The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-03-22
ABDICATION OF
QUEEN LlLIUOKALANI
General Hartwell, Who Drafted the
Paper, Tells the Story,
PALMER'S PROCLAMATION EXPLAINED
She Signed the Paper with Fun
Knowledge of Its Contents, and No
Misrcprcs Were Made to
Ucr--Prcsidcnt Dole Was Ignorant.

knowledge Of Its contents, ana NJ
Misrcprcs Were Made to
uer--Prcsidcnt Dole Was Ignorant.
Washington, March 21.--Some days
ago proclamation" was issued by
julius Palmer, chamberlain and major
domu to eX-Queen Liliuokalani of Iia-
wall declaring that she never had
legally abdCated the throne, and that
the abdication signed by her was IT.
regular given under duress and void.
The paper of abdication signed by the
eX-queen was drafted by General AL
fred $. HartWell. of Honolulu, who is
now in this city. General HartWell,
when asked this afternoon for state
ment concerning the eX-queen's abdi-
cation. replied:
Il drafted the eX-Queen's abdtcation
and jurat Of allegiance to the Repub-
lie of Hawaii and abiuration of the
monarchy under the following circum-
stances: Paul Neuman, her legal ad-
wiser, who came to Washington in the
winter of 1898, holding her power of
attorney; Samuel Parker her late
prime minister a Hawaiian, and Chas.
Wilson, the last marshal under the
Y,
of her arrest and told me that she had
intended to abdiCate before, but had
delayed for Mr. Widemann to talk it
over with her, and that they wanted
me to draw the paper ] told them
that if 1 drew it there would be no
reading between the lines, and asked
If she meant it and approved of their
coming to me. They said she did and
hA tf InRttt1ant
was wanted. | told them it would not
prevent her trial, which would soon
come off They said they knew it and
that her idea was that things would
settle down and there woulu be no fur
ther trouble if she would resign, and
that this was her object.
II looked up such references to royal
abdicatiuns as | could find, and drew
up the document, which Neuman, Par
ker and Wilson examined and apprOV-
ed verbatim. Wilson took it to LiliuO-
kalani, who proposed some trivial
change, which was made, and a second
draft was drawn, which Wilson also
submitted 20 her. At her request an
other incOnsiderable change was made,
and Il third draft was prepared. which
was submitted to her and returned to
me hy Wilson. who informed me shat
it was exactly as she wanted and that
he desired a final copy, which was
made. The earlier drafts, written in Il
clear, cOnveyanCer's hand by my as
sistant are in his possession in Hon
ululu.
THE three men wanted me to be one
of the attesting Witnesses which | de-
clined to be. but at their request | was
present when the document was pre-
sented 10y Neuman to the eX-Quccn
who, in clear voice and calm and
dignitied manner stated in the hear
ing OF all who We're present that. she
understood the contents of the dOCu-
ment ana desired to sign ana acknOwl-
edge it, which she proceeded to dc
before a notary, Mr.. Stanley, who was
present at the request of Messrs. Neu-
man, Parker and Wilson. There wer-
also present upon that occasion Mr.
Widemann, her staunch friend, anG
William G. Irwin, partner of Claus
Spreckels and an intelligent Hawaiian
lawyer. Mr.. Wilson then took the doc
ument and asked me to accompany
him TO President Dole, which did
He handed the paper to Mr.. Doe. who
quietly remarked that it would be plac'
ed upon the files.
MIR. DOLE IGNORANT
"Mr. Dole and his cabinet did not
know OF the abdication papers unit
they We're finally completed and exc.
cuted. No misrepresentation was made
to induce Liliuokalani to take this step
l did not see her until she acknowl
edged the instrument, and the gentle
men who We're about her and talked
with her upon the subject and wh(
We're her friends would not, | am conf
dent, have misled her. The documen
was published in the Hawaiian anc
English newspapers | did not heaI
much about it, although people sale
she would have been wise in taking the
step earlier, thereby, perhaps, prevent
ing the outbreak which occurred in tn,
early part of the same month.
Every one knows that the Hawaiian
government wishes Hawaii to be an
neXed to the United States. Whethe
the national measures under discus
sion in Washington will render it ad
Visabe to defer the Hawaiian question
and the Hawaiian diplomatic repre-
sentative will for that reason not pre-
sent the matter to Mr.. Mckinley now
are questions which, l suppose, are ye
~ pt uCClbtu,
There has been a misunderstanding
concerning the causes of the downfall
of the Hawaiian monarchy. In m
own opinion, and from my own per
sonal observation, it is preposterous t
suppose that there was a conspiracy b.
Americans in Honolulu, assisted b
Minister Stevens or Captain Witse, t
bring about that result. No Ameri
cans there whom / knew, and | thin
knew about all Of them, wanted I
disturb the manarchy or to induce
state of affairs which would result i
deposing the sovereign, with a view [
ultimate annexation. 1t was, in m
opinion, nothing but a sense of dir
necessity which caused the establish
ment of the provisional government {
Hawaii.