Hawaiian Patriotic Leagues 1897 Protest against annexation

THE HOTEL ALBEMARLE

New York, July 24^th, 1897

To His Excellency

HON. WILLIAM MCKINLEY

President of the United States;

MY DEAR SIR;––

I have this day authorized my Secretary, Mr. Joseph Heleluhe, to forward to you certain petitions of the Hawaiian People which were entrusted to him as their Commissioner by the patriotic societies they have organized.

I write you these lines simply to confirm the statements made by him in his letter to you.

It would have been a pleasure to me to meet you in person, and it was expected on the part of Hawaiian nation that I would have had the opportunity to tell you of their great trust in the United States government, their love of their own independence, and their hopes that although they are without official representation in Washington, you would be pleased willingly to listen to their prayers.

But since circumstances have ordered otherwise, I can only commit to your careful consideration their present unhappy condition, as that of the weak in the grasp of the strong, and assure you of my unfaltering trust that the Almighty Ruler of the Universe may guide your councils into the ways of justice to all and peace to those most interested.

Very sincerely yours,

Liliuokalani

Enclosures

THE ALBEMARLE HOTEL

New York, July 24, 1897.

HON. WILLIAM MCKINLEY

President of the United States;––

May it please your Excellency to find accompanying this letter two petitions, of which I am the duly commissioned bearer from three societies or patriotic associations therein mentioned. These organizations represent the people of native or part native birth, who to the number of forty thousand are still opposed to any loss of their independence and in favor of the restoration of their Queen, Her Majesty Liliuokalani.

It was their wish and my own to present these to you during the first week of your administration, and to this end a letter was written to you Excellency and delivered by me at the Executive Office. To this no reply whatever was received, and after waiting nearly a week, I wrote to your Secretary simply inquiring if it had reached you hands.

Upon being informed by him that it was under consideration, yet still receiving no response, I delayed the delivery of the within documents and communicated the facts to my fellow citizens at Honolulu.

By then, I have been recently advised to send to your Excellency these papers without further delay, which I now do, hoping for myself and for that great ruler of my countrymen and countrywomen who are denied the exercise of their rights at home and the privilege of any representation abroad, that the United States Government to whom Her Majesty and her people have alike trusted will never consent to any Treaty or protect any Hawaiian Rule, without a full recognition of her constitutional rights and those of the aboriginal people of the Hawaiian Islands.

Commending this to the consideration of Your Excellency, in whose kindness of heart and strict sense of justice, we have every reason to trust, I have the honor to remain,

Most respectfully yours,

Joseph Heleluhe,

Secretary, Her Majesty Liliuokalani, and Commissioner

of Hui Kalaiaina – and also of the Ahahui Hawaii Aloha Aina, and the Women’s Patriotic League

To His Excellency

William McKinley

President of the United States of America

The Humble Petition of the undersigned, President of the Hawaiian Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands,

Showeth:

That at a Convention of the Hawaiian Nation held in the City of Honolulu on the 28^th day of November, A.D. 1896, Your Petitioner James Keauiluna Kaulia was duly elected President of the Hawaiian Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands, in room of the late Honorable Joseph Nawahi.

That as President of the said Hawaiian Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands an organization in which the great majority of the Hawaiian people are associated, Your Petitioner is authorized to approach Your Excellency in the name of the Hawaiian people.

Your Petitioner therefore respectfully submits to Your Excellency:

That the one hope and trust of the Hawaiian people is the same today and has been expressed in several petitions heretofore presented to the Government of the United States, they entertain the firm belief that Your Excellency will do justice to this Nation during Your term of Office.

That this trust of the Hawaiian people is strengthened by the recollection of the friendly action of the Government of the United States in 1843, when an assurance of the Independence of the Islands given by the President to Delegates from Hawaii through which assurance the recognition of their independence by the Governments of England and France was readily obtained.

That no cause whatever can arise that will alter or change the mind of the Hawaiian people and their desire to see the Monarchy restored, and the Throne occupied by the Queen, who would never have been deposed by a handful of foreigners but for the support rendered them by the U.S. Ship Boston.

That Queen and her people are of one mind that in the event of restoration amnesty should be granted to those who were concerned in the overthrow of the Monarchy on January 17, 1893.

Your Petitioner therefore prays that the Monarchical form of Government to which the Nation is attached may be restored to the Hawaiian Islands and Queen reinstated in the Throne, which for the avoidance of a conflict between her soldiers and a detachment from the U.S. Ship Boston, which had invaded her realm in support of the insurgents by order of the U.S. Minister, Her Majesty resigned under solemn protest and appeal to the President of the United States relying on the Justice of the President and people of that great country and confident that a Nation so great and powerful would never allow so great a wrong to remain unredressed.

And Your Petitioner will ever pray.

Dated this 4 day of February, A.D. 1897, in the City of Honolulu Island of Oahu.

