Kuokoa Home Rula, Volume VII, Number 26, 25 Iune 1909 — The Claim of Liliuokalani, Former Queen of Hawaii. [ARTICLE]

The Claim of Liliuokalani, Former Queen of Hawaii.

« « «> « * HATCH'S STATEMENT BEFORE THE COMMriTEE. MR. GRAHAM. And your courts are the same now as forroerly? Mr. HATCH. Yes, sir. The pending litigation was continued, and in many fases some of the judges wereretained. Congress made a departure in organizing the Territory of Hawaii;racognizing the standing otthe government and that it had a complete judiciary system, it continued that system, andin addition appointed afederal judge to have jurisdiction over aU tederal matters. MR. GRAHAM. But all your doraestic questions wea to be settled in your loeal courts. Mr. HaTCH. Yes, sir. MR. GRAHAM. If thafland is private property, why have you no{ attempted to enforce her r|ghts in your courcs? MR. HaTCH. I eame hereasa private individua!. I have never been retained by the queen. The ques:ion I have argued to-day, I think it is a good, fair,'legal qusstior. whieh could be presenterl to any courr. I haveno rssponilbility about the conduct oi the caseA MR. Adaīß; There never has been any suit brought in Hawaii. * 'Mr. HaTCH. There never has been any suit brought; no. • To c!ose rny presentation of this case, I would simply say that this lady has shown to you a real, substantial elaim, whieh has been ignored by the C6ngress of tlie United States, ahd that there is a real reason wh.y hcr equitable title as the, beneficiary under this property, whieh was veste<3 in private trustees, whose legaltitle has neverbeen forteited by any. sort of procedure, should be rec9gnized. MR. WALDG. I think partof the title was a deed by Knmehanaeha IV. MR. HaTCH. Yes, sir. Mr. WaLDO. Then a deed to Q!aus Spreckfes? MR. HaTCH. Yes v sir. MR. WaLDO. And Claus Spreckles deeded to the Government? MR. Hatch. I will not undertake to say how that was deeded; whetlier it was to the Government or to ihe . commissioners. The CIIAIRMAN. Can you furnish the committee with a copy of that deed? MR. HaTCH. That ean be hadby seuding.to Honolulu. The CHAIRMAN. Is not this a legal question and one that oūght to.be subniitted to a court ratherthan to Congress? MR. HaTCH. The queen is asking for an equitable settlement It is conceded that a lump sum, say of $2000,000, would be accepted by her in extinguishment of these claims. I submit that there is a real elaim here, and if she is willing to accept that in lieu of all this interest in the estaie I think ,it a very lavorable settlement as far as the United States is concerned. The CHAIRMAN. The forrner queen, the present elaimant, eame to the throne in her own right? MR. HaTCH. Yes; she was a sister of the former spvereign, who died without children, and she succeeded under our consiitution, MR. WALDO. What you suggest is that this appropriation.be niaOe in Eull settlemetit of any legal elaim, i[ she has sucfi? Mr. HatCH. Yes, sir. MR. CHAIRMAN.. In any further presentationthat you may make to this e ommittee I wish you would eonhne youraelf to proposition: 0f the rightof thequeen to recover a life interest in the crown lands, because if she has a legal right torecovet I think the.position is good that yoū take that the Goverament of the United States would be raaking a reasonable setjtlement in settling this elaim for $200,000. And I wanij ( to ask you one other question: "You revolutionists, ; iii constitutional convention of whieh ycu were a member, after the war was over and you were sure you were at peaee, why did not s you and other friends of the queen ta,ke this matter up beiore this Government paid $20,000,000 tq and insist that pait of the, moaey shoūldbe devoted to the paymeni of this elaim o( the qaeen?" MR. HatCII. Ido not.q.uite understand why Spain is brought in. We have nothm& t6 do with Spain. A direct answer to ypur question is to be found right hera oa page 15 of the report of the subcommittee of shtt Senate Committee on Pacific 'and Porto Rico dn elaim of Liliuokalaiii, iij 1902. ĪBy article 6of ; thisc:eaty it will beobservedlhe G'>vfrnment of the United State3 waa to pay the aggregate hum o£

