Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 10, 1 October 2010 — Election-time riot in Hawaiʻi? It happened in 1874 [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Election-time riot in Hawaiʻi? It happened in 1874

By Kau'i Sai-Dudoit Elections are upon us onee again, and as we are bombarded by the campaign sign wavers and television eommercials offering campaign promises while cleverly airing the

ioiDies oi opponenis, we share with you a glimpse of the only two elections C of a Hawaiian monarch in ] Hawai'i's history. I On Dec. 11, 1872, Kamehameha V, Lot Kapuāiwa 'Iolani Kamehameha died without naminu a successor

to the throne, creating a vacancy of the most prestigious position in the nation, and for the first time in the history of this burgeoning country, the fate of rule was to be decided by the people and their representatives in Hawai'i's first interregnum. The candidates were Ruth Ke'elikōlani, Dowager Queen Emma, David Kalākaua, William Charles Lunalilo and Bernice Pauahi Bishop. All had familial ties to the royal Kamehameha line but none as high-ranking, natural and uncontested as Lunalilo. Although he was the clear favorite for the throne, he called for an eleehon in whieh he declared, "Notwithstand-

ing that according to the law of inheritance, I am the rightful heir to the Throne, in order to preserve peaee, harmony and good order, I desire to submit the decision of my elaim to the voice of the people to be freely and fairly expressed by a

plebicitum," and on Jan. 1, 1873, the people voted unanimously in favor of their beloved "Prince Bill." On Jan. 8, 1873, the Legislature met to cast their votes and confirmed William Charles Lunalilo as the first elected King of the Hawaiian Islands. Sadly, on Feb. 3, 1874, barely one year later, Lunalilo died from tuberculosis without naming a successor to the throne. Concern for national safety prompted the government to immediately announee the time and date of the election by the Nobles and Representatives on Feb. 12, 1874. Unlike the first eleetion and Lunalilo's natural claimto

the throne, the second interregnum was rife with conflict and dissenting parties who heeame more vocal as the election date approached. The two final candidates vying for the throne was David La'amea Kalākaua and the Dowager Queen Emma. Kalākaua had a reputation for being well spoken and diplomatic and was known to favor the Americans, while Queen Emma had the loyal support of those faithful to the trusted and comfortable Kamehameha dynasty and was a close friend of the British royalty. The campaign heated up and was the only topic of discussion in all the social circles around Honolulu. ■ Ho'olaupa'i: Hawaiian Language Newspaper Project i.s a collaborative partnershi.p among the Bi.shop Museum, Awaiaulu ine., Alu Li.ke ine. and Hale Kuamo'o to uti.li.ze modern technology to preseive and provide access to the volumi.nous wri.ti.ngs i.n the Hawaiian language newspapers forfree access at nupepa.org. Kau'i. Sai.-Diidoi.thas been the Project Manager ofHo'olaupa'i. since 2002.

Virtual library Visit nupepa.org to seethe Hawaiian language newspapers online. Also, eheek out Ho'olaupa'i on Facebook.

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iniir * 1 i A painting depicts the 1 874 riot. - Photo: Courtesy ofBishop Museum