Amidst these situations, the Civil-Right group in Kochi Prefecture submitted a petition called 'the three biggest petitions' focusing on 1) establishment of free speech, 2) restoring mental balance of civilians by reducing a land tax, and 3) recovery of diplomacy (realization of revision of a treaty on an equal footing), saying these unrests were because of a policy of Europeanization as national disgrace and oppression of public opinions.
このような中で片岡健吉を代表とする高知県の民権派が、今回の混乱は国辱的な欧化政策と言論弾圧による世論の抑圧にあると唱えて、①言論の自由の確立②地租軽減による民心の安定③外交の回復（対等な立場による条約改正実現）を柱とした「三大事件建白」と呼ばれる建白書を提出した。