James Kauiluna Kaulia

President of the Hawaiian Patriotic League

Attest

Jas. L. Aholo

Secretary

To His Excellency

William McKinley

President of the United States of America

The Humble Petition of the undersigned, President of the Hawaiian Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands,

Showeth:

That at a Convention of the Hawaiian Nation held in the City of Honolulu on the 27^th day of November, A.D. 1896, Your Petitioner David Kalauokalani was duly elected President of the Hui Kalaiaina of the Hawaiian Islands, in room of the late J.A. Kahoonei.

That as President of the said Hui Kalaiaina of the Hawaiian Islands an organization in which a number of the Hawaiian people are associated, Your Petitioner is authorized to approach Your Excellency in the name of the Hawaiian people.

Your Petitioner therefore respectfully submits to Your Excellency:

That the one hope and trust of the Hawaiian people is the same today and has been expressed in several petitions heretofore presented to the Government of the United States, they entertain the firm belief that Your Excellency will do justice to this Nation during Your term of Office.

That this trust of the Hawaiian people is strengthened by the recollection of the friendly action of the Government of the United States in 1843, when an assurance of the Independence of the Islands given by the President to Delegates from Hawaii through which assurance the recognition of their independence by the Governments of England and France was readily obtained.

That no cause whatever can arise that will alter or change the mind of the Hawaiian people and their desire to see the Monarchy restored, and the Throne occupied by the Queen, who would never have been deposed by a handful of foreigners but for the support rendered them by the U.S. Ship Boston.

That Queen and her people are of one mind that in the event of restoration amnesty should be granted to those who were concerned in the overthrow of the Monarchy on January 17, 1893.

And Your Petitioner will ever pray.

Dated this 4 day of February, A.D. 1897, in the City of Honolulu, Island of Oahu.

David Kalauokalani

President of the Hui Kalaiaina

Attest:

John P. Kuoha

Secretary

Resolved: We the members of the Executive Council of the Hawaiian Women’s Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands, in Council assembled, do hereby resolve that the alleged abdication of Her Majesty Queen Liliuokalani of her right and claim to the throne of Hawaii and her taking the oath of allegiance to the Republic of Hawaii, were made for the sole object of saving her life and the lives of a number of her loyal subjects, who were arrested and convicted of the crimes of treason by a Court Martial of the Republic of Hawaii.

That her release from confinement in the Palace and of her subjects from the prison and her being pardoned and also of her subjects of the alleged crimes are evidence of her high regard for her loyal subjects.

Done at the city of Honolulu, Island of Oahu this 30^th day of December, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-six.

Mrs. Jas. Campbell

President of the Women’s Patriotic League

By the President

Mrs. Mary Stillman

Secretary

We, Mrs. James Campbell, as President of the Hawaiian Women’s Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands, an organization in which the great majority of the Hawaiian Women of the Hawaiian native are associated unanimously, for the purpose of obtaining restoration of the Monarchical Government in the Hawaiian Islands, reposing confidence and trusting in Her wisdom and integrity, do hereby certify to the people of our great and good friend, the Republic of the United States of America, that the large majority of the Hawaiian people have in the past and now at the present time recognized Her Majesty Queen Liliuokalani as our lawful and Constitutional Sovereign regardless of the abdication by Her of Her right and claim as the lawful Sovereign to the throne of Hawaii.

Subscribed by us at the City of Honolulu, Island of Oahu of the Hawaiian Islands, this 30^th day of December in the year of Our Lord one Thousand Eight Hundred and ninety-six.

Mrs. Jas. Campbell

President Hawaiian Women’s Patriotic League

By the President

Mrs. Mary Stillman

Secretary

To His Excellency

William McKinley

President of the United States of America

The Humble Petition of the undersigned, President of the Hawaiian Women’s Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands,

Showeth:

Your Petitioner is the President of the Hawaiian Women’s Patriotic League of the said Hawaiian Islands, an organization in which the great majority of the Hawaiian Women of the Hawaiian Nation are associated, and in the name of the Hawaiian People Your Petitioner is authorized to approach Your Excellency.

Your Petitioner therefore respectfully submits Your Excellency:

That the one hope and trust of the Hawaiian people is the same today and has been expressed in several petitions heretofore presented to the Government of the United States. They entertain the firm belief that Your Excellency will do justice to this Nation during Your term of Office.

That this trust of the Hawaiian people is strengthened by the recollection of the friendly action of the Government of the United States in 1843, when an assurance of the Independence of the Islands given by the President to Delegates from Hawaii through which assurance the recognition of their independence by the Governments of England and France was readily obtained.

That no cause whatever can arise that will alter or change the mind of the Hawaiian people and their desire to see the Monarchy restored, and the Throne occupied by the Queen, who would never have been deposed by a handful of foreigners but for the support rendered them by the U.S. Ship Boston.

That Queen and her people are of one mind that in the event of restoration amnesty should be granted to those who were concerned in the overthrow of the Monarchy on January 17, 1893.

And Your Petitioner will ever pray.

Mrs. Jas. Campbell

President of the Hawaiian Women’s Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands

Attest:

Mrs. Mary Stillman

Secretary

Honolulu, Oahu

December 30^th, 1896.