Ex parte Edwards

13 Haw. 32, 1900 Haw. LEXIS 9
CourtHawaii Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 9, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 13 Haw. 32 (Ex parte Edwards) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ex parte Edwards, 13 Haw. 32, 1900 Haw. LEXIS 9 (haw 1900).

Opinions

OPINION OF THE COURT BY

GALBRAITH, J.

(Frear, C.J., dissenting.)

This was an original proceeding on a writ of habeas corpus issued on the petition of George L. Edwards, and the return thereto.

The petitioner was charged on an indictment found by the Circuit Judge of the First Circuit, Island of Oahu, Hawaiian Islands with'the offense of an attempt to commit sodomy; was tried and convicted on the 16th day of August, A. D., 1898, by the concurrence of ten of the twelve jurors, and sentenced by the court to imprisonment at hard labor for a term of five years. The return admits that 'he is now held in the Oahu Prison, Territory of'Hawaii,'under the commitment' issued in- pursuance of the conviction and sentence as alleged in the petition.

The indictment against the petitioner was- returned- under Sec/ 616'of the Penal Code of 1897 of the Republic of Hawaii, which reads:1 “The necessary bills of indictment -shall be duly prepared by a legal'prosecuting officer, and be duly presented -to [34]*34the presiding judge of the court before the arraignment of the accused, and such judge shall, after examination, certify upon each bill of indictment whether he finds the same a true bill.”

The provision of the code relative to the verdict of juries reads as follows: “Sec. 1345. No jury for the trial of any case^ civil or criminal, shall be less than twelve in number; but when nine of the jury shall agree upon a verdict, they may render the same and such verdict shall be as valid and binding upon the parties as if rendered by all twelve.”

It is contended by the petitioner that his indictment, conviction and sentence were void, and his detention is now illegal, in this that he was placed upon trial for an infamous crime without an indictment by a grand jury and was convicted by the minority verdict of a jury and thus denied the rights and privileges guaranteed bim under the 5th and 6th Amendments of the Constitution of the United States.

It is contended on behalf of the Territory that the petitioner was legally convicted under the laws of the Republic of Hawaii, that no act of Congress had, at that time, extended the Constitution and laws of the United States to the Hawaiian Islandsi, and that these amendments, or any other parts of the Constitution of the United States, were not in force on the Hawaiian Islands, at the time of his conviction and sentence, to-wit, Aug. 16th, 1898.

In passing upon the question raised in this case we cannot overlook the history of the long and laborious struggle for the Annexation of the Hawaiian Islands to the United States, extending over a period of nearly half a century and ending with tbe passage of the Joint Resolution by the United States Congress and its approval by President McKinley on the 7th day of July A. D. 1898; nor forget the fact that one of the strong arguments for annexation was that American civilization had long been established in these islands and its people and institutions would easily and naturally adapt themselves to and be assimilated with American law and government.

The constitution of the Republic of Hawaii, adopted in 1894, contained this provision: “The President, with the approval of the Cabinet, is hereby expressly authorized and empowered to [35]*35make a Treaty of Political or Commercial Union between tbe Republic of Hawaii and the United States of America, subject to the ratification of the Senate.” Art. 32.

A treaty of annexation was negotiated by the Representatives of the United States and the Republic of Hawaii in February 1893, and withdrawn from the consideration of the United States Senate by the President, in March following, and another treaty was made on June 17th, 1897. This last treaty was pending before the United States Senate for ratification when the Joint Resolution was passed.

This resolution reads in part as follows:

“joint RESOLUTION
TO PROVIDE FOR ANNEXING THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS TO THE UNITED
STATES.
“Whereas the Government of the Republic of Hawaii having, in due form signified its consent, in the manner provided by its constitution, to cede absolutely and without reserve to the United States of America all rights of sovereignty of whatsoever kind in and over the Hawaiian Islands and their dependencies, and also to cede and transfer to the United States the absolute fee and ownership of all public, Government or Crown lands, public buildings or edifices, ports, harbors, military equipment, and all other public property of every kind and description belonging to the Government of the Hawaiian Islands together with every right and appurtenance thereunto appertaining; therefore,
“Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that said cession is accepted, ratified and confirmed, and that the said Hawaiian Islands and their dependencies be, and they are hereby annexed as a part of the territory of the United States, and are subject to the sovereign dominion thereof, and that all and singular the property and rights hereinbefore mentioned are vested in the United States of America.” ****** “The existing treaties of the Hawaiian Islands with foreign nations shall forthwith cease and determine, being replaced by such treaties as may exist, or as may be hereafter concluded between the United States and such foreign nation. The municinal legislation of the Hawaiian Islands, not enacted for the fulfillment of the treaties so extinguished, and not inconsistent with this [36]*36Joint Resolution nor contrary to the Constitution of the United - States nor to any existing treaty of the United States, shall remain in force until the Congress of the United States shall otherwise determine.” 30 U. S. Statutes at Large p. 750.

On the 12th day of August, A. D., 1898, four days prior to the conviction of the petitioner, the ceremonies attending the formal transfer of the sovereignty and public property of the Republic of Hawaii occurred; the Hawaiian flag was lowered from the Capitol Building and the American flag raised into place. The public property was delivered to and accepted by the representative of the United States.

Prior to the signing of the resolution of annexation the Republic’ of Hawaii had been an independent sovereignty. She had long occupied a picturesque position among the governments of the world. Although annexation was brought about by the mutual efforts and in compliance with the desire of both .governments when annexation became an accomplished fact, the Republic of Hawaii passed into history; there was no “union” or “marriage” as has been claimed, there was' absorption — annihilation. In the language of the resolution “the Hawaiian Islands and their dependencies” were “annexed as a part of the territory of the United States,” and at once became “subject to the sovereign dominion thereof.”

The Joint Resolution further provided “until Congress shall provide for the government of such islands all the civil, judicial and military powers exercised by the officers of the existing government in said islands shall be vested in such person or persons ■and shall be exercised in such manner as the President of the United States shall direct; and the President shall have power to remove said officers and fill the vacancies so occasioned.”

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Related

In re Mankichi
1 D. Haw. 303 (D. Hawaii, 1902)

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Bluebook (online)
13 Haw. 32, 1900 Haw. LEXIS 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ex-parte-edwards-haw-1900.