Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-11
FALL OF A PREMIER.
The Wonderful Career of Missionary
Baker on the Isle of Tonga.
HE BUILT UP A LITTLE KINGDOM.
Under the Cloak of Religion he Ruled
With the Tyrant's Hand.
COMPELLED TO FLEE FOR HIS LIFE

Mr., Baker, the Wesleyan missionary who
was Premier of Tonga. has arrived at Auc-
| land. 1t is further noted that Mr.. Baker
was expelled from Tonga, the native chiefs
having signed document.declaring that the
popuIace would kill him if he remained on
| the island.
Thus obscurely in half dozen lines OF
print is announced to the world the end OF
romance of the South Seas which is so
UNIQUE as to demand chapter to itself IN
the annals of the shady doings of adventur-
ers. The cloak of religion has been drawn
about the principal actor of the comedy,
which, by narrow chance, has escaped
tragic end. The Tonga men, almost alone,
of the South Sea Islanders, have never prac-
ticed cannibalism, at the time OF their dis
coyery they welcomed Cook so heartily that
| he gave their home the name of the Friendly
Islands, name which they have done moth
ing to. forfeit; their very traditions have
little to record of fighting, their most re-
noNned ancestors are famed only as fisher
men and lawgivers; they carry non-resist-
ance so far that they are often held efem-
| mate even if not cowardly. Year in and
wear out they have endured q tyranny
which has sought them out in their homes,
and at last they end it not with bloodshed,
but by announcing their regretful fear that
the chiefs will be unable to prevent murder.
The hint was sufficient, the oppressor fled. z
HOW BAKER ROSE.
When the evangelical territory of the
South Seas was parceled out among the sew
eral missionary societies of Great Britain
Tonga was assigned to the Wesleyan So
cietv, and ter some existence as direct
dependency of the English Wesleyans was
! finally transferred to the care of the denomi-
national Conference in Australia when they
became strong enough to undertake the
charge. Among the missionaries laboring
| in the Friendly Islands at the time of this
| transfer was Shirley Baker, then young
| man, in no wise distinguished from his COM
| pauions The transfer to the colonial Con-
| ference for some reason displeased this mis-
sionary, and he testified his disapproval by
reporting to the society in London: For this
act of insubordination he was duly disci-
| plined.
Political complications arose in Tonga
which proved more attractive to the young
missionary than the small pleasures of
snubbing distant conference OF ministers.
| The new civilization called for readjust-
ment of the loose relations of savage life.
The chief in the island which was the center
of Bakers evangelizing labors was one
Tubon, who had been baptized George. The
| missionary played upon the ambition of
| George Tubon, instilIed in his mind the
hope of ruling all his neighbors, and set him
to work practicing the signature Georgius
| Rex. Owing to the inertness and Jealousy
of the other superior chiefs, and mainly
owing to the political shrewdness of Baker,
| the realm was constituted sovereign State.
George Tubon was made King, and con-
secrated according to the Old Testament
rites, Parliament of the subordinate chiefs
and the village elders was created, the Wes-
leyan Church was ordained as the establish
ment and King George at its head. Shirley
Baker was made perpetual and Irremovable
| Prime Minister.
DID HIS WORK WELL.
In due time the new kingdom was recog-
nized by the great powers, Queen Victoria
wrote to King George as her cousin and sent
him a medallion; England, Germany and
the United States, then engaged in sowing
the seed of future tumult in Samoa, jointly
undertook to see that all nations should
leave the Kingdom of Tonga alone, and
added an even greater benefit by agreeing
to keep away from it themselves.
This upholstering of kingdom was not
| the affair Ol u udI UT d year. II WAS we'll
done because slowly done, and while in all
things Shirley Baker was the directing
force, he so contrived his manipula ations as
not to tread upon any toes, whether native
or European. In all that the new King did
he found it necessary to rely for guidance
upon his useful Prime Minister, whose
power grew apace with that of his master.
Baker had not forgotten the public rebuke
which had been administered to him
by that Conference, and was now
ready for row, all the
more so siuce the church of Tonga was not
only self-supporting by this time, but had
already been called upon to contribute to
the expenses of the body which had sup
ported it in the days of its need. Baker
found occasion Tor the rupture when the
Conference consigned to him a cargo of
Bibles and hymn books in the language OF
Tonga. As head of the church King George
refused to give this literature his sanction;
they were most emphatically not appointed
to be read in churches, and version which
bore the great name OF the Premier was pro-
mulgated by royal decree. Hereupon the
Conference solemnly read Shirley Baker
out of its communion, as guilty of gross
contumacy. King George replied with a
note that the church of Tonga was an inde-
pendent body, with himself at the head, and
the Australian Conference did not show a
Christian spirit in calling his leading cler-
gymen hard names. Thus Shirley Baker
cleared himself of his last thread of ale.
glance.
TAXED TOO HEAVILY.
But the common people of Tonga found
the new ROYALTY a burden. They found
tithes at first mere jest. they could easily
undertake to give one-tenth of the product
of their labor to support the church and one.
tenth to support the state, for they did moi
labor. But the new parliament changed all
that, laws were passed that every one must
do a specified amount OF labor, and the vii
iage elders were commissioned to see that
the work was done. As ii this double 1.-THE
were not in itself serious burden, special
taxes were imposed, first fruits were de-
manded, and, if any objection were offered,
the constitutionality OF the measure was
proved by reference to Jewish history.
Taxes were not the only burdens, the CON-
munity groaned beneath roll of laws COM
pared with which the old blue laws of New
England are made to seem enlightened stat
utes. The breaking strain was reached
when Baker issued an order prescribing
D,yo RIooG