HR58

WHEREAS, in 1991, the General Synod of the United Churches of Christ, representing over six thousand member churches, passed a resolution "Recognizing the Rights of Native Hawaiians to Self-Governance and Self-Determination"; and

WHEREAS, in 1993, the President of the United Church of Christ, which sent the first missionaries to Hawaii in 1820, issued a formal "Apology to Na Kanaka Maoli" and committed the church to redress the wrongs done to native Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, in 1993, the United States Congress adopted Public Law 103-50 often referred to as the "Apology Bill," which apologized to native Hawaiians for the illegal overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani and the Hawaiian Kingdom, which was signed by President William J. Clinton; and

WHEREAS, in 1994, the National Council of Churches USA at its General Assembly of sixty-eight denominations passed a resolution titled "A Stolen Nation" that called for support of grass roots efforts of the Kanaka Maoli toward sovereignty and self-determination; and

WHEREAS, in the nineteenth century, through a combination of intrigue, subterfuge, betrayal, and incomparable alliances, the sons of the missionaries took control of the lands of Hawaii and seized and operated sugar and pineapple plantations, which became a thriving export business; and

WHEREAS, in 1872, the United States sent its emissary, General John Schofield, to Hawaii to study the coastline, waterways, bays, and harbors as a civilian; and

WHEREAS, in 1881, Secretary of State James Gillespie Blaine told President Benjamin Harrison that Hawaii was of enough value to be annexed to the United States; and

WHEREAS, in May 1882, Lorrin Thurston of the secret Annexation Club met with President Benjamin Harrison requesting assistance with an overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom; and

WHEREAS, B.F. Tracy, Secretary of the Navy, told Thurston, as authorized by the President that "if conditions in Hawaii compel you people to act as you have indicated, and you come to Washington with an annexation proposition, you will find an exceedingly sympathetic administration here"; and

WHEREAS, in November 1892, Secretary of State John W. Foster wrote to Thurston, stating that the Harrison administration was willing to put up $250,000 to buy out Queen Liliuokalani's claims to Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, in January 1893, after years of conspiracy and deception, with the aid and support of the United States, the sons of the American missionaries and other business people, planned and executed the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom; and

WHEREAS, Queen Liliuokalani was the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom; and

WHEREAS, Queen Liliuokalani, who would not shed one drop of her people's blood to save her nation, was deposed by the advocates of a Republic for Hawaii in 1893; and

WHEREAS, Grover Cleveland was both the twenty-second and the twenty-fourth president of the United States (1885-1889 and 1893-1897); and

WHEREAS, Cleveland, a distinguished leader, rose to political prominence through the ranks of Mayor of Buffalo and Governor of New York before his election to this nation's highest office; and

WHEREAS, in March 1893, Grover Cleveland was sworn into office for his final term as President, three months after the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom; and

WHEREAS, after President Cleveland, an anti-imperialist, assumed the presidency, he immediately worked to stop the treaty of annexation of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the newly sworn President Cleveland challenged the illegal overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani and sent James Blount to Hawaii to gather facts and to assist in a just determination of the involvement of the United States in the overthrow; and

WHEREAS, upon the counsel of James Blount and Gresham, President Grover Cleveland determined that the United States was unjustly and illegally involved in the overthrow; and

WHEREAS, President Grover Cleveland addressed the United States Congress and requested that Queen Liliuokalani and the Hawaiian Kingdom be restored; and

WHEREAS, always concerned about the underprivileged, Cleveland believed his ultimate allegiance was to the nation, not to a political party, and he acted on his strongly held beliefs throughout his entire political life; and

WHEREAS, this position by President Cleveland reflected his understanding that imperialism and expansionism were not the unanimously favored policy; and

WHEREAS, President Cleveland was a very spiritual and moral leader who risked his personal reputation and suffered ridicule as a result of the unpopular positions he took; and

WHEREAS, President Cleveland faced not only tremendously challenging political, social, and economic circumstances during his terms of office, but he was also battling cancer and suffering from ill-health during his last term of office; and

WHEREAS, Cleveland spent his last years as a lecturer and beloved member of the administration at Princeton University; and

WHEREAS, in 1898, John Schofield, retired commanding General of the United States Army, reported to the United States Congress that the port of Pu‘uloa – later to become Pearl Harbor - was the best natural harbor in the world for the purposes of a modern Navy; and

WHEREAS, General Schofield told Congress "...we made a pre‑emption which nobody in the world thinks of disputing provided we perfect our title"; and

WHEREAS, President Grover Cleveland was a true friend to Queen Liliuokalani and the people of the Hawaiian Kingdom; and

WHEREAS, today, many people worldwide are recognizing that the spiritual and moral leadership of President Cleveland was ahead of his time; and

WHEREAS, the people of Hawaii have been supported and encouraged in the last one hundred fourteen years by the words and prayers of President Grover Cleveland; and

WHEREAS, President Cleveland's legacy and his vision for justice in Hawaii remain strong in Hawaii with the ancestors and people of the Queen; and

WHEREAS, in a proclamation dated February 25, 1894, President Cleveland declared that "April 30 [of every year] be set aside as a day of solemn fasting, and prayer for the injustice to me [President Grover Cleveland] and my great good sister [Queen Liliuokalani] for her speedy return to the throne"; and

WHEREAS, the Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center, the Hawaii Conference of the United Churches of Christ, and the United Church of Christ have worked to lift up the life of President Grover Cleveland, and bring to light the truth of history; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that the Legislature and the Governor are requested to recognize and acknowledge the historical and educational contributions of President Cleveland's work for the people of Hawaii and America today and for the future; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature hereby proclaims April 30 of each year as a special day of remembrance, education, and prayer, for people of all faiths, for Grover Cleveland, a great American who stood for the true values and principles of the United States Constitution, and for "liberty and justice for all"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Mayors of the respective counties of Hawaii, to the Governor of the State of New Jersey, the President of the New Jersey Senate, the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, the Mayor and the Princeton Township Committee, the Mayor of Caldwell, New Jersey and the Council of the Borough of Caldwell, and to the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ Headquarters.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Proclaiming April 30 of Every Year as Hawaiian Restoration Day

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	58
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII