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52-410: The Report is formally named " Senate Report No. 227 " of the 53rd Congress , second session, and dated February 26, 1894. It was printed as part of a large volume containing other government documents: "Reports of Committee on Foreign Relations 1789–1901 Volume 6." The Blount Report had concluded that the U.S. Minister to Hawaii John L. Stevens carried out unauthorized partisan activities, including

104-460: A Republican expansionist, was only a few weeks from the end of his term. The new Provisional Government of Hawai'i immediately delivered a treaty of annexation to President Harrison, who referred it favorably to the Senate for ratification on February 15, 1893. Grover Cleveland , a Democrat opposed to expansionism and colonialism, became President on March 4, 1893 and withdrew the treaty from

156-742: A "lawyer's brief, making the best possible case for the queen and against Stevens", while the Morgan Report "presented an equally effective case for the Provisional Government and Stevens, and against the Queen." A common critique of the Morgan Report is that there was no majority opinion, and that three separate minority opinions existed – Morgan's, the Republicans' and the Democrats'. It is often argued that only Morgan signed

208-497: A Democrat), clearly indicate their minority dissent, signing their four names as "Members of Minority". Even though they dissented in regards to whether Minister Stevens should have been censured, they still held the U.S. troops blameless, noting that they remained scrupulously neutral throughout their time ashore: On the other hand, we are not inclined to censure Capt. Wiltse, commanding the United States war-ship Boston , or

260-553: A blistering letter decrying Cleveland's interference. Unbeknownst to Willis, on the same day he demanded President Dole to step down, December 18, Cleveland had already given up convincing the Queen to grant amnesty, and sent a message to Congress declaring the revolution improper and decrying the U.S. involvement in it, referring the matter to their authority. In response, the Senate passed a resolution empowering its Foreign Relations Committee to hold public hearings under oath, and cross-examine witnesses, to investigate U.S. involvement in

312-547: A direct result of the Morgan Report. The Turpie Resolution ended all hope of the Queen for further intervention on her behalf. Cleveland accepted the verdict of the Congressional committee, abandoned efforts to reinstate the Queen, and treated the Provisional Government and Republic of Hawaiʻi as the internationally recognized lawful successors of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Despite his strong words of December 18, 1893, after

364-445: A few people involved in the instigation and carrying out of the revolution. He took no testimony from the officers and enlisted men of USS  Boston ." He delivered a report to President Cleveland on July 17, 1893, claiming improper U.S. backing for the revolution had been responsible for its success, and that the Provisional Government lacked popular support. On the basis of Blount's report, President Cleveland began working towards

416-465: A receiving ship until 1940. She was renamed Despatch , the sixth U.S. Navy ship to bear that name, on 9 August 1940, thus freeing her original name for use on the new heavy cruiser Boston  (CA-69) . From 1940 to October 1945, she was used as a radio school. The old ship was redesignated IX-2 on 17 February 1941. Despatch was towed to sea and sunk off San Francisco on 7 April 1946. Both of Boston ' s 8-inch (203-mm) guns were placed at

468-788: A shore party in January 1893 that bolstered the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy ), she remained on the West Coast until laid up at Mare Island Navy Yard on 4 November 1893. Recommissioned on 15 November 1895, Boston joined the Asiatic Squadron at Yokohama , Japan on 25 February 1896. She remained in East Asia protecting American interests for the next four years and during the Spanish–American War took part in

520-687: The Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898 and the capture of Manila on 13 August 1898. From 4 October to 23 December, Boston and other ships deployed to Taku in China to protect American interests in the wake of a coup d'etat by the Empress Dowager Cixi . Following this, Boston remained in the Philippines assisting in their pacification until 8 June 1899. Sometime during this overseas deployment, Boston ' s distinctive sail rig

572-609: The New York Navy Yard , Captain Francis M. Ramsay in command. Boston was ordered as part of the "ABCD" ships, the others being the cruisers Atlanta and Chicago and the dispatch vessel Dolphin . All were ordered from the same shipyard, John Roach & Sons of Chester, Pennsylvania . However, when Secretary of the Navy William C. Whitney initially refused to accept Dolphin , claiming her design

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624-571: The Oregon Naval Militia 1911-16 she retained her original pair of 8"/30 guns and three of the 6"/30 guns, with a single 4-inch (102 mm)/40 caliber gun added. All armament was removed prior to her conversion to a freighter in 1917. Boston , being the second cruiser of the New Navy completed, was not ready for active service until 1888. She then made a cruise to Guatemala and Haiti to protect American citizens. She joined

