No. 18.
Mr. Blount to Mr. Gresham.
July 19, 1893.
Sir: On the 28th ultimo I sent through Mr. Mills a communication to President Dole, a copy of which is inclosed herewith.
Mr. Mills reported that President Dole said he did not remember the letter to Mr. Stevens; that he would examine his papers and see if a reply to such communication could be found. He asked if such a paper was in the legation.
A copy of the letter in question was sent to you with my No. 11 of the 28th ultimo.
The omission of a reference to the admission of Mr. Stevens’s recognition was done to avoid informing him of my knowledge of this fact.
A great effort has been continuously made to suppress such information. Absolute falsehoods have in some instances been resorted to by men of whom better conduct would have been expected.
Since Mr. Mills’s conversation with President Dole I called on him in person and asked him if he would not give me a reply to my letter. He said he desired to talk with Mr. Damon, who had charge of some of their private papers, which he had locked up in his bank, before he answered me.
This was several days ago and I presume I shall hear nothing further from him on the subject.
Mr. W. O. Smith said to me on one occasion that he thought Mr. Stevens had given to President Dole the letter of recognition of the Provisional Government to be used on the happening of some event. He represented that the matter was in his mind vaguely. This was repeated on another occasion. It is quite possible that this reply may in some way bring out other facts, and for that reason it is not desired to furnish it.
There is a habit of mind amongst all people here, no matter how careful of their conduct in other respects, to exaggerate and mislead in political questions, and especially in relation to the present condition of affairs.
Some of the papers from the United States arriving here contain a letter of ex-Queen Liliuokalani to Mr. Stevens, dated January 17, [Page 606] 1893, published as part of his speech in Augusta, Me., on the 29th ultimo.
It was a legation paper, and I can not understand by what means he acquired permission to make it public, and so have deemed it my duty to call your attention to it.
I am, etc.,
Special Commissioner of the United States.