Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-11
AFFAIRS IN SAMOA.
What Consul General Sewall Told a
Senate Committee To-day.

Consul-General Sewall, of Samoa, who has
been at home for several months, appeared
before the Senate committee on foreign rela.
tions to-day, Messrs. Sherman, Frye. Eyarts
and Dolph being present. There was also
present ex-Minister John A. Kasson, who is
greatly interested in the Samoan question. Mr.
Sewall was examined in secret at great length
by the members Of the committee He told
in detail a story said to have been
SAD AND HUMIIIATrNG
corroborative of his charge that the efforts
made to induce the administration to take q
vigorous and decided position in support OF
American interests on the islands, the only
ones left in the Pacific where neutrality is now
possible, had been failures. Mr.. Sewall is re-
ported to have expressed the belief that the
next mail will bring news of further and more
terrible conflicts between the Germans and
natives than any that have yet occurred He
said that the shedding of blood since he left
Samoa had radically changed the situation OF
affairs there, and that if it were not intended
to yield to Germany entire control of the is
lands, some decided action would have to be
taken by the powers. He presented to the
committee copies of the Samoan Times, a
newspaper published at Apia, containing &C
counts of an
UNPRovoKED AND UNEXPECTED ATTACK
by the German war ship upon the natives, and
of meeting by the consuls of other nations
denouncing the act, and also the misleading
and unfair statements by the German consul.
Mr.. Sewall spoke of the studied and systematic
efforts of the Germans in sending out news
from Berlin concerning Samoa to give the i'm
preston that an American was the aggressor in
every case of trouble. German oppression, he
is further reported to have said. is entirely re-
sponsible for any apparent division of the ma
tives into hostile factions. He described
Tamaseses followers as comparatively hand
full, who were threatened by an unpleasant
dilemma. If they failed to keep up the agita-
ton against the native government
THEY FEARED DEATH
at the hands of their German allies; if they
escaped there the same fate awaited them at
the hands of the natives, who considered them
traitors to Samoa.
VALUE OF THE GROUP TO Us.
AS to the importance of maintaining at least
the neutrality of the group, Mr.. Sewall called
the attention of the members of the committee
to the fact that they lie in the paths of COM
merce from the western states of this country
to New Zealand and of much of that going
around the cape of Good Hope to China and
Japan. When the American interoceanic canal
is completed the traffic passing through there
will be carried directly by the Samoan group.
MUCH VI MI. SeWdll 3 testimony was
LISTENED TO WITH GREAT INTEREST
by the members Of the committee, to whom
much of it was new. Mr.. Evarts was particu-
larry interested, for the reason that he was
Secretary of State when the treaty concerning
the relations of this government with Samoa
was executed, and when Germany's assurances
OF non-interference were SO strong.
The date of Mr.. Sewalls return to his post of
duty is undecided. He has been referred by
the State department to the Senate committee,
and is under their direction. He will probably
leave in short time. Mr.. Sewall referred the
committee to the report of George H. Bates,
special agent of the State department to
Samoa, made in December, 1886, which. he
said, is much more exhaustive on the subject
of American rights in Samoa than any other
publication he knows of. Mr. Bates was sent
to the islands in 1886 after the United States
consul had raised the flag Of his country over
them, which act was disavowed by this gov
eminent. The committee has not yet decided
whether or not to summon him.