The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1897-03-04
Tho Queen of Hawaii.

Ny attention has been called to
an article in your columns on Thurs
day, in which you make one most
truthful admission, namely, that the
presence of her majesty Liliuokalani
of Hawaii, in this city has excited
great interest and universal SYM
patty from all classes, OF this fact,
there can be not the least doubt,
and it is as greatful to me as an
American as it is to her as queen
and woman; she almost daily ex-
presses her sense of appreciation Of
the many tokens of proffered kind
ness, even although she is unable to
accept the half of these last men
toned.
But when you go on and spend a
column Of your valuable space in re-
printing brief drawn by Hon. A. S.
Hartwell, chief counsellor for the
corporation Of sugar planters and
lawyers now posing as the "The Ha-
waiian Republic" you reproduce
words which have no legal force
whatever, which were void when
written and which could not be sus-
tanned in any court of equity in any
civilized land.
will be palmer il you wish. Do
| mean that the Queen Of Hawaii
has never given legal abdication,
that she is still the lawful ruler, even
if she fotbears to enforce her legi-
innate rights9
| do mean exactly that. On the
9TH OF January, 1895, she was arrest
ed for no specific charged offense,
taken by force and confined alone in
the Iolani palace, now called the
executive building. She was alone
and i'll on or about the date you
mention, when the influence of Min
lister Willis was needed every mo-
ment to prevent a general massacre
OF those Of every nation who were
supposed to be quietly faithful to
the constitutional monarch. Even
prisoners were kept locked in their
cells by their captors lest they
should be taken out and hung by
the excited adherents of the pro-
visionalist government. Under these
circumstances without friend to
advise her, she was told that those
size dearly loved, her personal
frienos, were awaiting execution and
that the only act which would save
+ their lives was an act OF abdication
to be signed by her. The ring OF
adventures knew their victim; had
they proposed her immediate death
they could not have terrified her, but
to save those she loved she executed
the documents you publish
1t was an act contaminated under
the plainest kind Of duress, even had
it been legally executed.
But the signature is worthless
even to a collector of autographs.
1t is not the official signature.
There was no such person recog-
nized as Liliuokalani Dominis, and
is no such person to this day.
In their excessive caution, instead
OF taking her signature as "Liliu-
okalani, Regina" the only form OF
signature which could have bound
even a valid act, they sought to
teach her the grace OF humility by
asking for the signature of Mrs
Dominis; they got it, and little good
would it do them in any legal con-
test. They simply over-reached
themselves.
No question is ever settled until il
is settled right, and that the whole
Hawaiian matter should be proper
ly reviewed is the opinion OF great
many of the people Of the United
States.
In an official history written by
one of the opposition party, Mr.. w
d. Alexander, published for the Ha
waiian board of education, find OF
the front page one of the best
pictures have seen of "Her Majesty
Queen Liliuokalani," at its close
nnlinn Lhroo nncraa dauotad 10 shnu