Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President, Transmitted to Congress December 2, 1895, Part II
Mr. Peterson to Mr. Uhl.
Vancouver British Columbia, Feb. 26, 1895. (Rec’d Mar. 7.)
Sir: Pursuant to telegram sent on the 25th instant by the honorable Secretary of State, and received by me to-day, I have taken, and herewith transmit to the Department, the deposition of J. Cranstoun, and you will find attached to the same an affidavit, marked Exhibit A, of A. B. Z. Dawson.
I have, etc.,
Commercial Agent.
Deposition of J. Cranstoun.
Taken at the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, on the 26th day of February, 1895, at the office of and before W. F. Peterson, commercial agent of the United States of America, pursuant to a telegraphic communication from the Hon. Walter Q. Gresham, Secretary of State of the United States of America, this day received by said Peterson.
- Q. 1. State the date of your arrival from England into the United States—that is, the date of the time that you came there from England to reside permanently.—A. In March, 1876.
- Q. 2. State when and where you were naturalized.—A. I have never been naturalized fully, but I declared my intention to do so at Deadwood, S. Dak., some time in the fall of 1878.
- Q. 3. Have you any evidence of such declaration now in your possession?—A. Yes.
- Q. 4. What is the nature of that evidence?—A. It is an affidavit of A. R. Z. Dawson, who was at the time clerk of the district court at said town of Deadwood, S. Dak., the record of declaration of intention having been destroyed shortly after it was made.
- Q. 5. Will you file said affidavit as a part of your deposition, marking it A in order to designate it?—A. I received, as you know, this affidavit on yesterday; and you remember that you told, at my suggestion, that you did not think that the affidavit was properly authenticated, from the fact that no clerk of a court of record had certified to the genuineness of the authority of S. C. Polly to administer oaths, and I ought to return it to Deadwood and have this done. But before returning it, which I have done, you caused your clerk, Mr. Schofield, to make a copy of it, and I have looked this copy thus made over and find it correct in every particular, and I will file it now as a part of my deposition, marking it A in order to designate it, and when the original is returned to me I will deliver it to you to be forwarded to Washington.
- Q. 6. When you went to the Hawaiian Islands some seven or eight months ago, was it then your intention to reside there permanently or indefinitely?—A. When I went there 1 did not know whether I should stay there or go down to South America, but after looking the ground over I concluded it was a place where money could be made, and intended, after I got the business fairly started, to make suitable arrangements with parties in Seattle, whereby half of the year would be spent in Honolulu and the other half in the United States, meaning to change off ends so that each party would have a full and complete knowledge of both ends of the line.
- Q. 7. Did you continue in such intention up to your arrest?—A. Yes.
- Q. 8. Who and what is the address of the parties that you formed such business connections with in the United States?—A. William Barry and A. L. Morris, of Seattle, Wash.
- Q. 9. Did anyone else know of this arrangement other than you three? If so, who?—A. Mr. A. Muller knew of it. He was deported at the same time I was, and is now in the city, but I can not say what his future address will be.
- Q. 10. Mr. Cranstoun, I want you to state distinctly your business relations with Mr. Morris and Mr. Barry and Mr. Muller.—A. The firm name in Honolulu was to be and is J. Cranstoun; at Seattle the firm name was and is J. Cranstoun & Co. This partnership extended to all business passing through the hands of the firm at Seattle, and also all business which they might obtain there or elsewhere. This firm consisted of W. Barry, A. L. Morris, and myself. In Honolulu the firm name was simply J. Cranstoun, and the firm J. Cranstoun & Co., of Seattle, were to participate [Page 845] in all the profits arising from the business in Honolulu that might come from or through the firm at Seattle. But I had personally other business connections, and Mr. Muller was my partner at Honolulu in such other business connections, and was also to participate in my profits in the firm of J. Cranstoun that might be received through the firm of J. Cranstoun & Co. at Seattle.
