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THE QUEEN'S VISITS TO AMERICA

I KNEW QUEEN LILIUOKALANI

BY BERNICE PIILANI (COOK) IRWIN

          Her Majesty was finally granted "full pardon." She decided to leave for a change of scene and atmosphere, and planned to go to Boston to renew her acquaintance with her husband's relatives whom she had met on her way to Queen Victoria's Jubilee.  When the Queen left the islands on this trip, it was the third time she had visited the United States.  Her first visit was in 1878, a year after she had been proclaimed heir apparent to the throne of Hawaii nei.  Since this early trip was undertaken for reasons of health, she journeyed no further than California.  She returned after a few weeks much improved in health and with many pleasant impressions of the little she had seen of America.

     The second visit was on the occasion when she accompanied her sister-in-law, Queen Kapiolani, to the Jubilee of Queen Victoria.  The party consisted of five members and their attendants, about fourteen persons in all.  After a few days in San Francisco the group continued the trip eastward, stopping at several cities on the way to new York, their port of departure for England.

     At every city they were ceremoniously entertained by city officials.

     In Washington the Queen, then the Princess Liliuokalani, attended a state dinner given by President and Mrs. Grover Cleveland at the White House in honor of Queen Kapiolani.  This was Liliuokalani's first acquaintance with the President who was later to take such an active part in her history.  While in Washington, the Hawaiian party was escorted to many places of interest including Mount Vernon.

     It was during this second visit that a body of thirteen Masons of the thirty-third degree called to pay respects to Queen Kapiolani and the Princess and to greet their brother Mason, Governor John O. Dominis, husband of the Princess Liliuokalani.  They presented certificates to the Queen and the Princess which gave them the privilege of calling on Masons in any part of the world whenever Masons could be of assistance to them.  The Princess Liliuokalani valued greatly this certificate and always kept it with her.

     In Boston, Princess Liliuokalani found herself surrounded by the numerous members of her husband's family.  The party was again entertained by city officials.

     From Boston they went to New York where, after a visit of eleven days, they boarded the City of Rome, one of the largest steamers afloat at that time, and sailed for England.  In England members of the Hawaiian party were the especially honored guests of Queen Victoria, much to their surprise.

     Her majesty's third visit to America was as the deposed Queen, and the motive of the trip was to have a change of scene; a release from the nerve-racking surveillance.  During her "parole" she was permitted only a few callers, and, although allowed to leave her home, she was told she could not go where more than two or three were present.  Her every move was spied upon and reported to the Republic.  This experience had made her shy of appearing in groups of people.  Therefore on this, her third trip to America, the Queen left the islands quietly, telling only a very few intimate friends of her intention to leave, as she wished to avoid a demonstration at the boat should it be generally known.

     Among the many friends to greet her in San Francisco was Charles R. Bishop, who had married her dearly beloved foster-sister, Princess Bernice Pauahi.  He had left the islands soon after the overthrow of the monarchy, 1894, and never returned to live in Hawaii.

     Another to greet Her Majesty was Mrs. Kaikilani Graham, daughter of her old friend, Mrs. J.H. Coney, who accompanied the party overland, guarding Her Majesty from many an unpleasant situation.  Mrs. Graham interviewed the many reporters who stormed the train, and shield Her Majesty from the gaze of the curious crowds who congregated at every station to get a glimpse of the "ex-queen."

     Again the Queen was warmly greeted in Boston by her husband's large family who feted her during her five-week stay in that city.  She excused herself from some of the larger affairs proposed in her honor, still shrinking from the contact of large gatherings as a result of her "parole" experience.

     However, through the Boston experience, she again grew accustomed to groups of people, and later while in Washington, she finally overcame her reticence and was most active.  She had gone to Washington early in 1897 at the repeated requests of her Hawaiian people.  The Queen was received at the White House by President Grover Cleveland and delivered the appeals with which her people had intrusted her.  It was a pleasure for Her Majesty to tell the President how deeply he was revered by the Hawaiian people for his stand in their cause.

