Blount Report: Affairs in Hawaii
[Previous Page] -- [View
PDF] -- [ View in MS Word] -- [Next
Page]
[ Return to Table of Contents ]
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 499
ing her for a new constitution, and she thought this was an opportune time to grant
them their prayer and asked us to countersign her signature that she wanted to place
on the document. Each one of us got up, one after the other, and told her that we
could not accede to her wishes, and advised her to abandon the idea. She was very
determined at first, and said she should promulgate it anyway. We reasoned with
her and left her to think the matter over again, and at the same time take rest.
Messrs. Cornwell, Peterson, and myself left the palace and went to the Govern-
ment building; we held a consultation and sent a message to each of the diplomatic
corps; they all arrived and we entered into consultation again. The gentlemen of
the diplomatic corps urged us very strongly to return to the palace and inform Her
Majesty that she must abandon the idea at once. While this was going on at the
Government building, Thurston and others who had heard of this matter were
enrolling names down town with the avowed object of supporting the Cabinet in
their positions and the stand they had taken. Thurston then came up to me and
said to oppose the Queen's intention as the foreign element of the community did
not want a new constitution, and we could receive support, all that we wanted,
even if it was necessary to depose her. At 3 o'clock, of that day we left the Govern-
ment building again, and started over to the palace as the Queen had just sent us a
message she wanted to see us at once.
As we were hurrying over there, and just before I had got out of the gate at the
entrance of the Government building yard, W. O. Smith, the present attorney-
general, came rushing in in a hack very much excited, and said, " Colburn, don't be
alarmed; buck the Queen all you can; the troops of the Boston will assist in support-
ing you in your stand; make all the haste you can. Mr. Stevens has sent an order
to the captain of the Boston, and his men with their guns and ammunition are
already in the boats of the ship ready to come ashore at once." I made no reply to
him except telling him we were then on our way to the palace. He left me, and I
sung out to my colleagues, and told them what Smith had said to me. We arrived
at the palace, and the Queen, who was waiting for us, asked us if we would read the
new constitution she wanted to promulgate, and compare it with the one forced
upon the late. King Kalakaua by the Reform party in the revolution of 1887, and
also the one promulgated by Kamehameha V in 1864. We replied that we would,
sat down, and after comparing it we found some detects in it and pointed them out
to her and advised her again to abandon the idea. After a little while she spoke
up, and asked us if we were a unit in our advice, and we all replied yes. She then
said she would pay heed to it and would inform her people who were still waiting,
that she could not give them what they wanted, and to endure their grievances
(this implied to the Constitution of 1887). She did so, and the people departed for
their homes.
Mr. Peterson and myself went down town to the office of W. O. Smith, where there
was a large gathering of the foreigners, and they asked me to speak to them. I did
so and told them all that happened; some of them asked if we did not think the
Queen would promulgate it at some other time, and I assured them we would never
allow her to do it as long as the people who lived here were not a unit on such a
subject. A little later about. 4:30 p. m. of that day, Mr. Thurston came to me with a
document written out by him and said, "Colburn, this is a request on Minister
Stevens and Capt. Wiltse to land the troops from the Boston and render you support;
you and Peterson and Cornwell must sign it and place it in my hands so that in case
yon are imprisoned by the Queen's orders that she can put this project of hers through,
then this letter can be delivered." I replied to him that I did not think it was neces-
sary, as I felt sure the Queen had abandoned the idea altogether; he insisted on my
taking it, and I took it and handed it to Peterson; where it now is I do not know,
but we never signed it, as there was no reason for it.
The next morning, Sunday, January 15, 1893 at 6 a.m., Thurston came to my house
and asked me to go with him to Peterson's house. I asked him what he wanted with
us at such an early hour, and his reply was, pressing business. I consented and
accompanied him to Peterson's house. Upon our arriving there we entered the room,
and when we were seated, the three of us, he said that he represented a committee of
safety who had had a meeting at his house on Saturday evening and decided to send
him to us with a proposition, and that was that we, Peterson and Colburn, should
depose the Queen. We asked him who this committee of safety was, and he replied
thirteen gentlemen picked out from all those that had enrolled to support the cabi-
net in opposing the Queen against her desires in re new constitution. We asked
him to furnish their names and he did so. He then said, it is the desire of this com-
mittee you two should depose the Queen and declare a provisional government.
Don't say a word about it to Parker and Cornwell, as Parker is a treacherous liar,
and Cornwell is not fit for anything, and simply does what Parker tells him to do.
He went on to say that it was their desire to get a division in the cabinet, and the
deposing of the Queen should appear to be done by a part of her own cabinet, or a
portion of the Government itself; and he went on to say that he could inform us that
[Previous Page] -- [
View PDF ]
-- [ View in MS Word ] -- [Next
Page]
Back to top of page
[ Return to Table of Contents ]