676-650: The San Francisco earthquake and fire. In April 1907 she carried a Honduran peace delegation that ended the Honduran – Nicaraguan War. She went out of commission again at Puget Sound Navy Yard on 10 June 1907. From 15 June 1911 to September 1916, she served as a training vessel with the Oregon Naval Militia. With the United States declaration of war on Germany in April 1917, Boston was loaned to

728-698: The Squadron of Evolution on 30 September 1889 and cruised to the Mediterranean and South America from 7 December 1889 to 29 July 1890, and along the east coast in 1891. Boston departed New York on 24 October 1891 for the Pacific via Cape Horn , arriving at San Francisco on 2 May 1892. Except for a prospective Pacific Squadron commanding officer's cruise to the Hawaiian Islands from 11 August 1892 to 10 October 1893 (in which she provided

780-503: The United States Shipping Board from 24 May 1917 – June 1918. Boston was converted to a freighter by Seattle Construction & Drydock in 1917–1918. Her guns were most likely removed when she was laid up at Bremerton between September 1916 and March 1917. On 18 June 1918, she was recommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard as a receiving ship and towed to Yerba Buena Island , California , where she served as

832-467: The 1970s. Although the Morgan Report was planned to be digitized by the University of Hawaii as part of a collection of annexation documents in 2001, only the pro-sovereignty Blount Report was completed. The library's project ended in 2002 and no further grants were applied for; it is also understood that a devastating flood in 2004 caused significant setbacks for their program. The project narrative for

884-512: The 2002 grant application to digitize documents, including the Morgan Report said, "The materials selected however are not one-sided. The Morgan Report challenges the Blount Report, which implicated the United States in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy." It was not until volunteers outside of the University of Hawaii took on the task of digitizing the Morgan Report that it was made available online in 2006. Since its online publication,

936-410: The Hawaiian kānaka ʻōiwi for a person of Hawaiian descent. Many native Hawaiians consider this white appropriation of the term to be a racial slur. The use of the word kanaka in the report allowed Morgan to redefine the term Hawaiian to refer to the geographical, rather than the historical, inhabitants, thus creating a literary deceit that disassociated native Hawaiians from Hawaii. Others note that

988-540: The House are listed by district. Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers , which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1898 ; Class 2 meant their term ended in this Congress, facing re-election in 1894 ; and Class 3 meant their term began in

1040-524: The Kingdom government with the Republic. The nine-member Senate Foreign Relations Committee that submitted the report could not agree on a final conclusion, and the oft-cited executive summary was signed only by Morgan himself. Other Republican members of the Committee, including Senators Sherman, Frye, Dolph, and Davis, generally agreed with the report, but refused to endorse the actions of Blount (who

1092-673: The Morgan Investigation were picked to make out the best possible case for annexation. Under the guidance of Lorrin Thurston and W. D. Alexander, Morgan made the case against the queen and for annexation. The earlier Blount report did not interview members of the Committee of Safety, and their testimony as well as other evidence put forth during the Morgan Committee hearings contradicted the assertions Blount had made in hist report. Kuykendall described Blount's report as

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1144-491: The Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. On the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on

1196-765: The Pacific Squadron to arrive near Panama to support that country's newly declared independence ; a key event in the creation of the Panama Canal . She then cruised in South America, Hawaii, and the US West Coast. From 16 to 25 June 1905, she helped represent the Navy at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition at Portland, Oregon , and from 23 April – 10 May 1906 she helped care for the victims of

1248-426: The Republicans who joined Morgan, a Democrat, in the rest of the majority opinion. The four Republicans stated their assent to the initial section of the report with the following statement: We are in entire accord with the essential findings in the exceedingly able report submitted by the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations. The four Democrats who disagreed with the four Republicans, and with Morgan (again,

1300-411: The Senate on March 9, 1893. James Henderson Blount , a Democrat, had been chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs during Harrison's term. On March 11, without seeking confirmation from the Senate (though it was in session at the time), President Cleveland appointed Blount to be a special envoy to Hawaiʻi with "paramount" powers and secret instructions to investigate the circumstances of

1352-423: The University of Hawaii has maintained a link to the website where the report is published alongside their other annexation documents. The Morgan Committee was chaired by Senator John Tyler Morgan of Jim Crow political fame. An Alabama Review article written by Thomas Upchurch states that Morgan wanted to find Black southerners a new homeland. Throughout the report, Morgan used the term kanaka , derived from

1404-593: The affair in hand. In commending this subject to the extended powers and wide discretion of the Congress, I desire to add the assurance that I shall be much gratified to cooperate in any legislative plan which may be devised for the solution of the problem before us which is consistent with American honor, integrity and morality. At the time the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown , President Benjamin Harrison ,

