s no
pretense of any such consent on the part of the Government of the Queen,
which at that time was undisputed and was both the _de facto_ and
the _de jure_ Government. In point of fact the existing Government,
instead of requesting the presence of an armed force, protested against
it. There is as little basis for the pretense that such forces were
landed for the security of American life and property. If so, they would
have been stationed in the vicinity of such property and so as to
protect it, instead of at a distance and so as to command the Hawaiian
Government building and palace. Admiral Skerrett, the officer in command
of our naval force on the Pacific station, has frankly stated that in
his opinion the location of the troops was inadvisable if they were
landed for the protection of American citizens, whose residences and
places of business, as well as the legation and consulate, were in a
distant part of the city; but the location selected was a wise one if
the forces were landed for the purpose of supporting the Provisional
Government. If any peril to life and property calling for any such
martial array had existed, Great Britain and other foreign powers
interested would not have been behind the United States in activity to
protect their citizens. But they made no sign in that direction. When
these armed men were landed the city of Honolulu was in its customary
orderly and peaceful condition. There was no symptom of riot or
disturbance in any quarter. Men, women, and children were about the
streets as usual, and nothing varied the ordinary routine or disturbed
the ordinary tranquillity except the landing of the _Boston's_
marines and their march through the town to the quarters assigned them.
Indeed, the fact that after having called for the landing of the United
States forces on the plea of danger to life and property the committee
of safety themselves requested the minister to postpone action exposed
the untruthfulness of their representations of present peril to life and
property. The peril they saw was an anticipation growing out of guilty
intentions on their part and something which, though not then existing,
they knew would certainly follow their attempt to overthrow the
Government of the Queen without the aid of the United States forces.

Thus it appears that Hawaii was taken possession of by the United States
forces without the consent or wish of the Government of the islands,
or of anybody else so far