Evening journal., 1889-04-18
BLAlNE's SAMOAN POLICY.
Following In the Footsteps of Mr.. Bay
ard+ +Germanyfs Feeling Toward Bates
and sewalI.

Following In the Footsteps Of NIr. Bay.
ard4 4Germany's Feeling Toward Bates
and sewalI.l
The Washington correspondent Of the
New York Times says:
The reports from Germany of the dis
position to regard the coming Of G. II.
Bates as a, a,eommissioner and Harold M.
Sewall as an officer of the Samoan Com
mission as an indication of the unwilling
ness of the United States to reach a
friendly settlement of questions CON
cerning Samoa should not surprise any
body who has known the relations
existing between Mr.. Bates and Mn
Sewall and the State Department during
the last + few weeks Of Mr., Bayard's
management of that'service
Mr.. Bates made to Mr. Bayard most
comprehensive report upon the condition
of affairs in Samoa ia the Summer of
1886. He had been instructed that "a
full report" would be expected from him,
showing the causes of the difiicultyunder
which the Samoan Government labors,
the present situation, and suggesting the
remedies whichnay commend themselves
to the judgment of the agents" Mr.
Batess report, as printed, was very full.
1t was very much more voluminous than
| the reports of the German or British
special agents sent out at the same time
and for the same purpose. But it was
not all printed or even submitted for in
spection.
When Mr. Frye last winter charged
Secretary Bayerd with suppressing part
Of it, Secretary Bayard admitted that
portions of the report had been cut out.
Mr Il f.fts Il
need or should be said or reported upon
the condition Of Samoan affairs that
would embalrass the conclusion of the
controversy in peaceful and orderly
manner. 1t did not seem to him desira-
BILE or necessary that special agent or
a Consul, should be permitted to charac.
terize the words or actions of the repre-
sentative of one of the other powers in
language that could only be interpreted
as attributing sinister motives when the
professions of the powers were honorable
and satisfactory. There was too much
opinion in Mr.. Bates's report, and some
of it was cut ont with that freedom that
the State Department always exercises in
pursuing diplomatic communications.
tits possible that the German Foreign
Office at Berlin learned of the character
of Mr.. Bates's CRITICISMS from inter
views with him published after the ap-
pearance in print of his report the inter
views containing much Of the matter
that had been dropped by Mr. Bayard
1t was evident from the tenor of the
speeches of Mr.. Frye and Others who
had read all of Mr.. Bates's report and
some Of the utterances that Mr. Sewall
had not been permitted to make officially
that they were inspired by the facts of
the report made by these gentlemen
which had not been made public. It was
while considering what Mr.. Bates and
Mr.. Sewell had been restrained from
saying that the Senate was disposed to
be warlike, and that it appropriated
$500, 600 to protect American interests
in Samoa" without saying anything
more definite about American interests
Something very brilliant, indeed, was
expected from Mr.. Blaine as soon as he
came into power. The only really sassy
thing that he appears to have done is to
select two men whom Mr. Bayard
checked in their use Of language, while
he has been SO thoroughly lacking in
hrilliancy as TO instruct his commission
ers to renew precisely the contention in
sisted upon by Mr. Bayard in the confer
ence held here in 1887 Mr. Blaine pre-
pared his admirers for just such drop.
however, for in the editorial columns Of
the Tribune short time before the inau-
! guration OF Harrison he permitted an in
sinuatiOn to be thrown out that too much
| should not be expected at once Of a new
| Secretary Of State; that diplomatic
methods are necessarily slow, and that
! controversies between nations could only
be settled by the well established inter
national usages. So Mr. Blaine is trying
to do just what Mr. Bayard was doing
He insists upon autonomy for the Sa-
moans and joint effort to maintain
peacea and good order in the islands,