New York, July 24, 1897

HON WILLIAM McKinley,
President of the United States;

May it please your Excellency to find accompanying this letter two petitions, of which I am the duly commissioned bearer from three societies of patriotic associations therein mentioned. These organizations represent the people of native or part native birth, who to the number of forty thousand are still opposed to any loss of their independence and in favor of the restoration of their Queen; Her Majesty Liliuokalani.

It was their wish and my own to present these to you during the first week of your administration, and to this end a letter was written to your Excellency and delivered by me at the Executive Office. To this no reply whatever was received, and after waiting nearly a week, I wrote to your Secretary simply inquiring if it had reached your hands.

Upon being informed by him that it was under consideration, yet still receiving no response, I delayed the delivery of the within documents and communicated the facts to my fellow-citizens at Honolulu.

By them, I have been recently advised to send to your Excellency these papers without further delay, which I now do, hoping for myself and for that great number of my countrymen and countrywomen who are denied the exercise of their rights at home and the privilege of any representation abroad, that the United States Government in whom Her Majesty and her people have alike trusted will never consent to any Treaty or protect any Hawaiian Rule, without a full recognition of her constitutional rights and those of the aboriginal people of the Hawaiian Islands. Commending this to the consideration of Your Excellency, in whose kindness of heart and strict sense of justice, we have every reason to trust, I have the honor to remain.

Most respectfully yours,

Secretary, Her Majesty Liliuokalani, and Commissioner of
HUI KALAIANA - and also of the AHAHUI HAWAII ALOHA AINA and the WOMEN'S PATRIOTIC LEAGUE

Source = U.S. State Department files(?) Scanned photocopy of microfilmed letter

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