New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-11
DIsCORDS IN SAMOA.
soME NEW AND INTERESTING FACTS
COME TO LIGHT.

oERMANYs INTENTION TO SECURE A STRONGER
roorHoLp IN THE ISLANDS sHowN-PRo-
TESTS MADE BY SECRETARY oiNEf'
TBy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.]
xx,.~.,cr,o, anrp N The Samoan chapter OF the
ruh,Ished extracts II ON the volume OF Foreign he-
lations for 1896, which the state Department mas
given 10 the press contains. as USUAL ih'oie''"o
information. 1t is weli-known fact that dur'ne
Mr. Clevelands last Administration ne was open" ,
hostile TO the execution Of the Berlin treaty I,'
two Secretaries of State, General Gresham ana MI
Ol,ev appear to have been in sympathy with 'hei'
chief The Samoan correspondence In the ne" WI
ume Of Foreign Relations seems TO iurhis" eo"
elusive evidence that Germany Is trying u So
stronger foothold in Samoa than 1t no" n's' a w.
through diplomacy and otherwise, to maze '
islands what Senator Morgan has SAID ne ie"'e
they would become. a German colony
O,a ~ the first letters of the published corie
spondence deals with municipal aifa'rs III SAT- ~
and states that owing to the ne Se Municipal toun
eli accepting the resignation OF i1u,a nracticey
the business saS of 'ne %eng the story given in
Secretary Oneys letter 1t appears , their resig-
S SsIi os ' assoSaey refused attend any moTs
meetings. and the action or 'ns The American
Tons,,I MI. Blackjack represented to me me 0enI
Department tn that such e the
that the British Consul had susgesieu 'F Sar The
three son ns ,sking over the situation and seeing
whether some plan Souic n b,d and the situation
'h MS Blackiock accepted the suggestion Mr r.
ANYTHING of conciliatory nature lie 'nS U,id he he
NUNS pa attend the Council meetings. that they
had no right TO resign and tnat tie tnino AFTER
punished lUa Mr. Gesscr agreed with the Brit
ish Consul and Mr. Blackjack SSer ccnsns
tbat Mr. schmidt President of the Municipal Coun,
Il insisted PpTsy SSIy PTsSshidd
Schmidt shown strong German hs SHOWN sho
various decisions Whicn ne co , Mr. Black
lock refused 10 attend the meeting
DANGEROUS PRECEDENT.
The meeting took place, however ana arrange
ments we're made bring the retiring Couhc.iiois
again together. At the last meeting OF the No"''-
cilors an incident occurred whlch secretary O'
saws in his letter demanded more than passing no
tice and which II permitted TO go unchalienseo'
nouId form n dangerous precedent for the future
report In German unaccolhp,a,ieo r ~ was nassed
nv The German members and the presleen. r VIZ
sghtngly regarded the request OF one o nn, he
could understand the nature of the Feppg as
The three consuls unanimous In deferrng coli
sderation until transaI ,n President schmidt
Who sent il back to the Board without the desred q
tbat he had no officer al his disposal who was able
70 make the desired translation, and thas me Cow
not feel justified In engaging an extra oi''''' '0
s few days afterward the German Consul in mi.
% hs to meet end the
which he Offered fer r GTny consul 20 Accepted the
snvitaticn Then Mr.. Geisser protested Vigorously
secretaTy Oney thus comments upon the foFeg GO
ing: Il speak Of all this 10 show that much n OF 1hS
trict,on in the Samoan Islands Is produced throusi
an attempted arbitrary and de MDcpa coUnc
nv course Of conduct more considerat more eI.
ciliatory and more in harmony WIN ue They are
equal in right if not in interest ana II IL d siI
error 10 10 and exclusively German
or as If a sort of silent concurrence In all Eyrman
10 a for h the aass Si Of the
and British representation GahnGt ro' ,b treafv
IFb,s of the United states Great Britain IN any
such unfavorabe light. | accordngy amuci b,s
roper NAV be addressed the Imperial Consul at
Apia The n or the Of HIS Maestys
Government TO the end that II , mgn, not paS' Il"
unchalenged precedent for the future.
ANOTHER PROTEST FROM MR. OLNEf'
President Schmidts mex. action to call forth a
protest from Secretary Olney was an expressed IN
s,,or "a discharge the duties of Chief Justice OF
samoa IN the temporary absence Of Chief Justice
Henry c. Ide who had left the island for Austraha
on a vacation of five weeks. 1t appears that WI
Ide intended starting on his vacation Garner Una,
no did, but owing 10 humpe' VI ' -.
for action on these coupled with the avOweG
determination of President Schmidt TO Try 1
in Mr. Ides absence the cohsuls W his depart-
governments requested him to POSTPONE Secreary
ure In letter 10 Baron Won TheImann pPresident
schmidt is in disregard Of both the letter anu me
spirit Of the p GsFs Of Eel the Chief
~ Vacancy in that Office from any cau Ws, sia
be unt successor shall be duly appointed
perfectly clear ana uiidH-
h'mnn s the Vacancy contemplated being one
that exists ot I 3Ge CHEZ justice from once The in
tent and meaning of the paragraPh ake IN con-
neeton with the final clause. untl q Th ,eO
snail be APPOINTED S Snd ~ste for the
pore - taking much needed and wei-earn,eu re "a
did not constitute a vacancy wi'hin inc 'p"''
m1an,ae rearks appear in Secretary oneys n0a note
"Accordney, az ' bv what authority President
Schmidt assumes to perform the Innon is in dis
justice OF ,5a letter and spirit of the Berlin act
sincerity trust tha it will be your PeSnment WITH
known ross, thar instructions may be promptly Is
the GsTm a.. consa a az the United
end GTeat Britain MI Schmidt that as ~
OF the IN dIsebaTge the duties of Chief Justice OF
samoa except in the express contingency
by the Berlin act
pARON Won THIELMANN's REPLY.
To this letter Baron Won Thielmann replied that
n, communication addressed to his predecessor on
Abe same subject the State Department ala not oo-
1ect 10 the Chief Justice being represented when on
leave by the President Of the Municipal Couhci. lie
asserted that the State Department expressly ap-
proved such an arrangement. In this letter Baron
Won Thielmann told Secretary Olney that II ne
should take an opposite view 10 that expressed by
Secretary Gresham. Mr. Olney could not expect him
IRaron Won Thielmann). the representative OF
His Majesty the Emperor Of Germany. 10 make his
reply The subject Of report to BeT Ser IN PoSS
C,ney that he must make such a report through Am
bassador Uhl II he wished his ideas In the case 10
be presented. -
Secretary Olney. in replying to Baron Won Thel-
mann's note, said that he had been unable TO find
any warrant for the conclusions adduced. Referring
TO the previous note to the German Embassy on the
subject Mr. Olney said IL that in that
note the State Department did not disavow the con-
tention OF Baron Won Saurma Mr.. Olney asserted
that General Gresham neither affirmed nor denied IT.