Hawaii Holomua, Volume I, Number 67, 6 Kekemapa 1893 — Answer to L.A. Thurston [ARTICLE]

Answer to L.A. Thurston

JOHH F. COLBnEH HEiED FRŪM Thurston Roundly Scored. Ei»rror. Holoml a; L. A. riinr>ton the gentlein:iu wlio wrote to Mr. A. Bom on the 16th day of Mtrch, 1893, saying | that he had nn axe to grind did not want and would uot accej>t any officedid accept a coruinision, from the P. G. a- envoy extraor linary and ministcr plenipoteutiary. and has seen tit to reply at length to Commissioner B!«>unt’s r>*jvirt and drag in «11 that he could al»oiit mv condnct. and «viiat I sa:d aud d du t sav to !iirn in the <1 i\- »*rio; t> t!»e ovents loug t » be rememl>ered of J.tnoarv 17,1893. so I t>ke tli;s occasion with yoar indulgence to rciate what i «i.ii and s:i; l ilur:iig L'iose meinorabie days I will aUo mention some things Mr. I !iurston said and iliil at tbesaiu»* d ites. Tiiiirstt»n suvs that on tbr* 14th <>f J;tuua/y, itt 10 o’eloek I went him, greatly excited, and told him of tiie Qneen s intention to . *romulgate a constit*ution itnd h ked his advice but iie faiIstosay vhat advice he gave me. Ihe f;icts ure as follo\vs: A little nffcr nino o’eloek in t!ie raoruing of January 14th, after m v colleagues aud I had returued from t!ie Palaee, I learued from t!iem that it was the Qtieen’s in- ' : »n to promulgate a constitu tl’ >r tho Prorog.itiōn of tlie 3 * iture. I immediately ciilled i ..le.-igues together and dis < i Ihe raatter und we all coucl'ided lh.it wo woukl not agnc to nnv sueli proposition. Mr. Parkfer went over to the Q»v * : i t.> ioform her th tt. if our inforiii: i.*n was e .rret;t. siic sh 'idd ahaml on tht* idea, then and tln*n*, as we wouhl not e >tis nt to it. After Mr. i’:irkt r !eft tis. I eame oot of the Government Build ing and went dircct to Mr. A. S. H r.‘weH’s- 1 ffice. I t"ld Mr H .rt well wh.it I had heard, and th« discussion the cabinet had had ln regard to liie ma(ter, ttie poeiliou we ha i taken; and further said to iiiiu, it Iheliueen ins:sted upon proiau!guling a Constitution. 1 wo;i!d ri-ig!i at onee, as I did not take a seui in theCabin?t pledged to any such pul!cy. I asked him to wri(e me out a resignation so that I cou!d have it ready iu case ī should necd it. 3fr. Hartwell who has always b<eu « fnend of mine and an | occasional «dvi?er. and who. one hour before that, ealieii upon tbe Cabinet in Ihe private oliiee of the M oisi«T.of the Interi"r. ami c »ngr»tulated «s upoa our apjx>intment, said. “have yo*u any objecti"ns to my &skingThnrston toc*>me over and taik vvith us?" 1 replied that I d:d ti"t. wherenpon he went t> the t.'lepf»om* 1 r.»og up 1 ;iurston, ar.d aaked him to eome over at oao*. Io a short time, T;ii.r>t;n; appeare«f atiid I narrated my st 'rv uvt r ag.iin. When I tin;shed, T irst i tipjied iii? hat on li.e lxck of his head. rubbed '*h ; f 'rehead aud said: “I don't know wh.tt t«>doab >ut tbis uiatter.” I sp ke t p aud said: “I am not | gOi"g lo be a parly to auy uew j C -neūiulion, «ven thougb I may be «>ppos»-<l lo y» u and your friends iu n*g.ird lo ihe oustīng of the Brown—Wi)cox Cabmtt, I pro]>ose t<> i'laee myself righj m tbe eyes of the business commun:ty and coii6t»juently I wiil resign

