissioners of finance and the interior, who would be prac-
* See Mr. Stevens's telegram of January 18,1893, and Mr. Foster's telegram of Janu- 
ary 28, 1893, in reply.
* The remarks relative to Senor Canavarro, the Portuguese charge, strictly confi- 
dential.

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