- These business connections were formed in about this way: I had an understanding with W. Barry about such business connections before I went to Honolulu, which was to the effect that I was to go over to Honolulu, look about, and decide whether it was desirable to enter business in this way or not; and on my decision was to rest the fact as to whether we would or not go into business. After going over there, to make a long story short, I looked up the matter, and through correspondence with Mr. Barry the business connections were formed as above stated, Mr. Morris coming into the firm after I went to Honolulu. After proceeding in this way for a time, I found it to my interest to take Mr. Muller in on the general terms as stated. I saw Mr. Morris a short time ago depart from here for Honolulu with the understanding and with a power of attorney from me to look after and take charge of our interests at Honolulu. The base of operation was to be at Honolulu, and the business connection in the United States in truth was a branch of that business. For business and financial reasons the business was presented in this manner, for if the business should have appeared as a branch to Honolulu from the United States I would have had to pay $500 for a license to carry on such business; but making my base of operation at Honolulu, my license to carry it on there only cost me $50; and as I had other business connections than those with J. Cranstoun & Co., of Seattle, I thought that I could well and truthfully make this presentation of the business to the officials when I went to obtain my license, and did so.
- Q. 11. Did you ever take the oath of allegiance to the Hawaiian Government, or make a declaration to become a citizen of that country?—A. No: I never did. I would not renounce my allegiance to the United States to become a citizen of any country. When I went to Honolulu I of course did not know how long I would reside there, but my intention being some day to return back to the United States, of course I term it as an intention to reside there temporarily; and, as an evidence of this fact, I will state that after being at Honolulu for about three months I wrote to Mr. A. R. Z. Dawson for his affidavit of my declaration of intention to become a citizen of the United States, and in a reasonable time thereafter did receive the affidavit, which affidavit is now in Honolulu unless destroyed. At the time I got this affidavit I intended to return with it to Seattle, there to complete my citizenship. I have never, since I came to the United States and looked over the country and made up my mind to become a citizen of the United States, renounced such intention for an instant in my mind, and have never done so by act.
J. Cranstoun.
United States Commercial
Agency,
Vancouver, British
Columbia:
I, W. F. Peterson, commercial agent of the United States of America at Vancouver, British Columbia, do hereby certify that pursuant to a telegram purporting to be from the Hon. Walter Q. Gresham, Secretary of State of the United States of, America, this day received by me and which is in words and figures as follows, to wit:
W. F. Peterson,
American Commercial Agent, Vancouver, British
Columbia:
Obtain further deposition from J. Cranstoun as to when he arrived in United States, when and where he was naturalized, and as to whether he took up his residence in Hawaii intending to remain there permanently or indefinitely.
W. Q. Gresham.
The above deposition was taken at my office, the questions being propounded by me to the above-named J. Cranstoun and the answers taken down in my presence, written by F. J. Sehofield, vice and deputy commercial agent at this place; and I further certify that said Cranstoun was duly sworn before giving it, and that he subscribed his name as above to the same in my presence. No one was present but myself and said Schofield.
[seal.]
United States Commercial Agent.
Exhibit A.
State of South Dakota, County of Lawrence, ss:
I, A. R. Z. Dawson, of lawful age, being duly sworn, on oath say that in the year 1878, and for a number of years thereafter, I was clerk of the district court in and for the county of Lawrence, Territory of Dakota; that some time during said year [Page 846] of 1878 one John Cranstoun, an alien, horn in Great Britain, appeared before me, and on oath declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States and took the oath prescribed by law to support the Government and Constitution thereof, and that a record of such intention was duly entered in the records of said court. I further swear that on the 26th day of September, 1879, the court-house, together with the records therein contained, including the records of said John Cranstoun’s declaration to become a citizen of the United States, were all destroyed by fire and that a certified copy of such record can not be now obtained.
Sworn and subscribed to before me this 19th day of February, 1895, at Deadwood, S. Dak.
Certified a true copy of the original handed John Cranstoun this 5th day of February, 1895.
United States Commercial Agent.