Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-03-21
PRESS OPINIONS.

Mr.. Harrison Thursday sent to the
Senate the nominations OF Messrs. j. A.
KaBson, w. w. Phelps and George II.
Bates to be commissioners to the Berlin
conference on the Samoan affair. The
first two are good appointments. Mr..
kssson is a man of good ability, and is
familiar with the question Of samoa,
having been our minister at Berlin when
1t first arose. Mr.. Phelps has quite
enough capacity to fill better place, and
was supposed by his friends, and by
some who cannot exactly be called his
friends, to be book d for either London
or Paris. But MIR. Bates nomina-
tion Is inexplicable. He was named
under Mr.. payard to the former confer
ence, and took extreme ground in favor
of an American protectorate for the
islsnds-a policy disapproved by the
then Government and utterly unsound
and mischievous., Mr.. Beyard very prop
erly omitted to lay Mr.. Batea' recommen-
dations on this point before the public,
whereupon Mr.. Bates rushed into print
with them In the columns of Rspubli.
can newspaper. II Is incredible that this
administration intends to embark on any
such scheme as Mr.. Bates advocated, and
II 1t have no such intention, why should
it pick him up--he is Democrat--and
thrust him into this commission.
Morning News
| President Harrison Thursday paid o
fitting complimentto Mr.. George Il. Bates
| OF this city by naming him as one Of the
commissioners to represent the United
States at the coming Berlin conference
concerning affairs in the Samoan Islands.
Mr.. Bates is peculiarly fitted for the deli
cate mission, his visit to Samoa in 1886
| as the special agent OF the state depart
ment having given him ample opportu-
| nifty to familiarize himself with the affairs
of the unhappy islands. On his return
from Samoa he made long and careful
report to Secretary Bayard, In which he
commented ssvsrely on the conduct Of
Germany and advised such sction by the
United States as would Insure native
autonomy nndt end to secure and preserve
the interests OF this country in Samoa.
This report was the most thorough
paper ever written upon the subject aud
in it Mr.. Bates carefully told the history
of the islands and what led up to the
present situation. The concluding por-
tion of his report to Mr.. Bayard never
got any further than the state department,
the outside impression being that the
special agent was rather too radical in
his conclusions and his suggestions. II
was therefore suppressed and what Ia
called in newspaper parlance ''the snap.
per" to the report has never been given
to the public.
In the printed report, however, is
found the following paragraph which, in
view of Mr.. Bates new relation to the
question, may be OF interest es showing
the light in which he views tue point Of
foreign intervention OF Samoa:
The material question now to be deter
mined in the character, extent, and
methods by which the expressed desire
of the three powers to cooperate In the
establishment of stable government in
the islands may be most effectively
carried ont. My own conviction is
doubtless already apparent, that the ex-
tent Of this intervention, to be effective
and successful, must be more systenati
and comprehensive than seems to have
been contemplated by my instructions.
The central government must be, for q
time at leGst, administered by the three
treaty powers, or through such agencies
as they may select There should be, in
the first place, a quadripsrtite treaty, to
which the three treaty powers and the
government OF Samoa should be parties,
and which would ba practically the COZ
sttutionai basis OF the new government.
Wblle avoiding too much detail, ,tnisiu iustru-
ment should clearly define the conditions
under which the government is to be
carried on, which might be done by hey-
ing the constitution agreed upon annexed
to the treaty as schedule and connected
with it by reference. The treaty should
contain mutual guarantee by the three
powers, as between themselves, OF tho
neutrality and autonomy OF the new gov
ernment 1t Bhould also contain the
proper stipulation that each power will
prevent its citizens or subjects from per-
forming such acts, to be speeitied, as ex-
perisnce has shown materially interfere
with the peace and well'being OF the
natives. Such would be the sale to the
natives Of arms and ammunition, or in
toxioating liquors, and exciting among
them rebellion and civil strifa.
The appointment OF Mr.. Bates Will be
considered rs an eminently fit one and
his many friends in Delaware will be
pleased to learn of the honor that Presi-
dent Harrison has conferred upon him.
His associates, Mr.. Phelps and Mr..
Kasson. are better known to the people
of the country, bnt Mr.. Bates has the
advantage of thorough knowledge of
the question at interest and he will there
fore be valuable addition to the COM
mission that will sit at Berlin.
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Mr.. Lyman has sold his farm formerly
the Stotsenburg property of $50 acres,