The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-01-23
PLEDGES To THE SAMOANS BROKEN.
Consul General SewalI CrIticIses the
State Department.
A Policy OF Much Promise and Little
FuifllIment.
German and British Schemes of In
creased Dominion.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.-The Senate COM
mittee on foreign relations will, tomorrow
morning, discuss the Samoan question at
length. Printed copies of the testimony of
Consul General Sewall have been placed In
the hands Of the members. Mr.. Sewall crit
iclzes severely the conduct of the State De-
partment The committee will probably re-
port to the Senate a resolution lcondemning
the attitude and non-action Of the State De-
partment
From conversation with the members Of
the committee and others, full synopsis Of
the testimony Of Consul General Sewall,
which probably will be made public tomor-
row, has been obtained. Mr.. Sewall testi-
fed that the natives were peaceable and law
abiding. They are all Christians and were
very fayorably impressed with the attitude
Of the United States toward their country
when the existing treaty was negotiated. He
expressed regret that the treaty should ever
have been negotiated, as since then the atti-
tude of the United States toward them had
not been maintained. and they have been
made to suffer for it,
Mr.. Sewall quoted extensively from the
correspondence between him and the State
Department showing that the British consul
had been acting with the Germans for three
years. He expressed the opinion freely that
there was an arrangement between the gov
ernments by whichGreat Britain was to keep
her hands off in this fight. His understand
ing had always been that the German gov
ernment. under this arrangement, was to
take possession of Samoa, the British gov
ernment OF Tonga Islands and that, eventu-
ally, Great Britain was to come into posses
sion of Hawaii. He believed IL these opera
tions were not checked, they would soon ex-
tend to Hawaii, which is to be the northern
resting place of the cable between VancOuv-
er and New Zealand.
When he arrived at Samoa, Mr.. Sewall
found the rebellion encouraged by the Ger
mans, while the Samoans had been assured
by the representatives Of the United States
that they would be protected by this govern
ment and they had remained quiet in the
belief that this protection would be afforded.
On the day after his arrival, Mr.. Sewall re-
ceived dispatch from the State Department
instructiug him to advise the natives not to
resort to force as the treaty powers were en-
deav0ring to obtain native government for
Samoa. When this dispatch was shown the
Samoans, they seemed much impressed.
Malietoa was ready to put down the insur-
rection but, with the understanding that the
United States claimed joint right in the
settlement Of SOm0an affairs and nothing
lasting W0ulu De uOue WITHOUT tue KNOWLEDGE
and consent of this government, Maliet0a
refrained from putting down the insurrec-
tinn. His action in thus dissuading Malietoa
was of greatest possible assistance to the
Germans. When the time came, he was
unable to fulfill his promise given In the
name Of his government.
Mr.. Sewall described at length the indigni-
ties to which Americans had been subjected
The Germans, he said. closed the municipal
court and jurisdiction to cases against Ger
mans was with the German consul only.
The Americans, he said, received notice pre-
vious to the declaration of war. No Ameri-
can could speak to native without placing
that native under suspicion. Mr.. Sewall
read private letter from Mr.. Moore, a lead
ing American trader, whose land had been
seized by German trading firm. MIR.
Moore wrote that Mr.. Brandies was
keeping black-book; that he spent
his time devising new modes Of pun
unishment, and the island would become
great slaughter pen Of the Germans ever
came into full control Mr.. Sewall supple
mented the letter with description Of the
pitiable condition of American citizens In
Samoa, many Of whom had married natives
and who are even now at the mercy OF Ger
man adventurers.
When asked by the committee what effect
the recent action of the government in
have on the Germans, Mr.. Sewall replied
that the instructions Of the government to
Admiral Kimberly we're ordinary instruc-
tions, that the Germans knew the limited
authority they gave and under these instruc-
tions the representatives OF the United
States cannot reach the real cause Of the
trouble at all.