Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-02-07
THE SAMOAN QUESTION.
THE STORY OF THE TROUBLES.
Location and Resources Of the Islands.
4 German Plot That Has In
VOlYed This Country.


interest ludicrously dispropOrtionate t
its area, population and commercial in
Importance.
Where and what is Samoa, and whs
is the cause of the controversy abOu
it in which three of the leading nation
of the world are engaged just now
These are questions which are bein
asked with considerable interest through
out the world to-day.
Take up map showing the Pacifi
Ocean and trace out the point between
the 18th and 14th parallel of south lati
tude and the 169th and 172d meridian
of longitude west from Greenwich. L
the map be a good one it will show ;
number of dots scattered at the spot in
dicated, the group forming a short, ir
regular line running northwest anC
southeast. These dots constitute tht
region called Samoa. The chances art
that the map consulted will call the spot
i W btlC NdN1SlIOlO
They were given that name by French
man named Bougainville, who visited
them 120 years ago, and that was the
name they were known by until recent
ly. Only comparatively new maps give
them the name of Samoa, by which they
are now known.
The Samoan Islands are in the South
Pacific Ocean, below the equatorial line
They are far from the American cont.
nent, and farther from that part of the
continent on which the United States is
situated than South America. In fact
they are as near to Asia as they are to
the United States, and nearer Australia
than to any other section of the world
which occupies an important place on
the map.
Samoa consists of nine inhabited ISL
ands and several islets or smaller tracts
of land. The names of the islands are
Manua, Olosinga, Ofu, Anun, Tutuila,
Upolu, MOnana, Apolima and Savii.-
The best harbor of any of the Pacific
islands is Pago- -Pago, which is in Tutu-
liza. Upolu is the most important island
in the Samoa group, and the Apia, which
is its chief port, is the leading city of
Samoa. The area of Samoa is about
1,200 square miles and its population
about $4,000. The Somoan Islands,
taken together, therefore, are frac-
ton smaller than the smallest State
of the American Union-Rhode Island
and they contain but little more inhab-
itants than Springfield, ILL.,, or Topeka,
Kans.
Although Samoa is small territorially
and socially, it holds large share of
natures favors. Its climate is tropical,
and its soil produces anything which
can be grown within 20o or 800 of the
equator on either side. All the tropical
vegetables, fruits and plants thrive
there in profusion. Sugar, sort of
bread, two or three varieties of cotton,
together with an abundance of cocoa
nuts, bananas, oranges and lemons grow
wild. All these articles, and tobacco
and coffee in addition, excepting the
bread plant, are cultivated on the ISL
ands. One of the principal products of
Samoa is coppra, which is the dried meat
of the cocoanut. This article, which
enters largely into exports of the islands,
was the thing which first excited the
cupidity of the Germans, and led to the
attempt which Bismarck is making to
bring the islands under German control.
The natives of Samoa are allied to the
Malay race, although their noses are not
hattened like those belonging to persons
of the pure Malay type. Their COM
plexions are olive, their hair black, and
in stature they are equal to the Europe
an or American. Nominally they are
Christians, nearly all the denominations
being represented among the people,
while there are churches and schools in
every village.
This will answer the question as to
what and where Samoa is, and give an
idea of its physical characteristics and
HOW TIE TROUBLE ORIGINATED.
The story as to the troubles which
have made Samoa an object of interest
to the world at large is not so easily
told 1t is not easy to tell, simply be-
cause the Americans, British and Ger
mans who have been telling differ as to
essential points, while the Samoans' own
side of the question: except as it has
come through American sources, has not
been told. The story which will be Civ
en- here is that which has either been
established in some degree or which ap-
pears to be most worthy of trust.
About one third of a century ago white
settlers first began to locate in the Sa-
moan Islands. The Germans took the
lead in these enterprises, and have re-
tanned it ever since. The United States
and Great Britain are also represented
in Samoa in this way, but not to the ex-
tent that Germany is. Outside the
three countries named, no other has i'm
portant business interests in that local
ity.
Up to about twenty years ago nearly
all the trade of Samoa was controlled
by the commercial corporation of Godef-
troy & Co., whose headquarters were at
Germany. This firm had
many important buildings and ware
houses in Apia, and cotton plantations
in the vicinity. At about the time re-
ferred to this firm met with business
and was succeeded by a con-
Germ called the German Commercial and
Plantation Society, which is still in ex
istence. This corporation controls the
largest share of the trade of the islands,
but, for the last five or six years, it has
been losing ground, owing to the COM
petition of American houses. 1t is the
fact that large portion of the coppra
trade is falling into American hands
which impelled the Germans a few years
ago to supplant the King of Samoa and
put German tool named Tamasese in
his place, with the object of securing
favors for the Germans in the
business affairs of the islands.
1t was the business concerns of Ter
many and Great Britain in the Samoan
Islands which first attracted the atten-
ton of those countries toward that re-
gion. England has other possessions in