The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-10-10
" MACS PACIFIC LETTERS"
Some Facts in Hawaiian History.


for now these many weeks in the
Budget, has determined 10 close
them, although there is plenty of
more material left for several other
numbers.
"Mac's Pacific Letters" have ex-
cited wide degree of public atten-
ton all the way from London to
Hawaii, and the writer has received
numerous letters from readers re-
lating thereto, among them the fol-
lowing from member of a we'll
known old firm of Boston whole
sale merchants:
Boston, Sept. ), IS93.-CoLoNEL c.
L. MACARTHUR-DEAR SIR-As an
old resident of the Hawaiian islands
Of many years l have enjoyed very
much your most interesting letters in
the Troy Budget.
Your sympathies with those who
are struggling to make Hawaii free
are appreciated by those who love Ha-
wall pae alma (nation) above any in
dividuals.
Your description of the scenes and
scenery are very graphic, and recall
to my recollection the sights of locali-
ties now years long past since saw
them.
feel assured that you desire for
correct writing in these letters of in
formation for our people. You will
not take unkindly a correction of
statements in that of Sunday, August
9th.
You refer to Liliuokalani in such a
manner that l think you must have
been misinformed. The ex-queen was
a sister of Kalakaua, the next younger
child of her chief parents-inherited
the same blood and characteristics.
She attended the same "Young
Chiefs Schoop where all the young
people of noble birth were educated
for the important positions they were
in later life likely to assume.
1t is true that when she married
John o. Dominis the prospects of her
coming to the throne were not daz-
zlingly brilliant, as there were then
some five or more olives" between
her and that high station.
At the time of her marriage she
stood socially as well, to say the least,
as the one she married.
Whatever ''rights" Kalakaua had
legitimately descended to Liliuoka-
lani-and | do not think her Access
sion was questioned at the time as
being other than legitimate. She has
sadly disappointed many who had
high hopes of great good to come to
her nation under her rule.
Had she been content to have been
the constitutional sovereign under the
constitution of 1SS7-had she seen fit |
to cultivate the broadening of her pos
sibility for good-enlargiDg the power
that would have worked for progress
deferred to the advise of the
Wilcox-Jones cabinet-there is no
doubt but that she would have been
on the throne today. But, under bad
advisers, she decided on policy of
absoluteism, and the moral forces of
the people have dethroned her.
Our correspondent wholly mis-
apprehends the circumstances I'M
der which Kalakaua and Liliuoka-
lani came to their thrones. There
was not drop of so called royal |
blood in the veins Of either. The |
last descendant of what was known |
as the "royal line" having in them
any of the blood of the Kamehame-
has, was the High Chiefess Bernice
Pauahi, who subsequently was mar
ried to the Hon. c. R. Bishop, who |
still survives, and who is probably |
the richest, as he is certainly one of |
the most honored among the older |
residents of Honolulu. The throne
was at one time offered to this high |
chiefess, but she declined to accept |
the honor. Subsequently, the royal
line having died out, the monarchy
became elective. After the death
of Kamehameha ", which occurred |
in Honolulu, December II, 1872,
Prince William Charles Lunalilo
was elected king by a vote of the
mobiles and representatives, and be-
gan to reign January 9, 1878. He
died February 5, 1874 An inter-
regnum of nine days followed.
Queen Emma, the dowager queen
of Liholiho, by right or dowager,
should have succeeded her husband
ON the throne. A singular anomaly
in Hawaiian law is that the rights
to property by descent belong to
the female and not the male line.
This was a case SO hedged about
that it was generally supposed that
the right of the throne was to Queen
Emma, as Liholiho was childless.
She was the idol of the populace.
The nine days interregnum gave
the Hon. David Kalakaua, who
was prominent male chief, his
opportunity. Being man of popu-
lar manners, he and his agents
were so active that when the vote
was taken February II, 1874, they
had electioneered " so success
fully that the vote stood 81 for
Kalakaua and 6 for Queen Emma.
The public was so greatly disap-
"a