The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-06-12
A POINT OF HONOR.
Why America and Germany Do
Not Agree About Samoa.
GLADSTONE ON THE CoNFEDRRACY
He Says the Palmerston Cabinet Never Dealt
with the Question of Recognizing the South
but to Reject NapOleon's Overtures

Especial to THE HRRAID-Exsmner Dispatchl
| QWAsHIEGToS, June III learn authori-
tatively that the question of nominal in
demnity to Germany, or no indemnity at
all, for the Samoan attack upon the Ger
man leading party last December, is the
sole cause for the not unreasonable delay
at the state department in authorizing our
commissioners at Berlin to afix their sig
natures to the treaty. This question is still
under careful consideration by the secre-
tary and by the President, who is giving
his personal attention to it. They have no
wish to submit the administration to either
partisan or popular criticism, or to burden
their friends in the Senate with a defense
of their action when the treaty shall 60 to
that body for ratification by accepting even
the naked principle of an indemnity, SO
long as there is a reasonable prospect that
Germany, for the sake of lasting peace and
good neighborhood, may be induced to wave
what is now but matter of sentiment in
point of fact. Our government does not
admit that the case is one where the Ger
man government should either ask for or
expect indemnity, either in substance or
upon principle. The state department
view is that the German aggression upon
and active Intervention in the political af-
fairs OF the Samoan people, all conducted
by and under the official color of the Ger
man consulate and naval squadron, cOnsti-
tuted state of quasi war between Ger
many and Samoa and justified the chieftain
Mataafa in considering the conduct of the
German naval force at FaZal as a hostile
demonstration or movement, and treating
1t in accordance with that view, which is
exactly how he did and only did
The German contention is irreConcilable
with this official American view The com
1nlssioners at Berlin have stoutly main
tanned the argument that the only war or
state of hostilities at Samoa was between
two native factions, and that the official
German action was strictly limited to the
protection of German subjects and prop
erty against barbarous people and their
practices, and to mild and cautionary pun
ishment of the conscious insults of petty
and half-civilized ruler of faction. They
have insisted that Mataafa was a revOlu-
tiOnary character and that the naval visit
to F'azali was in the interest of civilization
and commercial security, and that a reason
able yet substantial indemnity should be
paid by the Samoan government when re
constructed for this Wanton attack upon
an unsuspecting detachment of the German
marine.
The validity of this position was not for
one moment nor to the smallest extent
conceded by our commissioners, and am
advised that it found not d particle OF
English support. But in view OF the
concession of Germany in thematter of the
restoration of King Malietoa and the EN-
barrasment to future German relations
with Samoa, and the would-be German
self-esteem, If the emphatic and published
declaration of Prince Bismarck in respect
TO exacting signal PREPARATION for this and
other assaults upon German dignity. that
it should now be utterly abandoned, our
commissioners, subject to the approval of
their government have assented TO Il
masked retreat in the form of a nominal
indemnity To this the President and
secretary of state will agree, if convinced
that there can be no treaty without 1t; for,
as my informant says, Mr.. Blaine has
no idea of giving up the substance for a
shadow. though he would nightly like the
shadow in addition"
There is a possibility that our legation at
London has been called upon to see if it be
not practicable to exert pressure upon
Berlin through the Marquis of Salisbury
to remove the only obstacle to an immedi
ate and successful closing of the confer
ence, but have not yet been able to verify
this as a fact. At all events, if Germany
obstinately stands out for the shadow of
nominal indemnity, she will get it, out the
of it will probably all be taken
away by the explanations to be given at
the proper time and place as to why our
government yielded a point upon which it
regards itself as theoretically unaSsailable.