The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-05-05
The Point Over Which the Confer
enes at Berlin is Most Likely
TO Disagree.
Foreigners Claiming More Land on
the Island Than it Contains, Ae-
cording to SewelI.
The Immunity which Socialists E.Joy
IN Switzerland Likely to Cause That
Country Trouble.

tCopBr ghGd, 1859, ~ he Western Associate d
PreS-l
BERLIN. May "A committee of the
Samoan conference has prepared draft of
the proposal % constitute court 10 decide
questions OF land tenure in Samoa The
court is to consist Of one representative Of
each of the interested powers and two
SAmOese. Complications connected with
existing tenures threatened % impede pro-
gress until the committee relegated the set
tlement of the questions 10 the proposed
court SeweII and Branders have been
present daily at the sittings. Sewell proved
the untenable character of a number of
German land claims. and further showed
that the extent of the land claimed by for
eigners as bought ~ ceded vas in excess of
the area of the islands. Branders gave
evidence on the validity OF German land
titles and said he desired 10 be heard on the
losses OF German planters. The commit
tee declined TO consider such losses as in
vOlviug question of indemnity. The Eng
lish and American delegates express salts
faction at the progress already made and all
sides are hopeful the convention will be
concluded in June. The attitude of the
English delegates will assist in the sOlu-
tiOn of the question. Before the confer
ence it was suspected the entente between
Berlin and London would tend TO throw
the balances against the American policy.
but later developments warrant the belief
that the English delegates have been in
structed to join with the American repre-
sentatives in opposing German pretentions
for special rights The report that Sewall,
Parker and Buckingham are recognized
officially and are socially ignored is untrue.
On the contrary, they are well received ey-
erywhere. A banquet o. be given by the
be brilliant affair. There will be present
besides all the members of the conference
the full diplomatic corps of all the coun-
tries having representatives at Berlin.
The report of DIR. Knzppe, ex-GeTman
consul AT Apia, issued to-day a lame de-
fense OF his own conduct In IL DIR. knappe
charges the adherents of Mataafa with
ralding German planters, and describes his
efforts 70 induce the insurgents IN abandon
their position, which en- irOacht upon the
plantations. He says the disorders in
Samoa were partly due to American fncite-
ment. The general tenor Of ihr report and
it's publication at the present juncture sug-
gest a latent intention pn the part of Bis
marck 70 persist in his indemnity demands.
The appendix 10 the report gives the
American consuPs edict prohibiting the
supplying OF spirits 20 sailors.
The arrest in Switzerland and the eXpul-
sion from that country of Police Inspector
WOhlgernath has suddenly assumed q ser
ious aspect The emperor presided at the
ministerial council Thursday at which il
was decided tc demand an explanation of
the affair from the swiss government. The
North German Gazette declares Wohlger-
Dath went 10 Canon ClarROn in the legal
prosecution Of his duties as a police inspee-
tor OF the Mulhaus, and was arrested at the
instance of a socialist, who was known to
be working against the German police.
The Gazette significantly adds: "COun-
tries bordering on Switzerland must pro-
tect themselves against the revolutionary
efforts which the Swiss officials both tOler-
ate and promote. To-day the ST. Peters
burg Svet says: "The recent bomb discov-
cry at Zurich demonstrates the necessity
for foreign states to no longer permit
Switzerland TO harbor and protect murder
eTs."