rather ihan givc my*consent to it;” | be lo>>ked at me and said: ‘*Colburn. | you have a trt-mendous responsib:lity *o«i your shoulders. and doo t yoo res:gn or īhink of īt under aoy consideration because if you do, the Queen wil! aj»point another ministry at j onee, and they woukl not hesi- ' tite to countersign. and acquiesce in the promolgitiou of the same, aud before we know it the peoj>le of this conntry would have a eonstitution sb"ved down tbeir tim»itts.' \\ hiie we three were talking, W. O Smith acc:dentally dropped iu to theoffice; Tbnrstoa wont on and said, “Go to the | Qaeen at onee ancLa.dvi.se her to I give uj> tbe klea." I rej*lied that we had sent Mr. Parker thcre, but as yet hud nut heard fr»m ; iiiin. Tiiiirstua siid, “you g> aud t-!l her.” i replied that I eoukl not tell her at that particnl:ir Jim*>, as she was <lrcss ;.o pr-- ;' i:Tt >rv tu closing the L *gis latr.vc, he sjr>k“ up aud snd, “wh.it ditfereuce d that niake, ■ go arid see her uow, evsn if v».i ! hnve tosee «ern ike*l,” I refa.sed, ' »diereupon he askc-d ;f Peterson w.-|K so!id with my views, J said yes, he then asked if I woukl g> for Poters>n and bring him there at ouee. I went after Mr. Peter son. Upon meet'ag him in the oliiee of the Attoraey-Generiil, I told him about my conversation with Hartwell, Thnrston, and Smith, and inforraed him that they would like to see him with lllr-- w <* immediately rep iired to , H irtwel!’s office, wh**re the sams old story was goue through with and tlie diseussion was euded bv Tharston askiug Peterson if he woakl give his consent to have him (Thnrston) s>nt out to see what support he eoukl get to buck tbecnbinet in thestaud that they woukl take agninst tbe promu!g;iting of a new coustitutiou, hiuI not resign. We retired and l>repared for t!ie Legisl.-iture whieh was to close iu half an honr from that time. Uj>on onr leaving tho Palaee, I went direct to Thurston’s office to iuform him of what had takcn ]>!,ice L*e liaving heeome by t!,e chauge of circumstauces a eowprker with us for the eommon g iod of all. 1 did not kiul hini there, hut later oa did see him standing in the Hall of the government building. I iuvited iiim iuto Mr. Pebjrson s oniee :uul there we discassed the sub jcet togetber with a large uum ber of the business people whom I invited tbere for that pmq>ose. It \v:is there that Thi;rstoa sub , mitted to Pek rso;i for hi.s aj piov il his pl.ui f >r op; o i ig the Oaeea bv force aud dec!aring the throne vacaut, the United Statcs forces in the meanlime being iauded to virtually do the work. M <• re oiiiue.l at the goverument building till the Quet*n seut for ns. Ujiou g"ing lotūe Pulaoe W. O. S.uith eame ridiug up in a harry aud stoj>ped me oj>posite the Kainehameha statae. He said “do <’t be afr.ud Colbnrn, the trooj<s ou the B.»ston are «11 reudy to kiud the raunitiousof wur all iu the boats and thev ean be ashore ou u very >hort notice.’' ! I replied th«t 4he three of t s who had retire 1 f.o u tke Pakee j were ]v4aitiiug theiv aiui I expected the Qaeen wonld abttndon her projeet. He suid * I J et us kaow if you want the troops and yoa ean get them. ” As thē pahlie weli knows the Queen did abaudon her project. Lntter in the afteruo>n 1 uut Tharston aguia