1456-407: The committee also filed a report. They refused to censure Blount and Willis; they placed the blame higher up. And at the end, not a single item for future action was recommended in the report. Towards the end of the main findings section, there is a break after the primary report, followed by a minor disagreement over the constitutionality of Blount's appointment and actions, and then the signatures of

1508-532: The first time since the establishment of the Republican Party in 1854. The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section. This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class and Members of

1560-498: The first two years of Grover Cleveland 's second presidency . The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1890 United States census . The Democrats maintained their majority in the House (albeit reduced) and won back control of the Senate. With Grover Cleveland being sworn in on March 4, 1893, for his second stint as President , this also gave the Democrats an overall federal government trifecta for

1612-526: The following conclusions: A minority report by the four Republicans criticized Blount's appointment and activities. A minority report by four of the Democrats criticized Minister Stevens for his actions. All the Senators exonerated the actions of the U.S. military. Broken down by topic, the votes were as follows: The Morgan Report has been treated with a significant amount of skepticism by pro-sovereignty academics, and has largely been glossed over since

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1664-585: The investigation conducted by the Morgan Committee, and the Senate's Turpie Resolution of May 31, 1894, he never again questioned the legitimacy of the overthrow. In his last bit of resistance to accepting the overthrow, Cleveland managed to get the wording for the Turpie Resolution changed to refer to the "people" rather than the "Provisional Government", although the net effect was still a complete renunciation of his hopes to restore Queen Liliʻuokalani to power. The majority report submitted contained

1716-432: The landing of U.S. Marines under a false or exaggerated pretext, to support the anti-royalist conspirators and that these actions were instrumental to the success of the overthrow of the queen. The Morgan Report contradicted the Blount Report, finding all individuals involved in the overthrow – with the notable exception of Queen Liliʻuokalani – "not guilty". The Native Hawaiians Study Commission Report of 1993, commenting on

1768-427: The last Congress, facing re-election in 1896 . Both representatives were elected at-large statewide on a general ticket . Both representatives were elected at-large statewide on a general ticket . The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress. Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through

1820-674: The left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee. USS Boston (1884) The fifth USS Boston was a protected cruiser and one of the first steel warships of the "New Navy" of the 1880s. In some references she is combined with Atlanta as the Atlanta class, in others as the Boston class. Boston was laid down on 15 November 1883 by Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works , Chester, Pennsylvania , launched on 4 December 1884, and commissioned on 2 May 1887 at

1872-490: The matter should be referred to the broader authority and discretion of Congress, with a full explanation of the endeavor thus far made to deal with the emergency and a statement of the considerations which have governed my action... ...I therefore submit this communication with its accompanying exhibits, embracing Mr. Blount's report, the evidence and statements taken by him at Honolulu, the instructions given to both Mr. Blount and Minister Willis, and correspondence connected with

1924-521: The new Seattle Naval Hospital in 1942. After the hospital closed, the guns went with the site to the new Firlands Sanitarium owned by King County in 1947. At some point after 1952, the guns were moved to Hamlin Park, in Shoreline, Washington . However, county records do not indicate when the guns were placed in the park or why it was done. Of the two guns displayed at Hamlin Park, the easternmost gun bears

1976-706: The officers of that vessel. Their position was one of extreme delicacy and difficulty, and we appreciate their anxiety to afford protection to the lives and property of American citizens. The force of United States marines of the Boston with their ordinary arms stationed at the American legation, and at the consulate in Honolulu, would have effectually represented the authority and power of the United States Government, and would have afforded whatever protection American interests might have required; and at

2028-595: The racist bigotry of Chairman Morgan, although widespread at the time, does not necessarily invalidate the evidence gathered during the hearings, especially considering that Morgan was just one of nine senators conducting the investigation. Yet his vote was the deciding factor in the 5–4 decision of whether Stevens acted lawfully. Morgan Report critics note that Morgan did not visit Hawai`i before issuing his Morgan Report and instead held hearings in Washington, D.C., which, in effect, eliminated any Hawaiian representation of

2080-464: The report in its entirety. Hawaiian historian Ralph Kuykendall characterized it this way: In the end, the majority of the Senate committee on foreign relations found everyone 'not guilty' save the queen, although only Morgan, who wrote the final report, agreed with all parts of it. The Democrats on the committee supported Blount and Willis, imputed the blame to Stevens for his 'inopportune zeal,' and found him deserving of public censure. The Republicans on

