The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-01-31
THE SAMOAN TROUBLES.


THE SAMOAN TROUBLES.
History Of Their Origin and Progress
Secretary Bnynrd Makes Some Expsams-
tion. Regarding the Matter.
WASHINGTON, Jan. % Secretary Bay
ards attention was called to tho press
dispatch saying that "Germany has come
to q defini understanding with the
United states with regard to Samoa" and
In RESPONSE he said:
.Of course expect Germany TO live up to
her honorable engagements with the United
States. have no gnt 70 think otherwise.
But you must know that these are matters
do not care to dscuss in the newspapers"
Wnen asked n regard to the policy Of
this Government b. referred the qucs-
toner to the Presidents message to C,n
gress Of January ID. and quoted from his
letter to the German Minister dated Janu-
ary II, recently published, as expressive
Of his own views upon the subject. The
Secretary also alluded to the agreement
Suffered into between Great Britain
and Germany in Al ril 1885. defin-
ing the boundaries Of English
and German dom.n ons 10 the west
P.cific ocean, in which IL Is specifically
declared that the Sam an islands are
neutral territory. Tho United States, he
explained, has no joint treaty with either
England or Germany in regard to the
neutrality Of Samoa. Therefore. II Ger
many has intcrfered with the neutrality
of that country she has not broken .
treaty with the United States, but has
broken one with Gre It Britain.
HISTORY or THE TRoUBLEa
Troubles have existed among the Samoans
eince iej, In that year the German Commcr.
cial and Pla: .tat,on Society at Apa, or, rather,
its predecessor, the firm OF Godcfroy, OF Ham.
burg stood on the side Of Malletoa, . cnief bo-
long ng to one OF the most dist nguished fam.
lies OF Samoa. Throughout the succeeding
twenty years tho foreigners who settled in
Samoa-Americals, Eng g.ishmen an Germans
sought, by taking des with or against Mali.
etoa, to strung hen respect for their respect yo
nations, aud thei0oy increase their com.
merce In 1878 the United States, which
had previously obtained = concession OF
Q magnificent harbor IN the Samoa Islsnds
and established coalinx statiol there. made
Q trea with Samoa. The local governments
in 1873 bein In a state of great confusion, Sir
Arthur Gordon, rs Queen v.c,oria's comm. $
sioner in the Western Pacific. established k ng
Maletoa firmly on the throne and ISSUED
proclamat on. Th proclamation was followed
by treaty with Malietoa. dlted August lR
lss9 In The same year Gorma y also made
treaty with Nal ctoa. Tho treaties entered
INTO OelWCeu luo Jutteu 6t0IeSs GI0ot 0TiJo b
Germany and Samoa were treaties Of friend
ship aud rec pr. CITY. agreed TO for tho
purpose Of promoting the trade which Ameri.
can. English and German merchants had gono
10 the remote Samoan Islands 10 establish. IL
was understood md agreed upOL among tie
treaty powers that the independence and neu.
traliiy Of these islands should be forever pre-
served While America and England have re-
NAMED cons stent TO the treaty Oblig ligaslOns and
A mafA
ruler. the policy OF the Germans has been 9
wavcring one. At one time they would recog-
ni1e Malietoa as King. at another they would
take des with the opposing King Tn 1854
KING Malletoa was coerced nto an agreement
with the German Government and sent . pro-
tcs' about It 10 the German Emperor. Follow.
ing the protest there was sent o petition 20 the
chiefs, pray ng Tor annexation to Great Britain
on The ground among others. that they were
afraid OF be ng forc.bly annexed ty the Ger
mans In 1851 and again IN 1895 further Mt
tempts were made by Germany TO seize the
sovereignty OF the Samoan Islands, but each
time the attempt WIS successfully resisted BY
the Br tish and American representatives.
In the autumn OF 1855 Ge man named Bran.
de appeared IN Apia. The public was gwen
to understand that he was in the service
OF the German Commercial and Plantation
Society Among the employees OF this Arm,
however, It was known that he had been
selected to be the Minister OF Malietoa's rival,
Tamasese. Brande VI once began to study
local conditions, and worked at mes ut the
German Consulate, made himself familiar
with the business aud social relations Ut Api \
aud then went to the home OF Tamasese,
in the immediate vicinity OF the great
cotton and cocoa plantation OF the German
Commercial and Plantation Society. There q
house was built and furn shed by this soc ETY.
II A4.- . ~
being publ known, as the ADVISER OF Tam.
asese and perfect,ng himself In the Samoan
lang uage. Tamasese and his adherents wero
then amply suppl ed with arms aud muni.
tions. At the beginning Of 1887, within brlcf
period hundreds OF muskets were sent through
tho German Commerc 81 and Plantation Soci.
ey and through Brande 10 Tamasese's party.
A little later Ge. man dset OF iour .r i've ships
was at anchor In the harbOr Of ApiR. Four
days later the German Consul wrote TO Mai Q
tOa complaining that German sctilers had been
attacked BY the NAT YES on March y OF that
year, ana that from time 10 /, me dur ng The
prev Gus four years the German plantations
had been damaged 70 the amount Of ,housands
OF dollars year. heavy demand for COM
pensation WAS made for the damage 10 tho
plantations, with. " 2 single item q Part Gu
ss ,rrs oe ng ven e ss The samoan as kag;
that the sum c.a med for compensa-
tion should be pad tho next day
> demand VIII ch, in such country, IL was
srn,e nr.,yr,si g ~ answsr ~ ,hras hnvs anS
,ha re,,v : v.r NJ ~, Cerman cam,nnn.,a.
was ~. iarna 10 ~ i've revs aaw ~ sar.. hu,,
dred troons rom his snnadron an,i ina issn :
mant - Gar...av ancs..a.. n ,,,as.sa ~. y ! !.
~ q .mna AZ IN. sa,ns time M, e,na wnS ~.
~ ta1 Nrse - u ,mhurn than ~ q .a",ae
hnvar was ind.,,.a nnd haariaa ~ Ia nni;"a
an e.vis m =. Tshr s,,hurn ~ prame .htnwHn tsvs
ma fhen was ,..Ler - AmsIrui,a ~ ~ - ~.
sieamsh,n NecLar nv = Garm ~ navni os1s.er
Va n Ar -
the Rrand. .Tnprnns Sc cover"mart -. y "
cul,ad rrnched ia ci,mar On Sent.mher a
isssa an wn;ch .ia,a thnv c.ow,eJ M.saoSa I,
Samoa. WITH the title OF M.i.ctoa. Toos
Mataala. Notices ot ne event event were q once
cnn.n,s. ~ The the Frnch nr,es, md ~ Tama.esa
Mataaia Is sill at the head OF the Govern.