The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1899-01-25
AT SAMOA
The Navy Department Will Send a
Warship There at Once.
GERMAN oFFIoIAI BLAMED.
living to Lack of oommunIoation 1e Ia
Relieved RaHeI. President OF Ata-
nicipRl Council at Apih,
PreolPItAted n CriSIS.

Washington, Jan 19.-The navy de-
partment has prepared orders for the
cruiser Philadelphia to proceed to Sa-
moa at once, to represent the United
States interests there.
The Philadelphia is due at San Diego
any moment from Acapulco. Mean
while, IL any vessel more quickly avail
able can be found, one of Dewey's fleet,
for instance, 1t will be ordered at once
to Samoa, to answer the urgent appeal
of the United States consul there
The commander of tho Philadelphia
will act in conformity with the in-
structions of the United States consul
so far as those instructions are in line
With the treaty OF berlin, which the
United States contends must be htei
ally inforced until amended. Itwopld
take the Philadelphia about 16 days to
make the run from San Diego to Apia,
touching at Honolulu for coal.
One resource open to the navy de-
partment is to send the Oregon to Sa-
moa. She left Callao on Jan. IL, and
should reach Honolulu about Feb. 8,
where she can be intercepted with or
ders sent by the dispatch boat Iro-
Quois, now at San Francisco.
The big battleship Iowa is due at
San Francisco just about the same
date that the Oregon is due at Homo
lulu, so that the Pacific coast will not
be left entirely without naval force.
While the attention of the public
has been of late drawn from the Sn-
moan Islands to other more important
subject, 1t appears that interesting
events have been succeeding one an
other with rapldity in the islands.
1t has been realized for a long time
past that there was need for modif-
cation of the terms of the trIpartite
treaty, by which we assumed joint
guardianship with England, but up to
this point 1t has not been possible to
get all three of the powers to agree
upon any one project.
Negotiations have been on foot for
some time I'm relation to the succession
to the Samonn throne, and 1t is call
culated to lead to ill-feeling at least
that the German officials should resort
to coup d. etat at this stage of the
negotiations.
1t is believed that much of the re-
sponsibility for this arbitrary action
must rest upon Raffel, the German
president of the municipal council at
Apia, whose troublesome attitude of
late has lead to remonstrance on the
part of the powers.
There has been an understanding
that he was to be removed to another
scene of activity, and the supposition
is that, getting wind of this intention,
he has precipitated n crisis before his
government could reach him with
orders.
Auckland is 1900 miles distant, and
this lack of communication makes the
situation more perilous than 1t would
be otherwise. The United States, Great
Britain and Germany could cas-
lily reach a satisfactory solution OF the
crisis in Samoa. IL they could deal with
the subject themselves in the usual
course, but there is some fear of ILL
considered action on the part of some
of the agents OF these governments in
Samoa before they can receive instruc-
tlons from their governments.