     The Queen's stay in Washington was broken by trips to New York and San Francisco, but most of the time she spent close to the Capitol.  She felt her responsibility to her people and wished to do her utmost to stave off annexation.

     It was indeed remarkable that the Queen found time for her literary and musical pursuits as well as the writing of her book, her voluminous correspondence, official and personal, even with the aid of two secretaries, for she was in a constant whirl of social activities.  One outstanding work she accomplished at this period was the translation of the Kumulipo (Chant of Creation) which she had begun during her imprisonment in Iolani Palace.  As patroness of the Polynesian Society, she planned to send them a copy.  Other copies were later placed in the libraries of various scientific societies.

     The Queen was much in demand socially in Washington.  Organizations requesting a particular audience became some numerous that she was obliged to ask them to send a delegation to her fortnightly receptions en lieu of the special audience. From one hundred to five hundred persons attended each reception.  During her six months in Washington, she received approximately five thousand callers.  Representatives of all church denominations paid their respects.  Congressmen and their families were well represented.  Often there appeared prominent laymen, or officers of the army or navy who had visited the islands and had known Her Majesty as the Princess or later as Queen of Hawaii nei.

     One of these callers was Admiral George Brown on whose ship, the Charleston, her brother, King Kalakaua, had been the honored guest on his last fatal trip to California.  Admiral Brown called especially to show Her Majesty the Order of Kalakaua which she had sent him in recognition of his services to her brother, and to thank her again for the honor she had bestowed on him.  The Queen had seen him from a distance that same afternoon riding in the carriage at the parade with the newly inaugurated President, William McKinley.  She had witnessed the Inauguration of President William McKinley.  The furor caused by her appearance provided the reporters of the Republican newspapers (continually fed by the PGs) with still another topic with which to malign her.  Her Majesty would not allow her secretaries to reply to this rude outburst, but it was immediately silenced by letters, friendly editorials and news stories in the Democratic press published by Senator Sherman and Secretary Olney, who had arranged for the Queen's seat at the inauguration.

     Again the Masons paid their respects to Liliuokalani; this time as Queen, and widow of their brother Mason.  They honored Her Majesty with the presentation of a Masonic medal.  She was invited to the chambers of the Masonic Council where members of the "brethren" were presented to her, and while there she was shown her husband's photograph and his correspondence which was among their valued papers.

     The first person to pay his respects to Her Majesty when she arrived in Washington was the Honorable Daniel Nash Morgan, Treasurer of the United States, who was himself a Mason of high degree.  He, having noticed the jewel of the Mystic Shrine which the Queen always wore, she told him its history.  It had been presented to her by General Powell, a high official of the Mystic Shrine.  He told her, as he pinned it on her with a blessing that should she ever find herself in difficulties, she would find it of great assistance to her.

     The Queen was the sole representative of the Hawaiian people in Washington at this time.  She had carried out her people's request in handling their appeals to the President--appeals to the effect that they should be reinstated as a free and independent nation.

     Representatives of the Republic of Hawaii were also present in the city, constantly urging annexation.

     On June 16, 1897, President McKinley sent an annexation bill to the Senate at the insistence of the PGs, who used as their prod the pretence that Japan was about to seize the islands.  The Queen immediately sent in her protest together with that of the Hawaiian Patriotic League.  These were presented by the Honorable Joseph Heleluhe.  this annexation bill did not pass the senate, partly on account of these protests and partly because just previously many newspaper articles had appeared strongly opposed to annexation.

     But despite the good will shown the Queen personally, she was powerless to stop the annexation movement when America's exigencies during the Spanish-American war occurred.  In 1898, when troops were sent Manila-ward, and stopped in Hawaii for coaling and refreshment, the value of Hawaii as a midway station for this purpose outweighed the objections in the Senate.  On July 6, 1898, the Annexation Bill passed the United States Senate.

     There was nothing more the Queen could do in Washington.  Therefore she caused an edition of her popular song, Aloha 'Oe to be published, giving copies as souvenirs of her visit to organizations who had paid their respects to her, and to her many friends.  After bidding them a fond farewell, she left for Hawaii to be with her people in the coming crisis of their nation.