St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-02

Taimua and Faipule, of the Samoan govern
ment, do hereby on this the 9th day OF Au-
gust, 1878. transfer TO the government OF the
United States the privilege of using the port
of Pago-Pago and the shores thereof. in ac-
C ,rdance with the provisions of treaty OF
friendship and commerce concluded at
Washington, III the United States of America,
between the United States and Samoa, on
the 18th day of January, 1878. Signed by
Taimua Ma Faipule, Lavea, Leiato (X),
Juilagi Lotto. Witness Gustavus Coward.
A letter from Mr.. Coward to Assistant
Secretary Rives, dated Jan. 81, 1889,
says that the four persons signing this
instrument were appointed as commits
tiles in view of the fact that they were
individual owners of property along the
shore of the harbOr of PagO-PagO. Con-
tinuing, the letter says:
In my opinion this instrument might be re-
garded as transferring to the United States
title to the land. At the time was not
authorized or prepared to accept an absolute
title in fee simple;- not knowing how far the
United States government desired to proceed
in the matter. For that reason the phrase
olngy employed was that used in the treaty,
leaving thereby the Interpretation of the
same to the department. Goat island was
selected as the place for raising the flag COM
memorating this event in consideration OF
the fact that it commanded view of the
whole harbor, with the Intention of not con-
selection of any particular part of the shore
for use as a coaling station during the period
covered by the language of the treaty, viz,
ten years or more.
government has ordered military at
tache to the German legation at Wash
-ington to take notes of American mill
tary affairs is not regarded with any
concern by state department officials,
inasmuch as legation has always been
| provided with an officer of that char
| acter. and because no special Signifi-
canoe can be attached to mere change
in personnel. Most of the foreign lega-
tions are provided with military at
ttches, and the United States has naval
attaches at its legations in London,
Berlin and Paris.
DISCREDITED At THE DEPARTMENT.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-The publ shed
report that Secretary Whitney has or
dered the Union Iron works at San
Francisco to get the new cruiser Charles
ton ready for sea in twenty days-pre-
sumably because she will be needed in
Samoan waters soon-is discredited at
the navy department to-day. Secretary
Whitney himself was not there to-day
to deny the truth of the report. Many
department officials say that it would
be simply impossible to get the Charles
ton ready to float within that time,
much less to fit her out with the ma
chinery and armament necessary. to
constitute a firSt-claSS war vessel. Her
guns are all to be made on the Atlantic
coast. A few are completed, and others
are yet in the form of steel forgings.
Commodore Walker, who is tolerably
we'll posted on these matters, thinks
the Charleston may be completed and
ready for sea service, and in commits
sion by the first of July, but not sOouer.
NOT REAL WAR. BUT REPRISAL.
BERLIN, Feb. 1.-The North German
Gazette, referring to the reports from
Samoa. says: ga declaration of war, in
ali international sense, on the part of
| the German consul or commanding Off
Ger in Samoa, is improbable, first, be-
cause no instructions to that effect have
been given by the governmentr and
second, because there is no opponent in
the islands against whom war could be
declared. Tamasese is friend of the
Germans. Mataafa is not recognized as
ruler by Germany To declare war
against him would be tantamount to
recognizing his sovereignty. The Ger
man forces may, on the basis of self-de-
fense and reprisalS, be engaged in
actual warfare, which, however, would
not involve the consequences of an in
ternational war. When some years
ago the German officer Schmidt
was shot by CarliSts, nobody
dreamed of declaring war against
the friendly government of Spain, but
our ships tried to capture the Carlist
force as reprisal. The affair in Samoa
is analogous. The German forces. as
protective measure and by way of re-
priskf, without awaiting instructions,
punish the Mataafates. Whether such
has been the case remains uncertain.
At any rate, such action would not
amount to declaration of war;"
THE SITUATION IS UNCHANGED.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-Senator Frye,
| of Maine, said to reporter this even
| ing that to-day's developments in the
| Samoan matter have not, ill his opinion,
| changed the situation in any important
| particular. Germans, he said, may
| have abandoned temporarily their rash
methods, but they have not in the least
| changed their purpose; on the con-
trary, they will go straight forward to
the completion of that purpose unless
some action is taken by this govern
ment to prevent 1t. The Germans, said
the senator, made up their minds long
ago to take possession of the Samoan
| islands,ssand they will not change their
| policy in this respect as long as the
| United States government offers no OBJ
| lection. Ii congress should instruct
| the president to make demand upon
| Germany for restoration of the status
| quo, that demand, he said, would un-
| doubtedly be complied with. She can
not afford to ignore it, for if CONNER
| cial intercourse between the two coun-
| tries should be interrupted. Germany
would lose more in week than the
Of nnItIh
| thousand years.
SEWALL CONsULTS RIVES.
Mr.. Sewall. the United States consul
general at Samoa, called at the state de-
partment to-day. He was unable to see
Secretary Bayard, but had brief con-
ference with Assistant Secretary Rives.
The latter was asked if Mr.. SeWall was
to be sent back to Samoa, but he posi-
lively refused to answer the question or
to say anything whatever in regard to
Samoan affairs. 1t is rumored tonight
| that the department is very much dis
satisfied with the recent public utter
ances of Mr.. Sewall in regard to the
Samoan difficulty and will show its dis
| pleasure by requesting his resignation.
TAMASESE IS LOSING GROUND.
AUCKLAND, n. H., Feb. 1.-The latest
advices from Samoa suy that Tama-
Sese's supporters were reduced to 800
| men. The British and American con-
suls declined to recognize the right of
the Germans to establish martial law.
The German authorities were willing to
recognize Mataafa provided he ruled
under German control.
LIVELY INTERCHANGE OF NOTES.
BERLIN, Feb. 1.-There has been a
lively exchange of notes on the Samoa
question between the governments of
Germany, England and the United
States, but. as this takes time and
trouble, conference Of plenipotentia-
ries will probably be arranged to settle
the nnasffnn