The San Francisco call., 1896-10-27
ROYAL HAMAI|ANS
VISIT Mr.. FOSTER
They Oppose Any Foreign
Flag Over Their
Country.
The Ex-secretary Is Presented
With an Address on
the Peru.
ASKED TO FAVOR NATIVES.
"When Americans Want the Union
Jack Then Kanakas Will Want
a Foreign Banner"
ASKED TO FAVOR NATIVES.

Just before ex-Secretary Foster sailed
for Honolulu on the Peru yesterday he
was visited by committee from the
Royal Hawaiian band, whose purpose was
to invite him to talk with their country
men fully on the status of Hawaiian af-
fairs before expressing an opinion favor
able to annexation.
Mr.. Foster graciously received the COM
mittee and heard what it had to say,
promising to be fair in his hearing of
matters of political nature. lust as the
Peru sailed, to make its purpose more exi
plicit, the committee handed Mr.. Foster
the following letter:
SAN Francisco. Oct. 26, 1896. :.
Hon. John ". Foster, San Francisco, CGi.-SIR:
You were Secretary of State in the Cabinet of
President Harrison, when, early in 1898,
treaty was negotiated by you, on behalf of the
United States, with certain gentlemen pro-
Tossing to repr esent the Government of the
Hawaiian Islands, the object OF which treaty
was the absorp ton of our native land, and the
extinction of the Hawaiian nation, by the
United States. You are now on your way to
Honolulu. and reports and interviews pub
lished in the press of this City represent you
as being bent upon the further promotion of
the project of annexation, which was stayed
by the act of President Cleveland, out of re-
gard for the political rights and desires OF the
Hawaiian people.
We are native Hawailans, members of the
musical organization formerly existing under
the name OF the Royal Hawaiian Band. We
are absent from our native land against our
desire, having been denied the privilege of
earning livelihood in the land of our birth,
by the usurping and non-representative party
who, since January IL, 1898, have ruled
Hawaii at the point OF the bayonet, such de-
NAL being baseo upon our refusal to swear alle
glance to the usurpers, and to forswear the
forms of government under which we were
born, and had always lived, until the date
named, and which had existed in Hawaii from
time immemorial.
We assume and believe that in your rela-
t1onsh1p to the treaty mentioned you acted In
Ignorance of the conditions existing in Il a
wall, of the means by which the party then
claiming TO be the Government of and seeking
to convey our country to a foreign nation, OBJ
tanned their1ease of power; and of the true
sentiments of the people justly entitled to
speak for Hawaii upon the subject of its alb
sorption by the United States. We therefore
welcome the pros pect of your visit to our
country at this time, and trust you will hold
yourself in receptive mood for the acquiring
OF information upon the true condition OF
Hawaiian sentiment concerning political
nexation to America. And we have every
confidence, in view of your known reputation
as promoter of political equality and justice,
and as an advocate and exemplar of true re-
publican principles of government, that you
will not, after learning the sentiments of the
Hawaiian people upon this momentous ques-
tion, further seek to have imposed upon them
political condition from which they shrink
with dread and with grave forebodings as to
its effect upon their future as a people.
The proyerbial devotion of the American
people to- the principle expressed by your
President Lincosn, OF a government OF the
people, by the people and for the people"
should, we humbly submit, now suggest to
this great Nation the propriety of deferring
any further steps looking toward the political
annexation OF Hawaii until the will OF the
qualified voters of our country, as tes ted by
the constitutional provisions existing January
II, 1898, shall have been form ally registered
through the medium OF a plebiscite.
With sincere wishes for your health and en-
joyment upon yOnr proposed trip, we remain,
Sir on behalf OF the band, yours very truly,
JOE K. KAAUA,
Sol A. HIRAM,
JOSEPH ALA,
SAMUEL X. KAMAKAIA,
JOHN AIU
Mr. Kamakaia one of the leading spirits
of the band, said, relative to the matter:
"Our people do not want annexation.
They prefer chance to get some of their
friends in power some day and cast the il
fortunes with their own country rather
than become an annex to YOUR country.
To-day we have our own flag and tradi-
tions, our own constitution, laws and in
stitutions.
''Do you think we want to be regarded
az sort of Indian agency, and that we
want to be referred to as wards of your
nation. to be fought over by the Bryans
and McKinleys? Never, so long as there
is Hawaiian blood in our. veins; never. so
long as love OF country lives. We are no
more anxious to see your flag flying over
us than you are to see foreign flag in
your native land. A man who wonders
at our sentimen. ought to ask himself
how he would like to have the Union
Jack floating over America.