Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-01-31
DOES esRmASY MEAN waRs
q Profound Sensation CAUSED by I,

Profound SENSATION CAUSED by She
Defiant Uttcrnnce OF Prince rts,.
mnrck's OrRnn-How the situa.
Hon IL Regarded In Washington,
' The cablegram detailing the denial, by
Prince Bismarck's organ, Of the existence
OF any treaty precludlng any European
power from acquiring or seeking To an.
qutre socendancy In Samon, hns created a
profound sensation. Secretary Bayard
according to Washington dispatch. "a
not In possession OF any new information
bearing upon the Samoan controvarAv
that he can 81 present communicate. He
has heard from Minister Pendieton. and
tho assurances Of the German govern.
ment are, Rs they have been oil along. OF
the most pacific character. There has
been no leok OF assurance at any time
but the trouble has been that while Ger.
many has, through lis Representatives,
expressed Willingness TO respect thu
nights OF Samoans and the interests Of
Americans In Samoa, the actions Of thu
German residents and official repres snta.
lives in Samoa have all been steadily 10
tho direction Of acquisition and dominl
tion.
The attitude OF oonsul Sowall, who IA
now under the orders OF the Republicap
members OF the Senate committee on for.
eign relations and his utterauoss before
that 90 nmittce under examination. Rave
proved painfully embarrassing to the
state department. II tho foreign affairs
committee takes the view that Consul
sewall appears to have adopted of tho
obligation of the Uniied States under the
treaty Of 1873, the relations OF Germany
and the United States may suffer strain.
The consulate Of Apia on the Samoan
Island OF Tepcls was hard one to III.
IL u distant, 1t is a place to which no
married man would care to 90 ind take
ms VIE, as there Ia no society aud thera
are great many other things not oalcu-
isted 10 attract or please. Mr.. Hewall 10
young msn, probably under 80. He
was willing to 60 and he has recently
taken Jealous interest in the Samoan
cause. He went out in the summer OF
1887 and remained until August. 1899
Since that time he has been in the United
States. From the Testimony he has given
and from the drift Of his conyersati9n II
10 apparent that he favors the idea ,hat
the United States ought to establish a
professionals over Samoa, an ngsnsnotion
that II ia doubtful whether mr. sherman
and the foreign relations committee will
maintain.
1t is scarcely to be expected that the
Benate, which has steadily misrepre.
scented and DISTRACTED the state depart.
mept, Will in this Samoan matter deDart
from the programme of opposition. Mr..
Bayhrd makes no apology for or defence
OF his conduct in the case. He attempted
TO secure by d conference with the Ger.
man minister and British minister an
agreement by which the three povsra--
Gefmany, Great Britain and the United
states-interested in Samoa should assist
the samoans in the maintenance OF
Tree government. The result OF that con.
ference was failure to agree. Nov IL is
spoken OF as conference ct which a
secret agreement was made. Mr.. BayRrd
has plainly informed the Congress Of his
desire have the protocol OF that coufer-
ence made public and Of the refusal OF
the British and German governments to
consent to its publication. The reasons
for refusal are best known to those who
oppose their publication. Mr.. Bayard
would be glad TO have them known.
Something 81 the character Of lie
proposition mado by Mr.. Bayard for the |
United States is learned from the letter |
OF Mr.. Bayard on January 18Th, 1883, to I
Minister Pendleton, written in answer to |
letter from Prince Bismarck to Count
Zedwitz, Charge HAhaires at Washing.
ton. In this letter Mr.. Bayard says that,
In substance, the German government |
proposed to commit the actual control of |
the islands TO person to be appointed
for term of five years by the power hay
ing the preponderating commercial
interests there, the appointment to be 10.
moved ON the same terms, and tine other
powers merely TO have the concurrent
privilege OF approving or refusing to APP
prove the nominee.
The plan proposed by Mr.. Bayard on
behalf OF the United States wss to COM
nit the administration OF the laws 10 on
executive council, to bs composed Of the
Samoan king and vice'king and three
Foreigners, OF whom one was 10 be desig-
mated by each of the treaty powers, but
who were TO hold their commission and
receive their compensation from the
native government, so ag 10 be indie
pendent Of the control and influence Of
the powers designating them. His oppo
sition to the German plan was not, as he
htated at tue time, due to the fact that
nnder It the actual government Of the
islands would be givon to Germany, but
because the plan was inherently defective
and objectionable because IL involved
the more complete political control with
commercial preponderanee in the same
hands, and By supplsnting, instead OF
aiding, the native government, tended 10
diminish rather yuan to develop the ca.
pacity Of the native inhabitants for the
management OF their affairs, 10 Mr..
Bsyard's surprise, the British representa-,
tive did not support his objection, and
la amid u0f anrnuuf FIR Mr. W4at'a nd |
vocacy of plan giving the Representa-
tive OF Germany greater control over the
native goveyhmont than was o0ntem
plated by the German Samoan treaty of
November 10th, 1881, to which Great
Britain strenuously objected. The con
ference wns suspended, with the under
standing that the status quo was TO be
maintained; that Samoan autonomy was
to be respected and American interests
regarded.
Right along with all the negotiations
on the part OF the United States for n
settlement of the question OF native rule
tho Germans have been by intrigue and
force possessing themselves of greater
power. They mako laws with heavy
penalties for slight offences. When the
penalties cannot be paid III money. OF
which there is prodigious scarcity, .
lands are taken. The GermRns have
thus become pots ,ssed Of large arsaa,
and foreigners OF other nations have not
hestitated to profit in the same way. l. !
IL noted as remarkable that the aggregate i
claims of foreigners to lands In Samoa
are greater than the entire area OF the !
islands. The spirit that rules Ia COM !
mercial, and, as the Germans are in the
majority, they have naturally developed j