The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-12-08
SAMOA AND ITS GOVERNMENT.
Combined Military Force Necessary TO
Preserve Peace.

Combined Military Force Necessary TO
Preserve Peace.
In my last annual message. J. referred
briefly to the unsatisfactory state Of
affairs in Samoa under the operation
of the Berlin treaty as signally illus
trating the impolicy of entangling al
liances with foreign powers, and on
May 8, 1894 in response to a resolution
of the senate, l sent a special message
and document to that body on the same
subject, which emphasized my previous
ly expressed opinions. Later occur
rences and correspondence in regard to
them, which will be laid before con-
gress, further demonstrates that the
government which was devised by the
three powers and forced upon them
against their inveterate hostility, can
be maintained only by the continued
presence of military force and at no
small sacrifice of life and treasure. The
suppression of the Mataafa insurrec-
ton by the powers and subsequent
Punishment of the leader and IL other
chiefs as recited in my last message,
did not bring lasting peace to the
islands Formidable uprisings con-
tinued and finally rebellion broke out
in the capital island, Upolula, headed by
Aana, in the western district by the
younger Tamasese and Inatua, in the
eastern district by other leaders. The
insurgents ravaged the country and
fought the government troops up to
the very doors of Apia. The king again
appealed to the powers for help and
the combined British and German ma
val forces reduced the Atuans to APP
parent subsection, not, however, with
out considerable loss to the natives.
few days later, Tamasese and his
adherents, fearing the ships and the
marines, professed submission. The re-
ports received from our agent at Apia
do not justify the belief that the peace
thus brought about will be of long du-
ration. 1t is their conviction that the
natives are at heart hostile to the pres
ent government; that such of them as
profess loyalty to it do so from fear Of
the powers and that it would speedily
go to pieces il the warships were with
drawn.
In reporting to this government on
the unsatisfactory situation since the
suppression of the late revolt by foreign
armed forces, the German consul at
Apia stated that the idea that peace
The lesson given by the firing on the
Atua was not sufficiently sharp and
incisive to leave lasting impression
on the forgetful Samoan temperament
In fact conditions are existing which
show that peace will not last and is
not seriously intended. Malietoa, the
king, and his chiefs are convinced that
the departure of the warships will be a
signal for renewal of the war. The
circumstance that the representatives
of the villages of all the districts which
We're opposed to the government have
already withdrawn to Atua to hold
meetings and that both Atua and
Aana have forbidden the inhabitants
of those districts which fought on the
side of the government to return to
their villages and have already partly
burned down the latter, indicates
that a real Cancellation of the parties is
still far off. In a note Of the 10th ulti-
mo, enclosing a copy of that report for
the information of this government.
the German ambassador said: 1.-THE
contents of the report awakened in
the imperial government apprehension
that under the existing circumstances
the peace concluded with the rebels
will afford no assurance of a lasting
restoration of tranquility in the ISL
ands"
The present government has utterly
failed to correct, if indeed it has not
aggravated, the very evils it was in
tended to prevent. 1t has not stimulat-
ed our commerce with the islands. Our
participation in its establishment
against the wishes of the natives was
in plain defiance of the conservative
teachings and warnings of the wise
and patriotic men who laid the foun-
dations of our free institutions, and I
invite an expression of the judgment
of congress on the propriety of steps
being taken by the government look
ing to the withdrawal from it's engage
ments with the other powers on some
reasonable terms, not prejudicial to any
of our existing rights.