The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-17
GOVERNMENT UNDER TREATY is A
FARCE, SAYS CONSUL Null
LIGAN.
KING is BUT A PUPPET,
WHILE HIGHLY PAID FOREIGN
OFFICIALS LEVY TAX ON
THE PEOPLE.
ENFORCED BY FOREIGN GUNS.
They PIease-Injustice to
Uncle Sam.

WASHINGTON. Aug. 16. - Consul
General James l.. Mulligan, OF Apia.
Samoa, has made a voluminous report
to the state department upon the con-
dition of the islands. A portion of the
report is devoted to a review of the
government Of the islands by the
United States, Great Britain and Ger
many, under the Berlin treaty. This
treaty, Mr.. Mulligan concludes, was a
mistake, and to maintain it is to per-
sist in mistake. 1.-THE present stat
u.s." he said. sis an injustice to the
people Of the United States and a
grave wrong to those of Samoa. If it
be said that the treaty, so far as it
concerns Samoa, has made matters no
worse, it can be claimed with equal
truth that it has failed to make them
better in any particular. The admis
sion of either postulate is to confess a
failure
AS to the present government of
Samoa, he says: "a recognized and
reigning king is dependent for his sup
port upon the voluntary contributions
the charity, in fact-of that portion
OF his family or tribe who adhere to
him, while foreign officers of his gov
eminent enjoy salaries from his rev.
enues far in excess of the value of
services performed. When a pittance
OF MS nominal salary, long in arrears.
is doled out to him, it comes through
the hands of foreign official, who ex-
ercises his pleasure to pay or with
holo; his lawful wife is in no sense
queen, nor no more entitled to consid-
Grafton than the half-clad women who
lie pack and forth along the beaches.
"A struggling village, within and part
OF the Kingdom, levies import and ex
port duties on every dollars worth of
merchandise brought into or shipped
out OF the kingdom, lending out of its
revenues to the kingdom barely
enough to pay the most meager ex-
penses and the salaries of foreign
officials.
All the machinery of the government
perhaps 1t is not too much to saw OF
several governments-is in active op-
Grafton within the precincts of this lit
tie town. The guns of great men-of-
war, year In and year out, froWn
ominously upon the shore in support
or the government and the law which
does not exist within their effective
range; and yet an offender within half
dozen miles of the seat of so many
authorities defies the processes of the
court and rebuffs the power of the in
VaIlded government. In the midst of
all, Whitehead messengers Of the crown
ono consul fit to and fro along the
blazing beach, the bearers of imposing
envelopes, In which are covered the
stately communications that round out
the measures of time in this kinder
garten Of diplomacy
In the meantime no clearing is made.
no plantation is extended The coun-
try, which, at best, under it's many
disadvantages, needs all the stimulus
OF peace. all the security that govern
men can assure visibly languishes.
mere IS no immigration, influx Of cap
1tal or suggestion Of enterprise. All
wait for that underlined something
that change which Is to come; wait
as they have waited for thirty years:
wait for the abrogation of the treaty.
as they and their fathers waited for its
coming"
Only small part of the islands. he
says, are under control of this govern
ment. Back from the shore and the
town the people do as they please.
The treaty made by three govern
nfents for the government of a third
is not considered a success
The different forms of governments
that ought to be brought together have
become irreconcilable There is too
much friction. 1t is said that before
any step can be taken the three repre-
sentatives must unite; then oftentimes
reference must be made to powers on
the other side of the globe. There is
diversity of opinion, conflict of inter-
ests and a clash of rights.