Mower County transcript., 1889-01-30
THE SAMOAN TROUBLES.
hlstory OF Their Origin and Progress
secretary Bnyard Makes Some Expiana.
lions Regarding the Matter. @s

ard's attention was called to the press
dispatch saying that "Germany has come
to definite understanding with the
United States with regard to Samoa" and
in response he said:
| ''Of course expect Germany to live up to
aer honorable engagements with the United
| otates. have no right to think otherwise
but you must know that these are matters 1
| 90 not care to discuss in the newspapers"
When asked in regard to the policy of
this Government he referred the uues-
toner to the Presidents message to Con.
gress Of January Is, and quoted from his
| 'etter to the German Minister dated Jansl.
| Try IL, recently published, as expressive
81 his own views upon the subject The
Secretary also alluded to the agreement
entered into between Great Britain
and Germany in April, 1885, defin-
| ing the boundaries of English
and German dominions in the west
Pacific Ocean, in which it is specifically
declared that the Samoan islands are
neutral territory. The United States, he
explained, has no joint treaty with either
England or Germany in regard to the
neutrality of Samoa Therefore, if Ger
many has interfered with the neutrality
OF that country she has not broken q
treaty with the United States, but has
broken one with Great Britain.
| HISTORY OF THE TROUBLES.
troubles have existed among the SamoanS
since 1850. In that year the German CONNER.
cial and Plantation Society at Apia or, rather,
It's predecessor. the firm OF Godefroy. of Ham.
| ourg, stood on the side OF Malietoa, a chief be.
longing to one OF the most distinguished fam
lies OF Samoa. Throughout the succeeding
| twenty years the foreigners who settled in
Samoa-Americans,E Engishmen and Germans
sought, by taking SIDES with or against Mali.
etoa, to strengthen respect for their respective
| nations, and thereby increase their com.
merce. In 1878 the United States, which
bad previously obtained concession of
a magnificent harbor IN the Samoa Islands
and established coalny station there, made
| q treaty with Samoa The local government
in 1879 being in state Of great confusion, Sir
| Arthur Gordon, as Queen Victorias commits
| sioner in the Western Pacific, established King
| Malietoa firmly on the throne and issued
proclamation. This proclamation was followed
| by treaty with Malietoa, dated August 49,
| 1879. In the same year Germany also made a
treaty with Malietoa. The treaties entered
into between the United States, Great Britain,
Germany and Samoa were treaties OF friend
| ship and reciprocity, agreed to for the
purpose Of promoting the trade which Ameri.
| con, English and German merchants had gone
| to the remote Samoan Islands to establish. 1t
| was understood and agreed upoh among the
| treaty powers that the independence and neu-
| trality OF these islands should be forever pre-
| served. While America and England have re-
NAMED consistent TO the treaty obligations and
| 1ave recognized Maletoa as the legitimate
| ruler, the policy OF the Germans has been
| %avering one. At one time they would recog-
| alZe Malletoa as King, at another they would
| take sdes with the opposing King. In 1884
King Malietoa was coerced into an agreement
| with the German Government and sent a pro-
| test abcutit to the German Emperor. Follow
ont 70 f,o
English Queen, signed by nearly all the Samoan
chiefs, praying for annexation to Great Britain
| on the ground, among others, that they were
| afraid Of beng forclbly annexed by the Ger
| mans In 1885 and again in 1886 further at
| tempts were made by Germany to seize the
| sovereignty OF the Samoan Islands, but each
| time the attempt was successfully resisted by
the British and American representatives
In the autumn OF 1886 German named Bran-
deis appeared IN Apia. The public was given
| to understand that he was in the service
OF the German Commercial and Plantation
Society. Among the employees Of this firm,
however, it was known that he had been
selected to be the Minister Malietoa's rival,
Tamasese. Brandes at on. began to study
local conditions, and worked at times at the
German Consulate, made himself familiar
with the business and social relations OF Apia
and then went to the home OF Tamasese,
in the immediate vicinity OF the great
Commercial and Plantation Society. There a
house was built and furnished by this society
for Brandeis, and there he stayed, without it
being publicly known, as the adviser of Tam.
asese and perfecting himself in the Samoan
lang uage. Tamasese and his adherents were
then amply supplied with arms and NUM-
tions At the beginning of 1887, within q brief
period, hundreds OF muskets were.sent through
the German Commerc al and Plantation Soci-
ETY. and through Brandeis to Tamaseses party.
was at anchor in: the harbor of Apia. Four
days later the German Consul wrote to Malie
toa complaining that German settlers had been
attacked by the natives on March % OF that
year, ana that from time to time during the
previous four years the German plantations
had been damaged to the amount of thousands
pensation was made for the damage to the
plantations, without single item Of particu.
lars bong gwen to the Samoan KING
that the su@ o1aIaed for "As eompensa @aae
ton should be pad the next 6Ay-
demand which, in such q country, it was
wrote. promising an answer in three days. and
the reply given by the German commander
was the landing on the next day of seven hun
dred troops from his squadron, and the issuing
of proclamation IN the name OF the Govern.
ment of Germany, declaring Tamasese King
OF Samoa. At the same time Malietoa was de.
ported, first to Hamburg, then to Bremen
haven, was lodged and boarded under police
SUPERVISION at Lehr, suburb Of Bremerhaven,
ana tnen was taken TO AuStralla on board the
steamship Neckar, by a German naval officer.
The native opposition to Tamasese, or to
the Brandcis-Tamasese Government, as it is
called, reached its climax on September 9,
1888, on which date they crowned Mataafa
legt mate successor to Malietoa, King OF
Samoa with the title Of Male,oa Toca
Mataafa. Noticesof the event were at once
sent to the American, English and German
Consuls, the French priest, and to Tamasese.
Mataafa is Still at the head OF the Govern
ment, and is doing all in his power to keep it
out Of the hands Of Tamasese and his German
allies. The position Of the United States to-
day is contained in the following instructions
which Secretary Whitney telegraphed to Ad-
miral Kimberly at Panama on January IL:
You will proceed at once to Somoa and OK.
tend full protection to American interests, cit,
izens and property. You will consult with the
American Vice Consul, examine his archives
and otherwise inform yourself as to the situa.
tion and all recent occurrences You will pro
test against the subjugation OF the native Sa.
moan Government by Germany as in violation
Of positive agreement and understanding be.
tween the treaty powers but fnform the rep.
resentatives OF the British and German Gov
ernments Of your readiness to cooperate in
causing all treaty rights to be respected, and
in restoring peace aud order on the basis of
recognition of'Samoan rights to Independence;
endeavor to prevent extreme measures against
the Samoans."
The coprah trade Of Samoa seems to be the
cause OF all the present trouble. Coprah, the
dr;ed kernel of the cocoanut, is the staple com.
the islands of the Western Pacific. In 1857
the exports Of this article for German account
we're estimated at the value OF $222, 742 The
competition of four American bOnses ho,