The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-03-18

methods of addressing them. To re-
lieve himself of embarrassme he drove
His Majesty to the leading hotel and.
leaving him in the lobby, said, "Good
afternoon, King. We have had hard
day, and ] think you had better go
to your room and wash up.' Laugh
ter. ] was in London at the time of
the jubilee of Queen Victoria. Every
nation was specially represented, and
the royalties who came were received
with the consideration due them on
such occasions. Among them was the
Queen of the Sandwich Islands. She
demanded the fullest recognition of her
rank as the equal of the rulers of the
great kingdoms of the earth. No better
testimony could be given of the feeling
in the British foreign office of the value
of the Hawaiian Islands to Great Brit
ain than the fact that the Queen was
accorded everything she asked-her
place in the procession, an escort of
the guards, and a guest at Windsor.
There was current a story at the time
that at the dinner the Hawaiian Queen
said to Queen Victoria, "Your Majesty,
l am a blood relative" To the aston
ished inquiry, "How so7' the Hawai-
ian Queen answered, "My grandfather
ate Captain Cook" Laughter.l
Foreign historians and encyclopedias
claim that our government promoted the
revolution in Hawaii for the purpose
of annexation, and that the annexation
was violation Of an unwritten but
friendly understanding between COM
mercial nations of the worlo-that the
independence of Hawaii should be
respected. But the government was so
feeble and the population so small that
it was impossible for them long to con-
tinue their independence. In fact, the
Islands had been repeatedly seized and
Honolulu occupied, and overtures had
been made to the United States at diff
ferent times under the monarchy for a
union for the purpose of protection. In
1929, Laplace, commander of a French
| frigate, seized Honolulu and held it
until he had forced upon the govern
ment treaty. In 1S43, Lord Pawlet,
commanding British frigate, seized
the Islands in the name of Great
Britain, but the British government SUBJ
sequently released them on the remon-
strances of the other powers. The
French again seized the Islands in 1S49
and held them for a considerable time,
but finally gave them up because of the
opposition of the United States and
Great Britain. In 1851, the King, to
escape his difficulties with France and
England, gave to our representative a
| deed of cession of the Islands to the
! United States, to be held until an ad-
iustment could be made with these
countries, and failing in that, to be
held permanently. In 1854 secretary
of State, Mr.. Marcy, authorized negotia-
| tions for an annexation treaty. The
King made a draft of treaty which
was accepted by Mr.. Marcy, but be-
fore it was ratified the King died. In
| 1898 a treaty was negotiated between
our government and that of the Ha-
waiian Islands for the annexation of
the Islands to the United States. This
treaty was withdrawn by the president
| from the senate. Again, june 16, 1897,
treaty of annexation, similar in its
provisions to the joint resolutions which
were adopted in 1898, was agreed to by
the government of Hawaii and duly
ratified by their senate. In 1900 the
union was effected by the action of the
United States of America. This recap
itulation shows that the Islands came
to us in the natural course of events
and not by Illegal methods or undue
pressure.
1t is a tribute, and remarkable one,
to the self-governing powers of the
Hawaiian people that they should have
been granted in the Organic Act con-
ditions of self-government which have
not been given to any other of our
possessions or territories.
The purpose of the present bill is to