The Queen and I: A Story of Dispossessions and Reconnections in Hawai'i

Appendix C. Queen Lili‘uokalani’s Petition to U.S. President William H. Taft

163 AppenDix c Queen lili‘uokalani’s Petition to u.s. President william h. Taft His Excellency William H. Taft, President-elect of the United States: Esteemed Friend: I have the honor to address you this petition in my own behalf, to wit as follows: -firStThat on the 29th day of January, Anno Domini 1891, I, LILIUOKALANI, petitioner herein, was proclaimed Queen of the Hawaiian Kingdom. -SeconDThat as such Sovereign I was the rightful owner of all the Crown Lands in the Hawaiian Islands, consisting about 911,888 acres, more or less, and therefore had the right to receive all incomes and proceeds, by lease or sale, derived from such lands. See Exhibit A, annexed herewith and made part of this petition. That since my ascension to the throne of Hawaii to January of the year 1893, when I yielded my authority as Sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom to the superior armed forces of the Government of the United States, which had been landed at Honolulu at the request of the minister plenipotentiary of your Government here at that time to support the establishment by some of my subjects a Provisional Government in direct conflict with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii, I have always received and earned my due proportion of the proceeds and income from said Crown Lands. 164 . AppenDix c -tHirDIt is a painful tale for me to rehearse here how I was deprived of my Government by some of my subjects aided by the armed forces of the United States, acting under the authority of His Excellency John L. Stevens, minister plenipotentiary of the United States; but suffice for me to call your attention to my protest. On the 17th day of January, A.D. 1893, at 6 p.m. of that day I signed the following protest: “I, LILIUOKALANI, by the grace of God and under the constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen, do hereby solemnly protest against any and all acts done against myself and the constitutional government of the Hawaiian Kingdom by certainpersonsclaimingtohaveestablishedaProvisionalGovernmentofandforthis Kingdom. “That I yield to the superior force of the United States of America, whose minister plenipotentiary, His Excellency John L. Stevens, had caused United States troops to be landed at Honolulu and declared that he would support the said Provisional Government. “Now, to avoid any collision of armed forces, and perhaps the loss of life, I do under this protest and impelled by said forces yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall, upon the facts being presented to it undo the acts of its representative and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands.” This protest was countersigned by my Cabinet Ministers, and addressed to the President and other gentlemen composing the said Provisional Government of the Hawaiian Islands. -fourtHThat on the 19th of January, I wrote a letter to President Harrison, making an appeal that justice should be done; a copy of which is herewith annexed, marked Exhibit B, and made part of this petition. It appears that President Harrison could not have takennoticeofyourpetitioner’sappeal,orperhapshewasasanxiousastheProvisional Government to annex these Islands, for on the 16th, of February your petitioner finds that he sent a message to the Senate transmitting the treaty, with a view to its ratification , without having first investigated or inquired into all the conditions or points of our situation, or that of the United States itself. -fiftHThat on the 31st of January (1893), I also wrote a letter to Mr. Grover Cleveland, President-elect of the United States, as follows: “His Excellency Grover Cleveland, “President-elect of the United States: AppenDix c . 165 “My Great and Good Friend: In the vicissitudes which happened in the Hawaiian Islands,andwhichaffectmypeople,myself,andmyhousesoseriously,Ifeelcomforted the more that, besides the friendly relations of the United States, I have the honor of your personal friendship and good will. “The changes which occurred here need not be stated in this letter; you will have at the time at which it reaches you the official information, but I have instructed the Hon. Paul Neumann, whom I have appointed my representative at Washington to submittoyouapreciseofthefactsandcircumstancesrelatingtherevolutioninHonolulu , and to supplement it by such statements which you may please to elicit. I beg that you will consider this matter, in which there is so much involved for my people and that you give us your friendly assistance in...