j and tuKl bim 1 tlionght the tronj ble was all over. He replied uot moeh, she propo>es to sprin£ the constitation sonoo day, «nd wa cannot believe otherwjse. However I wa!ked t down with him to hss officf. iiile there Messrs Wundonber{; and J. B. Cast!e eame in. We disoussed whal h>id tm>ispired dnring the d »y. Thurston asked if l wonul t;»ke a proposition iuto consideratioa. I did not know what he meaut, aud left hiai saying tu.it I was t<>o tired to entertain anv proposition. I Att r I leff h‘m I st >pji<d - t \V. O. t Stci'h’s office where there was a Iir?e throng of p? >j>’e gst}ifr>-d ami as I wa!ked in th-v ciil.«i up I on :>e t) relat>’ wh it ha.i h ;>o.>n «1 i dnr‘.ig the day and wh .t ■ “«onj;ht , w.nud :>.• th • o «»V :.ct- - .r i - r ■{• ■ >t. >f l > l :i W , t I !| ,d u.;<| - " ; t :imugn i«Ik- ■ • '; * i :■? . !•.; ,,)ii,ied (iio a !.-.••• ..fy-!low p.iper. I saw at j t w T.i .rsto;> s hand-writing | and ■: w ;s a req iest t« J. K Stevens. Arnerican Mmister. and to C»pi.iu \V’;itZdof the H. <t >n to ainu tr,)oi.s t» :iS3!st in del.ir-»!iing the Q ieen. Whiie I was r adinff it Thurston eamein and s;tid, *‘Vou : sign that document C «lbtirn and g-t y i;r coMeageus t » sign it, and plaee it iu the hands ot s<«me one you ean trnst say Mr. Hartweil,for .t may happen that liie Queen wiii cause y.;u to be imprisoned , so as to carry on her work of 1 proaiuIgating this new c;)nstitat!on. I replied, I wouKl have to consult with my colleagues l>ef.»re I eouhl or woold sigu auy docu- j ment of that uature: however I kept possession of it. Petersou eauie iuto the sumo plaee a few miuntes later and 1 handed the documeut to liiiu. Snnday ra «rnrnga little before six o’eloek, Thurston called al my house, aud asked me to accomp tnv him to Peterson's lio»se, whieh I did. On Hrriv.il tbere, Thurston said he had somethingof a coufidential nature to tell us, and if we were opposed to it to troat it as snch. He went ou to say that a number I of gentlemen had met at his house the night before. an 1 they had decided to dethrone tiie | Queeu, had appoiated a Commit- 1 tee of Safety, numing thera. and they had seut him to us as a ' committee to ask if we wonld not take the initiative ie: to have us declare the Throne vacant and estiblish a provisienal government. This eommittee desired ns to siga the request to Stevens and Wilt.so. that was handed to us t'ie eveuing bcfore, and to change some of tbe w.mls to suit thi,s oeeasiou. Peterson then asked wiiat element waoted the Qieen dethr>>ned and for what reasons. Thnrston replietl th d it was the busiuess commanity, ahd it was her iuten tion to proranlgate a constitut;on at sorae future d ite. *We told hīin . that we wouKl uever allow her t» </o so. he replied that they could not trust her and the snspense was eqnal to sleeping ou a smouIderiug volcano. it raeant that they had to sleep on thvir rifles all the'time, and they w >oi<l not aud could not sUnd it; be went ou and said. we wani vou to do this work withoat sayiug a word to either of voar colieagues Parker and CornweIi. becanse the | former is a treacheroos liar, and j Oomwell does just what Parker i tells him to do, they are not to j be trosted and we want nothiug to ‘

;do with tbem. I asked him if the J u«lges and Dole were prvsent at j the meeting, and he declined to an>wer. Mr. Peterson then in foiraed him that if this was a ni* 'vemeut of the basine>;s eom* in’.;nity, he desiied to consult v th some of the busiuess gentle niea and get tbeir views, aud wo ild give his answej as earlv as |x>ssible. Tbnrston agree<l and d-[)arte<i. Lat<er in tbe same day be calied again at my honse but <lid not see me, I bave nc% seen n from that day to this. Peterson and I oonsnlted with j onr colleagues and six resj»onsi- ; bl-' ro< n of this coramunitv, actiug n- th<nr suggestions tbe c.ibinet ‘ issued a Proolam «tinn whieh was ■> 'O s;gned by tbe Queen a<~nr5ng tlie puhlie that no further a erapt wouKl be ma<le to proi. dg.»te a new constitution. T.iarsron was furnished with an . auswer to his detbroning proposition. Peterson and I wonKi n«>t be traitors to the Queen or to tbe constitution we had tuken olth to support. j I deny haviug had auv conver ; sation with Thnrston npon what | the Q>ieen had said to Peterson, ; as the words that Thurstou osed \ | <\-> re never spoken in the Blue I Koom. I never told Thurston 1 that Kaluna had said he wanted I tho b!.)od of five white men if he ! onldestablisha newconstitution, | as I knew notliing about a new ■ j constitution till Saturday momi ingTburston has the weakness to siy things when he thinks it will j fit the occasion best. And a man u7"» has openly said what he has , sai<l ou the platform of a mass j m*,*‘ ting, that he wouKl sleep w.th tlie Devil if he could gain his poiut, is illustrative of his | character and priuciple. When Thurston wante<l t» eonvert rao iuto an annexationist he wrote me a very Triendly lettor fro:n Washington, dated March 16, 1893, wherein he st.<tes, I give vou credit for acting as vou 0C » J saw best iu the interest of j i Hiwaii. At preseut Thurstou ! cannnt see annex ition staring the 1 conntrv in the light he and his p rtv wouKl like to have it. and he has probably seen my full and • eompK.-ie statement as furnished 1 to"Mr. Blount, that he has no furtber use for me for the present, and wants to make th"e American pohlie believe tbut the ovtrthrow of the Constitutional Goverument was caused by what 1 did (nok) say or do. J. F. CoLBrnx.