Return to the Hawaiian Independence Home Page or the Legal Documents Index

RESOLUTION

Of the Senate of Hawaii Ratifying the Treaty ofAnnexation.

     BE IT RESOLVED, by the Senate of the Republicof Hawaii:

     That the Senate hereby ratifies and advisesand consents to the ratification by the President of the treaty betweenthe Republic of Hawaii and the United States of America on the subjectof the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands to the United States of Americaconcluded at Washington on the 16th day of June, A. D. 1897, which treatyis word for word as follows:

     "The Republic of Hawaii and the UnitedStates of America, in view of the natural dependence of the Hawaiian Islandsupon the United States of their geographical proximity thereto, of thepreponderant share acquired by the United States and its citizens in theindustries and trade of said Islands, and of the expressed desire of thegovernment of the Republic of Hawaii that those Islands should be incorporatedinto the United States as an integral part thereof, and under its sovereignty,have determined to accomplish by treaty an object so important to theirmutual and permanent welfare.

     "To this end the high contractingparties have conferred full powers and authority upon their respectivelyappointed plenipotentiaries, to wit:

     "The President of the Republic ofHawaii: FRANCIS MARCH HATCH, LORRIN A. THURSTON, and WILLIAM A. KINNEY.

     "The President of the United States:JOHN SHERMAN, secretary of State of the United States.

ARTICLE I.

     "The Republic of Hawaii hereby cedesabsolutely and without reserve to the United States of America all rightsof sovereignty of whatsoever kind in and over the Hawaiian Islands andtheir dependencies: and it is agreed that all the territory of and appertainingto the agreed that all the territory of and appertaining to the Republicof Hawaii is hereby annexed to the United States of America under the nameof the Territory of Hawaii.

"ARTICLE II.

     The Republic of Hawaii also cedes andhereby transfers to the United States the absolute fee and ownership ofall public, government or crown lands, public buildings or edifices, ports,harbors, military equipment, and all other public property of every kindand description belonging to the government of the Hawaiian Islands, togetherwith every right and appurtenance thereunto appertaining.
     "The existing laws of the United Statesrelative to public lands shall not apply to such lands in the HawaiianIslands: but the Congress of the United States shall enact special lawsfor their management and disposition. Provided: that laws for their managementand disposition. Provided: that all revenue from or proceeds of the same,except as regards such part thereof as may be used or occupied for thecivil, military or naval purposes of the United States, or may be assignedfor the use of the local government, shall be used solely for the benefitof the inhabitants of the Hawaiian islands for educational and other publicpurposes.

"ARTICLE III.

     Until Congress shall provide for the governmentof such Islands, all the civil, judicial and military powers exercisedby the officers of the existing government in said Islands, shall be vestedin such person or person, and shall be exercised in such manner as thePresident of the United States shall direct: and the President shall havepower to remove said officers and fill the vacancies so occasioned.
     "The existing treaties of the HawaiianIslands with foreign nations shall forthwith cease and determine, beingreplaced by such treaties as may exist, or as may be hereafter concludedbetween the United States and such foreign nations. The municipal legislationof the Hawaiian Islands, not enacted for the fulfill fulfillment of thetreaty so extinguished, and not inconsistent with this treaty, not contraryto the Constitution of the United States, nor to any existing treaty ofthe United States, shall remain in force until the Congress of the UnitedStates shall otherwise determine.
     "Until legislation shall be enactedextending the United States Customs laws and regulations to the HawaiianIslands, the existing Customs relations of the Hawaiian islands with theUnited States and other countries shall remain unchanged.

"ARTICLE IV.

     The public debt of the Republic of Hawaii,lawfully existing at the date of the exchange of the ratification of thisTreaty, including the amounts due to depositors in the Hawaiian Postalsavings Bank, is hereby assumed by the Government of the United States:but the liability of the United States in the regard shall in not caseexceed $4,000.000. So long, however, as the existing government and thepresent commercial relations of the Hawaiian Islands are continued, asherein before provided, said Government shall continue to pay the intereston said debt.

"ARTICLE V.

     There shall be no further immigrationof Chinese into the Hawaiian Islands, except upon such conditions as arenow or may hereafter be allowed by the laws of the United States, and noChinese by reason of anything herein contained shall be allowed to enterthe United States from the Hawaiian Islands.

"ARTICLE VI.

     The President shall appoint Once Commissioners,at least two of whom shall be residents of the Hawaiian Islands, who shall,as soon as reasonably practical recommend to Congress such legislationconcerning the Territory of Hawaii as they shall deem necessary or proper.

"ARTICLE VII.

     This treaty shall be ratified by the Presidentof the Republic of Hawaii, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate,in accordance with the Constitution of the said Republic, on the one part:and by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consentof the Senate, on the other: and the ratifications hereof shall be exchangedat Washington as soon as possible.

     "In witness whereof, the respectiveplenipotentiaries have signed the above article, and have hereunto affixedtheir seals.

     "Done in duplicate at the City ofWashington, this sixteenth day of June, one thousand eight hundred andninety-seven.

     "I hereby certify that the foregoingResolution was unanimously adopted at the Special Session of the Senateof the Republic of Hawaii on the 9th day of September, A. D. 1897.

"Attest:
       "J. F. CLAY,
                "Clerkof Senate"


Note:

     This is the signification of the consentof Hawaii to annexation referred to in the Joint Resolution of Congress,post p. 40.  The treaty as set forth in this resolution of the Senateof Hawaii differ slightly in spelling and puctuation from the treaty itself. The treaty was not ratified by the Senate of the United States.


Return to the Hawaiian Independence Home Page or the Legal Documents Index