Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 127, 31 May 1894 — Thurston Interviewed. [ARTICLE]

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Thurston Interviewed.

Sioce Thorston retnrned t Honololn aboot a month ago ho haa been very mueh in retirement. He is perfectly well awara that eren the wbite population o f Honolulu wonld not elect him to any po$ition where hemight haro a roice in their aifairs. When he last songht election to the Legisi l*ture in '92. he took care to aroid the busy haunts of the Metropolis where inteiligence and indepeQdence are concentrated. and sought the seqnestere<. sbade of a small sugar planting district on the island of Maui. rtere at the tail of a sugrrcane cart, the plantation contract laborers snd small clerks ane storekeepers who are depending on the loeal p!antations were ordered to roll up for the planter? nominee Thurston. A few erenings ago Thurston was the ananimooa ehoiee for Counciiman of a few select plntocrals who claimed to run the “American Union Partybut a larger meeting raised such a howl in opposition to the Hula showitan Thnrston that bis name was in a ' twiukiiug withdrawn iu favor of a īhoie sensible man, J. A. McCaudless. liut as Thnrston caunot talk in puhlie to the masses on the islancls, he is resolvcd appurently to get even by lying about them to the Ameiiean pnblic. As au inter- ’ viewer of himself, Tburston ean speak for the universe. This is how he introduces himsalf: “The sitnation,” replied Mr. ; Thui-ston, as a whole, “is extremely satisfactorj'. The Royalist opitosition has lost the little aggressiveness that it onee bad and degenerated into a sullen, | hopeless waiting for tbe United | States to restore tho ex-Queon. j Tbe inlemal ditierences between tbe supporters of tbe government , are apon matters of detail only; they are sucb Jitferenoes as mast i iuevitably arise in any Iarge body of men who are intensely interesti ed and taking au active part ia a raovemeut vital totbemail. Tbere are, bowever, but few purely , factioual dirterences —tbey are mostlv as to ways and meaus. aud uot as to euds. Tbe ultimite objects for wliieh tbe revolutiou was initiated, tbo abrcgation of tbe monarchy, the creatiou of an | iudependeut governraent, republiean in character, anel fiual union in some form with tbe United , States, are as earnestly and i unanimously sougbt as in tbe first iustance.” The situation h re is so uusatisfactory to Tburstons revolutionary colleagues tbat they want bira near tbem to leau against, ane. it ; ; is also unsatisfactory for them to know that uuless the provisional governmeut ean satisfy the gevernment of the United States that the people are with them on j this Constitutional drama, Mr. Thurston need not trouble himself furtber as an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister plenipotentiary at Washington. L.ke Othello, his oeeupalion will be gone. Mr. Thurston is candid enongh however to contradict , tbe theory constantly paraded by the p. g. piess, that the President has confessed to a “change of heart” in tlie matter of restor.ng , tbe Queen and Hawaiian government to the state where conspiring Ex-Minister Stevens fonnd it. 1 b i “Absurd as it may seem in thc i United States to those acqaainteti ! with c'nditions there, tbe most vital factor io Hawaiian poiitics today is the question of whetuei , tbe United States Governm9nt will !orcibly restorethe ex-Qaeen.

j The Royalists say; ‘The President ■ ' has solemnly declared in » ■ | message to Congress tbat the > Qneen was wrongfally detbroned by United States forces, and iha*. she shonld be restored by tbt Uuited States government. Ht has referred tbe question tc Congress. Congress has not yet taken action. The President has i not indicated that he haschanged his mind. Why should we assnme | that the action of a Democratic i | Congress will be adverse to the ; recommendation of a Democratic i Presidenl? To be sare. the Tcrpie ! reeolution and the Morgan repor ! «re adrcrse to restoration, 30’ j they have not been adopted. This » iodicates that a majority of Uk j Seaate is not in favor of thera ; oUieiwiae they woald appr»>v< thi.ni Tbis argament is ron j stantly presented to the natire? : throogh the Boyalist press togetber with threats th*t ever' one who Ukes au oath against the Qaeen will bē prosecatec «rhen she is restored. Undertbeae cirenmstancee a great nomber of natives are remaining neainl, aad wiil aot regiater or vote, not

because of hostility to th»» government or snpport of Lilinokalani, but because they aro w )itirg for a defiuite statement from the United States Congress or Gov- : ( ernment tbat it wiil not rostore 1 the monarcby. If tho Seuate . will piss a non-iutervcntion resolution. or the 8tate Departraent will declare that the Governraent does not inteid to restore tbe uionHrcby by force. either will imraediately termiuate * tbe present uncertainty an>l re i-; der the task of reorgani; aticn comparatively easy. In concluding our brief rjview of Mr. Thurston, the siti ation ean be snmmed in a word; 8o far the people have been excludedby the bayonets of the Provisional i goverument from havinga voice in what thev are doing. o —