Jennifer Wada at 08:04, 24 April 2006

2006-04-24T08:04:16Z

Jennifer Wada at 12:07, 9 March 2006

2006-03-09T12:07:30Z

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With these events of the morning of
July 1 in mind, Kalakaua called for a
meeting of the foreign national
ministers. American Minister Merrill
wrote the following about this
meeting:
About twelve o'clock...His
Majesty sent for the British,
French, Portuguese and Japanese
Commissioners and myself to meet
him at the Palace.
When all had assembled His
Majesty, evidently being much
alarmed, stated that an armed
force had recently arrested a late
member of his Cabinet, Mr. Gibson,
and as armed men were patrolling
the streets, and not knowing what
the next act might be, he desired
to place the control of the
affairs of the kingdom in our
hands.
This offer we informed him could
not be accepted and it was the
desire of all the representatives
of other powers that he should
maintain himself in authority and
as he informed us that he had
agreed to the wishes of the
people, expressed at the Mass
Meeting the day previous, and
would shortly so inform the
Committee in writing, we advised
him to at once authorize Mr.
Green, if he was the person
selected, to form a Ministry when
it was believed affairs would
assume a quiet attitude. We
immediately retired and, passing
down to the central portion of the
city, assured the people that the
King had acceded to their request
and was now forming a Ministry
with Mr. Green as Premier and no
necessity for further excitment
existed. 88/
From the above quoted dispatch it
appears evident why the foreign
ministers, including Merrill, did not
want to accept Kalakaua's offer of
"placing control of the Kingdom in our
hands." The ministers, including
Merrill, wanted Kalakaua to stay in
authority and were convinced there was
every reason to believe things would
quiet down since he had agreed to the
resolutions of the committee of the
Hawaiian League. 89/
Kalakaua, after this meeting,
signed and sent his acceptance of the
resolutions to the committee. W. L.
Green then sent, and the king
accepted, a list of cabinet ministers
that included W. L. Green, Godfrey
Brown, Lorrin A. Thurston, and
Clarence W. Ashford. American
Minister Merrill wrote that all,
except Thurston, were of British
origin, and the "principal American
merchants...generally coincide in the
opinion that the present Ministers are
satisfactory, and favorable to the
welfare of this kingdom." 90/
Merrill's dispatch concerning the
approval by the American merchants of
the cabinet is especially noteworthy,
since it was well known that the
British wanted Hawaii to remain
independent and not be annexed to the
United States.
The Constitution of 1887 was not
actually completed and signed by
Kalakaua until July 6. The "new
constitution, drawn by the committee
and never submitted to the people, was
handed to the king and he signed it."
91/ The "bayonet constitution," as it
was known (written mainly by Lorrin A.
Thurston 92/), made the king more of a
ceremonial leader and effectively
ended much of the monarchy's power.
This was "summed up in the three
words" that changed Article 31 of the
prevailing 1864 Constitution from "To
the King belongs the Executive Power"
to the new constitution Article 31
which read "To the King and the
Cabinet belongs the Executive power."
93/ The new constitution also
incorporated property and income
277

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 wrote the following about this
 meeting:
 About twelve o'clock...His
-Majesty sent for the British,
+:About twelve o'clock...His Majesty sent for the British, French, Portuguese and Japanese Commissioners and myself to meet him at the Palace.
 French, Portuguese and Japanese
-Commissioners and myself to meet
+:When all had assembled His Majesty, evidently being much alarmed, stated that an armed force had recently arrested a late member of his Cabinet, Mr. Gibson, and as armed men were patrolling the streets, and not knowing what the next act might be, he desired to place the control of the affairs of the kingdom in our hands.
 him at the Palace.
-When all had assembled His
+:This offer we informed him could not be accepted and it was the desire of all the representatives of other powers that he should maintain himself in authority and as he informed us that he had agreed to the wishes of the people, expressed at the Mass Meeting the day previous, and would shortly so inform the Committee in writing, we advised him to at once authorize Mr. Green, if he was the person selected, to form a Ministry when it was believed affairs would assume a quiet attitude. We immediately retired and, passing down to the central portion of the city, assured the people that the King had acceded to their request and was now forming a Ministry with Mr. Green as Premier and no necessity for further excitment existed. <u>88</u>/
 Majesty, evidently being much
 From the above quoted dispatch it
 appears evident why the foreign
@@ Line 56: / Line 23: @@
 quiet down since he had agreed to the
 resolutions of the committee of the
-Hawaiian League. 89/
+Hawaiian League. <u>89</u>/
 Kalakaua, after this meeting,
 signed and sent his acceptance of the
@@ Line 71: / Line 39: @@
 opinion that the present Ministers are
 satisfactory, and favorable to the
-welfare of this kingdom." 90/
+welfare of this kingdom." <u>90</u>/
 Merrill's dispatch concerning the
 approval by the American merchants of
@@ Line 79: / Line 47: @@
 independent and not be annexed to the
 United States.
 The Constitution of 1887 was not
 actually completed and signed by
@@ Line 85: / Line 54: @@
 and never submitted to the people, was
 handed to the king and he signed it."
-/ The "bayonet constitution," as it
+<u>91</u>/ The "bayonet constitution," as it
 was known (written mainly by Lorrin A.
-Thurston 92/), made the king more of a
+Thurston <u>92</u>/), made the king more of a
 ceremonial leader and effectively
 ended much of the monarchy's power.
@@ Line 95: / Line 64: @@
 the King belongs the Executive Power"
 to the new constitution Article 31
-which read "To the King and the
+which read "To the King <u>and the
-Cabinet belongs the Executive power."
+Cabinet</u> belongs the Executive power."
-/ The new constitution also
+<u>93</u>/ The new constitution also
 incorporated property and income
+{{p|277}}

Template:Nhsc-v1-277 - Revision history

Jennifer Wada at 08:04, 24 April 2006

Jennifer Wada at 12:07, 9 March 2006