$3000,000 as annmties to theKmg, the queen, and thecrown prinre, those st.mding ne\t in succession to Uie throne, this sum to bo apport'oned as niight be determined by his Malt'Sty thc King and the.pt ivv eeuneil of state Pendmg the W>nsideration of this trcaty the King Katrehameha 111 dīed, t 'nd tho pioposcd tieaty Eell to the y,tound Ministct Slevens, m a letter to Secrctary o[ State Fos-tt-r, dnnnti ]'iesu]oruH.uriso , i , s Administiation, recommended tlu' p.ivnicnt of an annuity to Queen Lilmokalam,- folthc pnneiple enunLiaU'd m the treaty of 1854 In tlut lettei, amoni; oihei Minister Ste\ens said: As to liquidat lon uf all polmeal cknns of the Lillen Quc».n and ihe mmn pnnross, may 1 be allowed to sugg£st that the spuit and import oi the Maieh treaty plan of 1854 had better be adopted, whieh authorized the expenditure of $100,000 for hke puipostrs I therefore suggest that it a hquidution of this kind be now under consideiation atid $1 50,000 should be allo\\ed as the total sum for this purpose, that $70,000 should go to the fallen Queen Lihuokalani, 570,000 to the crown pnncpss Kaiu'ani, and $5,000 to eaeh of the young prmces The tast ndmed two pnnces are hatmless \oung boys of lmle account, nct chiets by blood, but they weie nuide b\ the latc Kinp Kalakaua without any constitmicnal right or power to elo so, the then boys being nephewi. of hib \%ife, Kapiulani (It might riut be īmpropei 10 iemark tlwt i>ne ol these \ oung pnnces is now ])ele«.ate-elect to Congiess liom Hawau ) Should the entne sum giautt J lui this puipose l>e gieatei or less than $150,UU0, I advist- thr ibr\e-specilie<. pioportions be maint tined. iM'om thls leLter, atid lium the tieuty whieh fulb.ved, it is e\ident llint the admin,stration ot President Harri&on held to the vicw that 'tl,e lallen queen" and the "crovn pnncess'" h. d scnie "poliiit.il Llatnib" whieh the Government of the United St.itrs cu<;ht to liquidate, and further, that the piopn amonnt to hquidate these "polilieal claims" was !j150,000 in hand lo the Ctown Pini n ess Kaiulani, and $20,000 annually to thc ex-Queen Lihuokalani dunng her natuial hle Again, the special commission of ihe governnent of Hawaii, m their lettei lo Secrctary of State Foster of date February 4, IP93— this waseighteen days after the queen's dethronement- submittmg a general outline of the terms of a proposed treaty with the provisional government, made the followmg recummendationThat appropriate financial provision be made for thp _ support oi,'cx-Queen Lihuokalani and the ex-heir presumptivfe Kaiuīani as long as they ahall, īn good faith, submit to the authority and ābide by the laws of the government estabhshcd by virtue of this treaty Again, m the proposed treaty of annexation negotiated wuh this commission representing the provisional government of Hawan m February, 1893, undcr President Harrison, Foster, Secretary of State, there was the following provision. Article VI The Governmenl of Lhe United States agree to pay to Liliuokalani, the late queen, within one >earfrom the date oE the exchange oE the ratification of this treatv, the surn of twenty thousand dollars )$20,000.00, and annually therealter a like sum of twenty thousand dollas during the term of her natural life, provided shc m good faith submits to the au thority oE the GovernmenL of the United States and the loeal governmeni of the islands. And the Government of the U nited States further agrees to pay to the Princess Kanilani, \vithin one year from the date of exchange of the ralil,caLion of Uus treaty, the gross sum of one hundred and iifLy thousand dollars ($150,000), provided she in good faith submits lo Lhe authonty of the Government of the United Stales and the loeal govcrnment of thc islands, Tlus LieaLy vas favcrably ieported by Lhe Senaie Committee on Foreign Relations Februar> 17, 1893; it was wuhdrawu fiom Lhe Senate bj PresidcnL ClevelandMarch 9, The revolutionary government did all that it could to secure an allowanee for the queen and her nieee, the Prmcess Kaiulani You, at a later period, brought about annexation īn your own way, and all provision for the queen was dropped (Jn our nexL issue, we will pubhsh the "Sutement of George B. M'ClelLan.")