The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-11-17
THE PACIFIC
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER II.

the hosting Of the American flag at the Samoan
Islands. He says that he has not received infor-
nation from his correspondents OF the Samoan
Islands concerning any cession of those Islands to
the United States. No such cession has yet been
ratified by the United States government. In the
Times issue of August 25th, q correspondent who
signs himself, civilian Blackmcre, Represen-
tative in this country (England) of the Samoan
government, and also of Colonel A. B. Steinberger,
the present Premier of Samoa publishes o reply
to Mr.. Whitmee's letter above cited. 1t is not to
our purpose to enter into the discussion of Steinber-
gers conduct, now set on foot between those two
writer's. William Blackmorep publishes copies of "The
Samoan Petition to Her Majesty Queen Victoria"
dated August 1, 1876 and also 1.-The Samoan
Petition to the German government" of the same
date, August 1st. 1876; from these petitions it
results that on the same day the "Taimuas and
Faipules of the Samoan government" through
their secretary, NJ. K. LIE Mamea, invited Great
Britain and Germany to interfere in their affairs.
They complained to Prince Bismarck of the Gun
called-for despotism of Captain Stephens, of Her
Majesty's ship Barracuda. and the English Consul
who resides at Samoa" They made the same COM
plant to Her Britannia Majesty. But there is not
one word about the cession of their Islands either
to Great Britain or Germany in either petition.
1ne question VI TOIJncSlau independence Is one
which should interest all Polynesian Islanders.
Already the Maoris of New Zealand have allowed
the British to get q definite footing in their Islands,
Their independence is now lost for ever. With
all the advantages of British rule, they are GER
tainly not as far advanced, socially or religiously,
as the independent Hawaiians. The Tahitians and
Marquesans have partly fallen under the French
regime. Neither can they compare with the Ha-
waiians. On the neighboring continents of North
and South America and Asia, the colored races
have not advanced under the whites either socially
or religiously, like the people Of the Hawaiian Islands.
The conclusion is, that the Polynesians ought to strive
to maintain What suits them the best-their nation
al independence-and, save existing rights, their best
policy would be to adopt q common flag. Such O
step would not at all interfere with the absolute in
dependence of the local chiefs or Kings, on the
several Islands. If this is done at all, it must be
done by themselves. They need not expect foreign
powers to take the initiative in such a matter. At
most, they may reasonably hope that foreign powers
will subsequently approve of their joint action, by
recognising o common Polynesian flag, if set up by
the Polynesians themselves.
Something similar to Lord Carnarvon's plan of
consolidating the several groups of British Colo
mics, might be attempted in Polynesia with good
results. His Lordship proposes Il flag, and asks
the Colonies interested to adopt it and a federal
union. Thus, His Lordship gave u flag to the
British North American Colonies. which they
adopted, one after another, with the exception of
one colony still recalcitrant, we believe. In the
ame way, His Lordship offered a flag to the
South African states but as two of them were
Dutch Beer Republics, difficulties then arose
with the Kafirs resulting in the downfall of one of
II n -.
Territory. SO that, at present, His Lordship's
plan is likely to be carried out in South Africa. His
Lordship also proposes to give the Australian CO.
lonies a Gag and federal government. Now, there
is some talk, in certain political circles connected
with those colonies, of at the same time raising up a
sort of right of protectorate over all the Polynesian
Islands, not occupied by Europeans. The French
occupy the Marquesas and Tahiti, as we'll as New
Caledonia. The latter, being a penal settlement,
is viewed with disgust by the Australians, who
would be highly delighted to see the French con-
victs out of their neighborhood. Hence, the
object of raising up a claim to a right of protec-
torate over Polynesia for the proposed Australian
Dominion, is really in order to exclude all other
foreign European or American powers from occu-
plying hereafter Polynesian territory for convict
purposes. Now, this object might be more legiti-
mately obtained by establishing the national prin-
ciple of Polynesia for the Polynesians." No
foreign powers could thus have any grounds to
grumble that England was trying to grasp at all
the Polynesian Islands. Indeed, q national Poly
nesian flag might suit exactly Lord Carnarvon's
proposed Australian federal policy, by placing
the Pacific Islands nOrthward and astward be-
yond the new Australian Dominion for ever out
of the power of ambitious and greedy European
or American naval or convict settlement hunters.
We are aware that the late distinguished Hawai-
ian statesman (Mr Wyllie) advocated before now
the scheme of a Polynesian confederation. Now,
while Confederation is the order of the day in
Great Britain's Colonial possessions, the moment
appears favorable for the adoption OF some such Po-
lynesian scheme. Like all things mundane, it should
be carried out gradually. The most advanced ma
tive Polynesian state-which is of course, Hawaii
take the initiative, and go on to its
next door neighbor-Samoa-with a proposal to
adopt the Hawaiian flag, as a common national
Gag, in all other respects leaving the Samoans
completely independents with the sole proviso
that the two groups should henceforward be con-
sidered to constitute q confederation, something
like the German confederation before the En-
peror William assumed his present title. The
first step once taken between the Hawaiian and
Samoan groups, other Polynesian groups and,
inclusively, Micronesian and Melanesian groups,
might gradually be induced to enter into the new
Polynesian confederation-just as Lord Carnar-
Won gets colony after colony to adopt His Lord
ships British Federal Dominion policy. In
America and the Old World, we believe that such
a scheme would be regarded with considerable
and awaken the Iiveliest interest amongst
philantbropists and enlightened humanitarians,
while, from a political point of view, we think
that England would be the first to hail the new
order OF things in Polynesia with very great
satisfaction. At any rate, while Samoa is going
begging for a foreign f~ag-American, English
OF German-we believe it convenient to throw out
the suggestion to these simple minded Samoans
that a national Flag of their own is the very best
can unfold over their beauteous native sea-
of the isle-spangled PaciGc and if their
kinsfolk and themselves could come to
some understanding about the adoption OF a COM
non Polynesian Independent native national
subsequently to be unfurled over all the
N dnHanIapf pafira Do1,noeioD NinronoDion oo5