2132-415: The restoration of the Queen, conditional upon amnesty towards those responsible for the overthrow. Minister Willis was unable to convince the Queen to grant the Committee of Safety amnesty in return for the throne until December 18, 1893, at which point Willis, on behalf of Cleveland, then ordered Hawai'i President Sanford Dole to dissolve the Provisional Government and restore the Queen. Dole flatly refused in

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2184-448: The revolution and the stability of the Provisional Government. Blount held secret, informal conversations with royalists and annexationists in Honolulu. He invited certain witnesses to sit with him to give formal statements in the presence of a stenographer, to be published later in the Blount Report. These statements were not under oath, and several of them were recanted when made public. Historian Ernest Andrade wrote, "He interviewed only

2236-452: The revolution, and also to investigate whether it had been proper for President Cleveland to appoint Blount and give him extraordinary powers to represent the U.S. and intervene in Hawaiʻi without Senate confirmation. The final result of this investigation is the Morgan Report, submitted on February 26, 1894. The Turpie Resolution of May 31, 1894, which was protested by Queen Liliʻuokalani, was

2288-516: The royalist position. James Henderson Blount represented the royalist position well in his Blount Report, which was nearly exclusively royalist, and by his own testimony in front of the committee. Senator George Gray was particularly anti-annexationist, and brought forward witnesses with testimony critical of the Provisional Government. Of the total of nine senators, four Republicans and three Democrats indicated their support for annexation. According to Hawaii historian Ralph Kuykendall , witnesses in

2340-659: The same time would have avoided the appearance of coercion or duress, either upon the people of Honolulu or the Queen in the controversy between them. 53rd Congress The 53rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives . It met in Washington, D.C. , from March 4, 1893, to March 4, 1895, during

2392-620: The two competing reports, states: "The truth lies somewhere between the two reports." The Morgan Report's submission in 1894 roughly coincided with the Turpie Resolution , which terminated Cleveland's efforts to restore the Queen. Cleveland accepted the conclusions of the Morgan Report, continued to engage in diplomatic relations with the Provisional Government, recognized the Republic of Hawaii upon its declaration on July 4, 1894, and even negotiated treaties originally ratified under

2444-471: Was appointed by President Cleveland, a Democrat). Democratic Senators Turpie, Butler, Daniel, and Gray did not endorse the approval of Minister Stevens' actions; while Butler and Turpie generally approved annexation, they refused to endorse the Morgan Report's conclusions because of the implications for internal disorder in Hawaii. Gray and Daniel were apparently outright opposed to annexation. The Morgan Report

2496-401: Was built with a sail rig to increase cruising range, later removed. The ship carried up to 490 tons of coal, with a cruising range as built of 3,390  nmi (6,280  km ; 3,900  mi ) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph). In 1900–01 Boston was rebuilt and the 6-inch guns were converted to rapid firing with brass case ammunition replacing powder bags. During her service with

2548-751: Was defective, the Roach yard went bankrupt and Boston was completed at the New York Navy Yard, which had little experience with steel-hulled ships. As-built armament included two 8-inch (203 mm)/30 caliber Mark 1 guns, six 6-inch (152 mm)/30 caliber Mark 2 guns, two 6-pounder (57 mm (2.24 in)) guns, two 3-pounder (47 mm (1.85 in)) Hotchkiss revolving cannon , two 1-pounder (37 mm (1.46 in)) Hotchkiss revolving cannon, and two .45 caliber (11.4 mm) Gatling guns . The 8-inch guns were initially in open barbettes with gun shields added later. Armor protection

2600-415: Was light, with 2-inch (50.8 mm) gun shields and conning tower , and a 1.5-inch (38.1 mm) deck extending 100 feet (30 m) over the machinery spaces. The engineering plant included eight coal-fired cylindrical boilers producing 100  psi (690  kPa ) steam and a horizontal compound engine producing 3,500  ihp (2,600  kW ) driving one shaft. Like the other "ABCD" ships, Boston

2652-460: Was removed. This is evidence by a photograph taken in 1899 of Boston in the Philippines with pole masts but no cross rigging. Boston returned to San Francisco on 9 August 1899 and went out of commission at Mare Island Navy Yard on 15 September 1899. She remained out of commission until 11 August 1902 and then rejoined the Pacific Squadron. On 7 November 1903, Boston was the first ship of

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2704-484: Was the final result of Cleveland's referral of the matter of the overthrow to Congress. Cleveland from the Blount Report: Though I am not able now to report a definite change in the actual situation, I am convinced that the difficulties lately created both here and in Hawaii and now standing in the way of a solution through Executive action of the problem presented, render it proper, and expedient, that

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