The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-13

IllhEAl OF DEATH TO HER
FRIENDS.
Washington. Feb. Pin the retinue
CT eN'Queen iiliuokal;,ni of Hawaii. and
known ms her private secretary, is Il
gentleman from Boston named Julius 4.
Palmer. Secretary Palmer has given
to the press letter in which he sets forth
the views entertained by those around
her eN'highness. The abdication is null
anu void, he asserts, because the docu-
ment, signed under duress, and the pa
per, Likewise, was worthless because the
signature attached is not Liliuokalapi's
official signature
Mr.. Palmer Introduces his subject
with an expression of appreciation of the
Kindness with which the deposed queen
has been received in this country. Some
extracts from the letter follow:
do mean that the queen of Hawaii
has never given II legal abdication. that
she is still the lawful ruler, even if she for
bears to enforce her legitimate rights.
Il Ito mean exactly that. On the eth
OF january, 1870, she was arrested for no
specific orense, taken by force and con
fined in the Iclani Palace, now called
the executive building. She was alone
and ILL., When the influence of Minister
Willis WAS needed every moment to pre-
vent general massacre of those of every
nation who were supposed to he quietly
faithful to the constitutional monarch
even prisoners were kept locked in their
cells by their captors lest they should he
taken out and hung by the excited adher.
ents of the provisional government. I'm.
der these circumstances, without friend
to advise, she was told those she dearly
loved, her personal friends, were await
ing execution and that the only act which
would save their lives was an act of alb
dication to he signed by her. The ring
of ndventurers knew their victim. Had
they proposed her immediate death they
could not have terrified her, but to save
those she loved she executed the docu-
mcnts YOU publish.
1t was IN act consummated under the
plainest kind of duress, void even had il
been legally executed. But the sigma.
turc is worthless even to Il collector of
autographs 1t is not the official sigma
tire. There was no such person recog-
nl2ed. In their excessive caution. instead
of taking her signature rs "Liliuokalani,
Regina," the only form of signature
which could hive bound even IL valid act,
they sought to teach Ter the grace of hui
mil!ty by asking for the signature OF
Mrs. Dominis. They got it, and little
good would it do them in any legal
courts. They simply ovcrreached them.
selves
No question is ever settled until it is
settled right. and that the whole IIa-
waiian question must he properly review
ed Is fact. In an official history writ
ten by one of the opposition party, w. ID.
AleXa der, published by the Hawaiian
hoard of education, we find on the front
page one of the best pictures l have vet
seen of Her Majesty, the Queen. At its
close | notice three pages devoted to
showing her genealogy in direct line for
a hundred years or so from the ruling
family of Hawaii. The frontispiece was
well chosen. because I.iliuokalani has nj.
ways been known for years before her
reign and upon the throne as the pa.
troness Of music, education and the fine
arts The onlv reception she has been
willing to give in Washington was to II
school and the only time she has opened
her lips in public in America was to en-
courage the pupils.
But in that history was an ancient
and common law in Hawaii that no chief
could ever he degraded from that high
Office to which birth alone is the passport.
The friends of Liiuokalani in Amcricn
or Hawaii are willing to stand on that
record.
That the letter Is an inspired prcsen.
tation there can he no doubt That it
emanated directly from her or WAS dicta
ted by her is another matter, and one on
which Mr.. Palmer to day declined TO
commit himself. When asked whether
1t had been submitted 20 her for her APP
proval before it WAS sent out Mr., Palmer
declined Ia answer one way or the other.
:" If the press should regard it., ' he said
"as an authorized presentation Of the
queen s position should never take the
trouble TO deny it. am willing To stand
by the truth of the letter and it cannot
he questioned. Her name is not l.iiou~
kalAni Domins Beforc her marriage to
Gen Dominis her name was Lydia Kun.
akacha When she succeeded the late
King, her brother, on the throne of Hawaii
She did so under the title, of Liliuokalnni.
The signature OF l.iliuokuan Domini is,
therefore, meaningless aid OF no value on
any paper.
secretary Palmer declined to express
any opinion rs TO the cNquccn future
plans.