The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-03-01
L|L|UOKALANPS CLAIM
IS SHARPLY DISCUSSED
Not Likely That It Will Reappear in This Con-
gress Since the Motion to Recommit Was
Lost---The Senate Debate.
(Mail Special to the Advertiser

Probably the claim of eN-Queen Liliuo
kalani for compensation on account o
loss OF crown lands was effectually kill
ed for this congress when the Senat
today, by tie vote, refused to pass il
The bill came up Friday last ant
provoked long debate Much opposition
developed and Senator Spooner made ;
motion to recommt. That developed
the absence of quorum and the mater
went over till today's session. When i
was brought to vote again today tn,
motion to recommit was lost ~ to "a
| The bill was then amended so as tc
make the amount of the payment $780,
600. Then the amended bill was os
by tie vote.
Senator Mitchell, of Oregon, who adj
vocated the payment said today there
might be chance to get the bill through
although it was somewhat doubtful
The lobbyists, who have been working
for the claim, haunted the corridor as
the Senate was considering it.
AS soon as the bill was reached Fri
day on the calendar of the Senate ii
was read as follows:
| Be it enacted, etc. That the Secre-
tary of the Treasury be, and is hereby,
authorized to pay to Liliuokalani,
formerly Queen of the Kingdom of Ha-
waii, i'll full satisfaction and discharge
of all claim, legal and equitable $780,
900.
proposed an amendment to strike out
the words in full satisfaction and dis
charge OF all claim, legal and equitable, .
and then the debate started Senator
Kean, OF New Jersey, inquired if there
were any report on the bill. There had
been none drawn, as matter OF fact,
but subsequently the Senate spent con-
siderable time i'll nnding that out SEN
ator Plat declared that under the cir
cumstances we may just as well strike
out those words and pay her the $780,
600 without stating what we pay it for
He disclosed little later in the debate
that it was not his intention to vote for
the bill in any form.
Mr. Blackburn said he hoped the
amendment OF Mr.. Patt would not be
adopted and Mr.. Eloar, who was one Of
the pioneers in the Senate in cham
pioning the payment of sum to the
eX-Queen said he thought she had equit-
able rights. Mr.. Blackburn added that
the report i'll favor of the bill was
unanimous from the Senate Committee
on the Pacific Islands and Porto Rico.
Since the reinforcement of the Queen
and the taking possession of the crown
lands, which were hers as long as she re-
tanned the sovereignty OF those islands,
continued Senator BlacKburn, the gov
eminent has received in round numbers
an average yearly rental OF $4,000 from
those lands. So about a half million
OF money has been collected since her
dethronement as the rents of the crown
lands alone
In the course of the debate the amount
OF these rentals and the beneficiary OF
them was inquired into extensively by
Senators. The replies developed the in
formation from Senator Mitchell, of
Oregon, and others that the exact
amount of the rentals in ten years has
been $432,37S.oo and that that amount
has gone into the federal Treasury here
in Washington, not into the Territorial
treasury.
NOT AN EQUITABLE CLAIM.
Senator Spooner, the most aggressive
opponent of the bill, Immediately en-
gagged i'll argument with Mr.. Blackburn
as to there being an equitable claim
that the government ought to recognize.
Mr. Spooner declared that for the life
OF him he could not understand how
there was any such equitable claim. The
following -colloquy, mainly between
those two Senators, was devoted to
that phase OF the claim:
Mr. Spooner. Does the Committee
predicate anything upon the theory that
she was dethroned by the United States?
Mr.. Blackburn. No. That, of course
was her contention and that of her ad-
herents; but the committee i'll its re-
port expressly disclaims any such pur-
pose as that In express language the
committee holds that she has no legal
claim against this Government for any
thing but the committee recommends
the payment OF the 100000, based upon
the one item OF consideration which
have stated in answer to the Senator
tons. These crown lands were hers
during her sovereignty, Whenever she
ceased to be the sovereign, the Queen,
OF those islands, the Crown lands ceased
TO belong to her. In other words, they
belonged to the Crown
Now, Mr.. President admitting. as the
freely does, that this claimant
has no status in court, that she has no
legal ground upon which she can make
any demand upon this Government, the
committee by its unanimous action. in
OF the facts that | have
stated here, recommend that the sum
OF 100000 be paid to her,
1t must be understood and admitted
no one will deny it-that the conditions
attaching were peculiarly hard upon this
dethroned sovereign There she was in
more than comfortable circumstance.
She had an annual rental of about $780,
600 from lands that belonged 10 her so