Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-01-30
Samoa Some More.
Those Dry Spots in the Pacific
Won't Subside.
THE FACTS STATED BY SHERMAN,

| WASHINGTON CITY, jan 30-After the
senate had decided in secret session Yesterday
that the debate on the Samoa amendments to
the diplomatic bill should take place with open
doors, that body resumed its public session
and Sherman took the floor to make state
ment of the case He begun by saying that
| Samoa was in the direct line of commercial
| intercourse, and the islands contained popu-
lation Of 33i, 900 Polynesians, and about 800
Americans, Germans and English. Admiral
| Wilkes had first explored the islands and
| made survey, and the United States had
sent a special agent there, who had afterward
become minister to the king, and who made a
| treaty in 1878 with the United States This
treaty had given the United States the privi-
lege of using the harbor of Pago-Pago, and
further provided that this government should
sinploy its good Offices i'll adjusting any diff
9erences between Samoa and other nations
England and Germany had later obtained
similar harbor privileges in other islands of
| he group.
Sherman went on to speak of further ar
'angement made shortly afterward and
which was, he said, very important 1t had
)een entered into between Great Britain and
he government of Samoa (but the German
ind American governments were also in
cluded In it,, by which the town and district
| of Apia were constituted into municipality
and were declared to he neutral territory
where each of the three nations might estab-
lish their storehouseS, their workshops and all
other buildings necessary for carving on
Nl,E.sV. Al.
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. The mu-
nlclpal board consisted of the German, Eng
iIsh and American consuls. This treaty, or
agreement, had not been submitted to the
senate, but had been signed by the English
consul and by the captain of the American
ship-of-war Lackawanna. II had been acted
upon by all three nations as in the nature of
an agreement for the possession and occu-
pancy of that neutral territory Sherman
next referred TO the treaty of April, 1855. be-
tween Germany and Great Britain, by which
sort of delimitation established for the
jurisdiction of each government in the Poly
'nesian group, with disclaimer that this par
tiuon should apply TO the Samoan islands
Luis WIS Tue To-Day.
There was always sort of quasi war ex-
isting there between several branches of the
people. 1t 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 govern
ment That civil war had continued until
finally, in lsS3, by the aid of the consuls. it
was settled by an agreement that Malietoa
should be king and Tamasese vice king. Soon
after that settlement other difficulties had
arisen, and movement had been made TO an
mex the Samoan islands to New
Zealand - Maletoa sending humble
appeal TO Queen Victoria asking for
such annexation. The German government
however, had demonstrated in the most Wig
orous manner against it, insisting that it
would be violation Of the treaty Another
treaty was made with Malietoa by the Ger
man consul on the 10th of November, 1854.
shortly after the kings piteous proposal to
Queen Victoria This treaty was. at first.
approved by the German government, but
afterwards repudiated, on the refusal Of the
American and English governments to ac-
quiesce in it, US it practically made Germany
supreme over the islands and established a
German council or board of control to rule
and govern them
Sherman then brought the history of events
to the conference in Washington between
Bayard and the British and German minis
tiers, and TO the sending by each of them of
an agent to the islands to obtain further in
formation He said that it was manifest that
the rebellion of Tamasese had been organized
by the German consul and by 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 of an insulting letter from
the vice admiral 10 Malietoa, in which he ad-
dressed him not as king but as head chief. 1t
was after these insults to the king that United
States Consul Greenbaum raised the United
States flag at the request of Malietoa over the
public buildings in Apia. For
time, he said, the practical effect
of that action unauthorized as it wasl
had been to check the action of the German
local authorities. This act had been wholly
without authority, and Mr.. Greenbaums part
in it had, very properly, been disavowed by
the American government. He had no more
right 20 assert q protectorate there than the
German or English consul had. II was whilst
the agents of the three conferrees (Bayard and
the English German ministersl were engaged
obtaining information that the German gov
eminent deposed Malietoa and setup Tama-
sese This was the worst feature of the case,
because at this very time the negotiations
We're going ON on sound, just and
honest basis for the restoration of the stains
quo There were indications, he thought.
that the German government was coinciding
with the German policy. He was not stating
the facts for the purpose of saying who was
wrong or who was right or whether Ger
many was justified in the course which she
pursued He could not say, however, that
he found in the papers any justification for
Germany. Prince Bismarck, whose strong
and imperial will was shown in all of his
communications, asserted the equal rights
of each of these governments, but in
sisted, a matter of policy. that it would be
better to place the custody of the islands I'M
der the control of one Of the powers, and as
Germany had the largest property interests
there that it would be best to place it under
German control and power. That was now
the point in controversy.
Morgan spoke of the action of the German
government as being In the nature of a dis
courtesy
Sherman said he thought so, but he did not
care to discuss the conduct of the German
government. The diplomatic forms, he
added, had been observed, but the substance
had not been exactly there
AS 10 the newspaper correspondent, Klein,
who had been playing knight errant there,
the government of the United States was In
no way responsible for him The statement
OF the man himself, although somewhat vain
glorious an style, showed that he had
nothing 10 do with the attack on
the German sailors Klein sympathized
with those who were in rebellion against
lamasese, went along with them as news
paper man, and possibly took hand in it,
out the United States government was in no
sense responsible for him. He [Shermanl did
not know whether he was a native-born, or a
naturalized citizen.
Summing up his long speech, Sherman said
that the first thing to he done was for the
United States to assert its mower In the &c