Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-07
THE GERMANS IN SAMOA.
King Malietoa Mataafa Writes About
Their Actions and Claims.

lher ActOnS and Claims.
TIE New York World publishes two letters
said to have been written BY King Nalie-
tos Natasfa, Of Samoa, to its correspondent.
John c. Klein The first is dated February 6,
and contains the following:
Yesterday wrote to the German consul:
The reason why we have respected your Ger
man forces on Mulimuu Point during the early
part Of the war, last summer and fan was because
We te-ired peace, In respecting your forces ! at
make war between samoa and Germany. Be-
cause OF the feelings which We had at that time we
be allowed free passage. and mat you (the Ger
man cOnsul should cause the German troops TO be
Withdrawn from our lands, because IL would not
be well 20 have another encounter between our
men and yOIrs, which might lead TO dificulties
between Samoa and Germany
The German consul replied to me:
sage in the waters Of Samoa II there is not first
subject are considering That Is to say, the
Germans in Samoa TO have absolute power
over all other white persons in the country
'Now / am rejecting whether il would be
best 10 answer this letter or not"
THE KISa's SECOND LITTER.
In the second letter, dated March IS. Malietoa
says: During the month just past, February,
the German consul, DIR. Knappe, wrote to me
almost every day and always with the same OBJ
ject. that my people (the Samoans) would have
to return everything that had been taken from
the Germans (eocoanuts from plantations and
other food. &c. since the day Of the battle of
Fdsah December Is, 1889, up to the present
time.
This is what replied to him:
1T is you, Knappe, who are the cause of the
plantations and fields of the Germans not hav-
ing been respected. as we'll as having been the
cause Of other affairs that have taken place."
Notwithstanding, the Germans continued to
order my army not to cause damage to German
property"
replied: at would be better for you. YOUR
sell, to order the German troops not to fire con-
tlnually on Samoan women, that you should
allow them to pass in boats in the neutral water
OF Apia bay, and that your ships Of war should
retire"
The German consul did not reply to this
letter.
February %, behind the convent Of the Cath
Ole sisters. the German sailors fred upon Q
girl from Manono. wounding her in the arm.
The German consul is continually using all
his efforts TO the end of making peace with me
and Samoa, and then inducing me to drive
away (td) al Americans ard Engishmen from
all OF Samoa. so that then there would be no white
persons allowed to live in Samoa excepting
Germans. Ieasily understood his designs when
he wrote TO me on February 5. 1889:
''Samosns shall govern Samoans, and Ger
mans shall govern Samoa, and all the Euro
pesns who are il Samoa. and they (the Ger
rans) shall have all power (puissance) for
themselves"
l did not reply to letter so full of pride.
IT MAY EE A GERMAN RusE
Here is another thing that desire you to
notice. Have the goodness to make it known
immediately to your government, and 10 the
American ministers who are attending the con-
ference IN Germany. On the night of the It'll
OF this month some Samoan boys and girls went
- n 7Rfh haEo-
They wsre young people without rank or dis
tinctiOn and Of bad judgment. / was afraid
that the Germans had created ruse (tOggft),
by paving the Samoan girls to dance, after
which the German consul would write:
The SamOanS are very anxious TO make peace
with the Germans. having come to our houses
and danced. thereby showing their love for
Germans, but they cannot make peace because
of their fear of America" / was very much
enraged against these Samoan Young people
If ever such a letter should he sent By the Ger
man consul and told to the people OF America
please rectIty his Gntruths and tell the people
OF your country my true feelings in this mat
ter. We would not all place ourselves right
with Germany. and our sole desire is that the
conference at Berlin shall do such things as are
approved by the government OF America. and
that the conference shall end to its (the Ameri-
Can government's) satisfaction"
lie then expresses satisfaction at the arrival
Of Admiral Kimberly. and narrates the story of
the battle, in which he Chains that the Germans
fired first, and adds:
Your excellency, I pray to your government
and TO all fsir-minded men to Judge of the
cruel tyranny of the Germans. 1t is but short
time since they made many promises to US Of
their good will, but it has been for long time
that in their talks to other white men in Samoa
Who were accustomed to our ways, that the
Germans uncovered their real thoughts and
said that the Samoans must be all killed, that
they must not be given peace. that they were
ignorant savages, and that they must all be
struck TO their DEATH"