The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-01-31

Siu1lidI III CudFdcicE, DuO III ulllHIciI
localities. each recurring a coaling sta
ton and harbor. Sherman went
on to speak of a further ar
rangement made shortly afterwar Is
ard which was, he said, very impor-
tant. 1t had been entered into between
Great Britain and the government of
Samoa. but the German and American
government, were also included in it by
which the districts of Apia still consti-
tuted into a municipality, and were de-
clared to be neutral territory where
each of the three nations might estab-
liSh their storehOuSeS. their workshops,
and all other buildings necessary for
carrying out their traffic in those
islands. This territory of Apia was
now known as the capital of the Samoan
Islands and was set aside for COM
mercial purposes. the government of
Samoa being practically excluded from
it. This treaty or agreement had not
been submitted to the senate but had
been signed by the English consul and
the captain of the American ship of
war Lackawanna. 1t had been acted
upon by all three nations as in the ma
ture of an agreement for the possession
and occupancy of that neutral terri
tory. Sherman next referred to the
treaty of the sixth of April, 1886, be-
tween Germany and Great Britain,
by which sort of delim-
itation was established for the juris-
dictiOn of each government in the group
with, d disclaimer that this part should
apply to the Samoan Islands. That,
he said. was tire legal statues today.
for no other arrangement or agreement
had ever been made in formal way
that affected in any degree the rights
of the several parties. He did not in
tend to gu into a detailed history of
events in Samoa. 1t was enough to say
that there was always sort of quasi
war existing there between several
branches of the people. 1t
was a strange government con-
controlled largely by family ties some
what ariStOcTatic. with alterations al
ways existing between the various
chiefs. He would not dwell upon the
painful features of that civil war, but
it seemed to be the general opinion of
all the American consular agents who
had been sent there to examine into
| the nature of their government that
| the people were totally unfit to conduct
regular formal government but that
civil war had continued I'M
til finally in 1883 by the
| by the aid of the cOnsuls it was
| decided bY an agreement that Maiietoa
should be king and Tamases vice king.
Soon after that settlement other diff
| ficulties had arisen and movement
| n d been made to annex the Samoa
| Island to New Zealand, MalietOa send
| ing an humble appeal to Queen Vic
toria, asking for such annexation.
| The German government, however.
had demonstrated in the most vigorous
manner against it, insisting that 1t
would be violation of tie treaty.
| Sherman finally brought the history of
events in Washington between Mr..
| Bayard and the German minister as to
| the sending by each of them of an agent
| to the islands to Obtain further lnfor-
nation. He said that it was manifest
that the rebellion of Tamase had been
organized by the German consul and by
| a German named Weber. who was at
| the head of a large commercial house.
| He mentioned the arrival of a German
| fleet at the islands some time in May,
| 1886 and spoke of an insulting letter
| from the vice admiral to Malietoa in
| which he addressed him not as king,
| but as head chief. 1t was after these
insults to the king that the United
States Consul GTeenbaum raised tue
| United States flag at the request of
| Maiietoa over the public buildings in
Apia. For time he said the practical
effect of that action, unauthorized as
it was had been TO check the action of
the German local authorities. After
tine German feet sailed away the Ger
man and American consuls
had again joined IN de-
claration that Tamase had never
been recognized by either of then as
king and the MalietOa WAS king. This
act had been wholly without authority
and Mr.. Greenbaum' part in it had
every properly been disavowed by the
American government. He had nc
more right to assert a prOtectorial
there than the German or English con-
sui had. 1t was whilst the agents of
the three conferees Mr.. Bayard and
the English and German ministers
were engaged in obtaining information
that the German government deposed
Malietoa and set up IamaSe
and this was the worst feature of
the case, because at this very time the
negotiations were going on on sound
Just and honest basis for the restora.
ton of the statu quo. There were
indications. he thought, that the Eng
Iish government was conniving with
the German policy. He was not stat.
ing the facts for the purpose of saying
who was wrong or who was right, Oh
| whether Germany was Justified IN the
course which she had pursued. He coulC
not say. however, that he found in the
papers any justification for Germany
, Prince Bismarck whose strong and i'm
perial hand was shown in all of his
; communications asserted the equal
!. rights of each of these governments
, but insisted as matter of policy, that
it would be better to place the custody
of the islands under the control of one
of the powers and as Germany had the
largest property interest there. that il
would be best to place it under German
control and power. AS to the newspaper
Correspondent Klien, who had beer
playing knight Grant there, the gov.
eminent of the United States was in
no way responsible for him. The
, statement of the man himself. although
somewhat vainglOrious in style
shows that he had nothing to do with
the attack on the German sailors. He
, sympathized with those who were in
rebellion against Tamase AND
went along with them as 6
, newspaper man and possibly took
a hand in it, but the United States gov
, eminent was in no sense responsible
, for him. He tSherman) did not know
, | naturaIiZed citizen. Summing up his
long speech, Sherman said that tbs
first thing to be done was for the
q | United States to assert its power in the
occupancy and possession of the bay Of
Paga Pago, and that ought TO be done
, Immediately. 1t did not need a war X
protect nations right. The mere as
sertion of those rights and the due re
gard for them the expenditure of money
, there. the storing of coal there, TIT
! calling OF vessels there. all of thesl
! things were assertions of power, fa
more influential than the protocole
+ and diplomatic correspondence.
George: The amendments do no
= menace war do they2
e Sherman: / don't think it is neces
sary to menace any one. believe tina
] a STRAIGHTFORWARD. manly negotiation
9 should be gone into between thes
e three great powers. It would be
= shame and a disgrace to our civiliZa
3 ton and christianity if we couli
e not agree upon some mode of govern
: ing for these islands. Whateve
q the newspapers may say, there is moth
]. ing in the situation that would justif
s on the part of either nation. a breac