The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-06-24
samca- the Other Side.

= ~ ~-TTT-TTT 70 y TTTTTTTT on
Lonoinln by a member Of the London MIssIonary
Society, long resident at Samoa. has been handle
US for publication.
You will have beard Of Samoa diacylt., .,ay
Wal, oei%ve, be glad 10 get a statement Of whaI
pa 49, pee on which more dependence maj
80 aGrp and ~ eonTadieiory reports such asI
$500. 49, ~ way 10 the newspapers. Wilt.
s'einburser eusineA Asd ia sosseCsssss, d. d.
Il When Col. Si~lnB>a
a. L. :. special Coumissk ~ cAmoa
by he people. You are ala ne vas well received
-fanarIes received Rim In gooEare that We mis-
ed our hope that the United Statln aae rhprrss'
a Proteetorate over the Island. odtSnla establish
samoans led Us TO believe a Pro'ecSssa sn
lished by some enlightened power, esseS, esaD.
well-being aud peace Of the samoan PeteS NC
We are British, we felt a preference Tor tbeNAs
States before even Great bT'sin, s" oras.etorSs
be able better 20 work purely Tor the welfare W,
the people. and with lcss suspicion OF partiEansn'P'
than we should under q British protee.otAu.
q. During the interval Of Col. Steinoergersnr
and second visits. our suspicion as 10 the good i@ih
of the promoters Of the scheme for a proteeto,a1s
were aroused. We found (al uat Co sleinpet.
ger had been BE- double faced In whas had zone
I'M samoa during his nrst stay; (b) that there we're
contradictory reports In The United states rs 70
the purpose Tor which the proteetorate Was desired
To state plainly our suspicious. W. .yus"
was nothing more than the scheme OF Californian
E" Ring - 10 get the Island under Their power '"t
no good purpose.
-. When Col. stienberger arrived In April
1875. on board the u. :. man-of-war IdsoaTofd
we scarcely knew what TO mate OF H. We knew
that Congress had refused 10 establish the protee-
torate, but (s) here was a man-oi-war sent 70
bring the Colonel. Cb) She also brought n large
present" OF guns &c, from the United states
government 20 the Samoan government lc) SoL
Steinberger was the bearer OF an autograph "uef
nom president Grant 10 the people OF samoa 80,
commenting him 10 them. cd Commander Erpen
Of the TascdrOrd expressly stated, In q written
document, that be was " sent by the government
Of the United Statcs" TO bring Col: steinoergef
10 live here and aid the people In making lAwr eo,
Our suspicious were aot removed. but We hopea
for the best. Besides, we had no power 10 prevent
Col Stienberger's settlement, had we been posluve
Of the fact that he was not duly appointed ~ the
United States government. The people received
him with the bnitoa Sta.ss
government was represented by him, ana tnat MS
presence was the assurance Of the protectoiAie'
Had U.ev kno,cn at hat time that no pr0tcctorate
was intended 10 be established, they would have
refused to receive him. But coming ~ he did, no
power on eartb-except the United states govern
ment, could convince them be was an In poster
." In this matter there was a grand fauit whieh
must be laid against President Grant, or some
member or members OF the executive, viz, la not
honestly replying 10 the request OF the samoan
people for a protectorate. Yea or Nay. IL ap-
pears to us now, that the people were purposely
left without a definite reply, In order 10 further the
interest Of a s~windling speculation. Papers wbtch
have recently come TO light seems 10 show that
bribery has been resorted 10 In order w gain iof
Col. Sienberger his quasi-ofhcial position. There
Is one name IN particular cOuutCtco VIII ~
scheme which is just now notorious In the States
for that kind Of thing.
"a. When the Samoan Consultation y was es.
tabIished, and Col. Stienberger became Prince "
and virtually ruler, we acquiesoed IN what we
could not have prevented, had such been our de-
sire: aud what, moreover, We had not then sum
chent reasons for attempting 10 prevent. We aided
as far as we could In translnting &c, for the gov.
eminent, and hoped our moral influence would
help 10 restrain the " Prince" from any violent de-
parture from right In bis public actions. We also
hoped that the United States government and pup
lie opinion In America would exert a salutary In
huencc over him.
IS We, however, soon found we were very much
mistaken in these hopes. When Col. Steinbcrger
thought himself lrmly settled In bis premiership,
be, by his licentiousness, Disguised every right
minded individual. whether native or foreign ~.
sident. BY his systematic lying. and want Of aa
principle, he made IL impossible for M TO haw
anything to do with him In his private capacity, \
aud made us wish 10 have as little connection With
him as possible, in his public position rs yirtnap
head OF the government.
&c. At length we felt the most serious alarmt
we became more and more convinced that n
Steinberger was not responsible 10 the Unt
States government, and that the only law wifi
regulated his conduct--either public or private.
was bis own will and his lust. We therefore, felt
It TO be our duty 10 write and inform the United
States government OF the state OF things In Samoa.
and to ask whether Col. Steinberger wasa properly
accredited agent Of the Royernlasnt. In opi. leil
ter TO Mr.. Fish we expressed our conviction that
the Samoa people had received Col. Steinberger as
"A bona fde representative OF the government, aud
that, but for their belief that he was such, they
would never have received him. We asked the
government to inform the people IN what capacity
COZ. Steinberger came here; and, IL he were not
the agent of the government, but the agent Of a
specializing company, 10 prevent the Samoans from
being made. 9 victims OF a s~windling speculation
under cover OF the United States Dag.
1--WE have not yet received q reply 10 our letter.
But late events, and the discovery OF documents,
leave no room for doubt as TO how and why Col.
Steinberger came here. H..
"7. You will learn from public reports that the
king and the greater part OF the people are against
Col. Steinbergef, and that the King was hastily dgl