St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-30

|
| lean firm in Apia, Grevesmiihl. Crawford &
| Co., is now under the management
| OF two Germans, the American part
bsne Th sv yes IN san The end of ts
last year the staff of the German firms in
Apia consisted of forty-six employees; that of
American firms only seven. The German
firms had established. outside of Apia, ill
Upola and on other islands of the Samoan
group, fifty commercial stations ana smaller
trading places; the American firms
NOT SINGLE ONE.
The German firms in Apia owned In 1883
twenty-one ships with 1,5l9 tons. for the
trade in the South sea, while the American
firms had no vessels of their own The sub
jects Of the empire had brought, by system
attic establishment of plantations, 1885
plantations DO not exist, and about only L 0
acres of the property owned by Ameri-
can subjects are cultivated. At the begin
ming OF 1856 there were eigbty-one Germans
pal district of Apia. Houses and property
owned by German subjects represent, AZ
shown by the list of assessments of munich
pal taxes. value of SITS, 765; those
of So, 1000. Germany has never
made use of this mercantile preponder
ance of her subjects in Samoa TO secure com
mereial privileges. as the United States have
recently done in Hawaii by the ratification OF
the lately renewed reciprocity treaty OF Jan
80 1875. We have always maintained the
principle of equality of rights of nations
in Samoa and never aspired to political
advantages. Moreover, on the occasion
of the latest action against Malietoa
the continuation of whose government was
incompatible with our dignity, We have
given, before the disposition of said CHIEF,
to both the English and American govern
ments, the assurance against which no
doubt was raised, that it is not our intention
to change anything with regard to the
RELATION OF THE TREATY POWERS
to SAINT a fail, therefore, to find in the facts
themseles any reason that could explain the
continual i'll will shown towards US i'll Samoa
by American representatives of the past aud
of the present, and | should be thankful to
Mr.. Bayard if he would lend me his. assist
ance in the, investigation of this
right that those difficulties have their origin
i'll the personal disposition of the American
representatives in Apia and not in their in
structions, am convinced that the AmerI-
can government will cause the necessary re-
dress to take place. 1t cannot be conceived
that consular officers who do not respect the
limits OF their task. and who cause by their
conduct. without reason, international lll-feel
ing tNerst lmmungl between countries en-
tertaining friendly relations to each other,
act in the sense of their government with
which Germany, since the foundation of the
American Union has been connected by tra-
dilonal friendship. We come therefore,
readily To the conviction that 1t will suffice to
submit to the attention of his excellency the
secretary of state coherent view of the atti-
tude observed by the different American con-
suls in Samoa i'll order TO be enabled to hope
for the redress of misunderstanding which
has no foundation in the actual reciprocal
friendly relations.
In his dispatch to Mr. Pendleton Sec
rotary Bayard resisted the contention
that the troubles i'm Samoa were due to
the acts of American cOnSuls, and pre-
sented counter charges against Ger
many's representatives. He reviews
the various diplomatic negotiations,
and says:
This government has manifested in the
most unmistakable mannerit its desire to avoid
ali possibilities of difference with the other
treaty powers in Samoa, alike by its action
in respect to its consular representation there
and by the exercise of its moral influence to
discussions which, assuming the form
of disaffectiou towards existing gov
eminent have stood rs constant invitation
ard incentive (of which interested foreign
ers in the isianus have not been slow to avail
themselves, to intrigue with native factions
to obtain commercial and political suprem-
acy. This policy il has pursued with con
stancy and good faith, actuated not so much
future commercial interest in that
quarter of the globe III which the islands In
question lie, as by benevolent desire to pro
mote the development and secure the indie
pendent territories and autonomous native
governments in the Pacific ocean. Had the
government OF the United States en-
tertained any designs of territorial, az
grandizement or OF political control III
Samoa they could have been accomplished,
it is believed, with much satisfaction to the
natives and with little opposition from any
of them long prior TO the date of either the
British or the German treaty: But another
and widely different policy has guided the
action of the United States in respect
to the native communities i'll the
Southern Pacific, and it is not, apprehend,
claiming too much credit tor this govern
ment To express the opinion that the exam
pie ii exhibited of treating with Samoa as an
independent state led to a similar course and
a similar acknowledgements of native indie
pendence III that island group by Germany
and Great Britain.
Mr.. Bayard also gives his version of
the conference of the representatives of
Germany. Great Britain and the United
States in Washington, III June, 1887,
and says:
When the conference was suspended in
July last until the autumn, il was done with
the concurrence of all the members and
solely for the purpose of enabling the repre-
sentatyes of Germany and Great Britain to
consult their respective governments. No
intimation was then given that the status
quo would be changed. or that any acts OF
hostility against the amoan government or
hlUS mdlIclOu peTsOldlli, were III CDlltul-
plation. That the government of her Britain
mic majesty fully concurred in the impor-
lance of a careful maintenance of the status
quo, and i'll the understanding that no step
should be taken to change it, appears
from the declaration of the British
minister at the first session of the
conference, when, in presenting the plan OF
his government, he said that in view of the
native dlsSenslons a new election OF king
seemed to be imperatively called for,and that
her majesty's government expressed no opin-
ion. tayoTably or adversely, to the election of
Maiietoa.
On the same subject, the German min
lister said:
King Malietoa having VIGOROUSLY violated
his treaty Obligations towards Germany, and
lively but few partisans, while completely
organized counter government has
been formed under Tamasese. new
election of king will have to take
place, according to the customs of the coun-
try. This election is to be freely made by
the chiefs and the people of Samoa. IL is
unnecessary 10 cite other statements equally
pertinent, to show the apparently complete
concurrence of view as to the peaceful and
benevolent purpose of the conference.
Continuing, MIR. Bayard says: prince Bis
marck has referred in his note as the Ger
man minister did in the conference, to guar
antics to be demanded and obtained from
the Samoan government. Whenever these
guarantees have been explained, they have
been found virtually to
INVOLVE THE FOREIGN CONTROL
of that government as was proposed in the
German Samoan convention of the 10Th of
November, 1884, and also in the plan pre-
sented by the German minister in the con-
ference The ground upon which such con-
troll has been deemed essential is the weak
ness of the native government Ii cannot be
doubted that. if the government of Samoa
were now administered by any of the treaty
powers. the islands would be governed more
nos rly in Jxit
ages of civilized states, and order be better
assured. But for the very reason that the
native government of Samoa is weak, it mas
seemed all the more clear to the United