The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-06
AFFAIRS IN SAMOA.
Adjustment of Kingship and Par
tition of the Islands.

Important events have occurred in
the Samoan Islands. The election. &c
cord5ng to the laws and customs of
Samoa, of a successor TO the late King
Malietoa Taupepa developed a contest
as TO the validity of the result. which
issue, by the terms OF the general act,
was to be decided by the chief justice.
Upon his rendering a judgment in ia
vor of Malietoa Tanu, the rival chief
Mataafa took up arms. The active in
PREVENTION of American and British
warships became imperative to restore
order at the cost of sanguinary en-
counters.
In this emergency a joint commits
sion of representatives of the United
States, Germany and Great Britain was
sent to Samoa to investigate the sit
uation and provide a temporary rem
edy. By its active efforts a peaceful
solution was reached for the time being
the kingship being abolished, and a pro-
visional government established. Re-
concentrations unanimously made by
the commission for a permanent adjust
ment of the Samoan question were Ia
ken under consideration by the three
powers. parties to the general act.
But the more they were examined the
more evident it became that a radical
change was necessary in the relations
of the powers TO Samoa.
Perils of the Tri-partite Scheme.
The Inconvenience and possible perils
of the tri-partite scheme of supervision
and control in the Samoan group by
powers having little interest in common
in that quarter beyond commercial
rivalry, has been once more emphasized
by the recent events. The suggested
remedy of the joint commission. like the
scheme it aimed to replace, amounted
to what has been styled a tri-dominium,
being the exercise of the functions of
sovereignty. by a unanimous agreement
of three powers. The situation has be-
come far more intricate and embarrass-
ing from every point of view than it
was when my predecessor, in 1894, sum-
med up its perplexities and condemned
the participation in it of the United
States.
The arrangement under which Samoa
was administered was proved imprac-
ticable and unacceptable to all the
powers concerned To withdraw from
the agreement and abandon the islands
to Germany and Great Britain would
not be compatible with our interests in
the archipelago To relinquish our
rights in the harbor of Pago-Pago, the
best anchorage in the Pacific, the occu-
pancy of which had been leased to the
United States in 1878 by the first foreign
treaty ever concluded by Samoa, was
not to be thought of, either as regards
the needs of our navy or the interests
of our growing commerce with the east.
We could not have considered any
proposition for the abrogation of the
tri-partite control which did not con-
firm us in all our rights and safeguard
all our national interests in the islands.
Divided the Islands.
Our views commended themselves to
the other powers. A satisfactory ar
rangement was concluded between the
governments of Germany and of Eng
land. by virtue of which England re-
tired from Samoa, in view of compensa-
tions in other directions and both
powers renowned in favor of the United
States all their rights and claims over
and in respect to that portion of the
group lying to the east of the Hist de-
gree of west longitude, embracing the
islands of Tutuila, Ofoo, Olosenga and
Manua.
1 transmit to the senate for it's consti-
tutional action thereon a convention
which, besides the provisions above
mentioned, also guarantees us the same
privileges and conditions in respect to
commerce and commercial vessels in all
of the islands of Samoa as those pos
sessed by Germany.
Claims have been preferred by white
residents of Samoa on account of in
juries alleged to have been suffered
through the acts of the treaty govern
ments in putting down the late disturb
ances. A convention has been made be-
tween the three powers for the
investigation and settlement of these
claims by a neutral arbitrator to which
the attention of the senate will be in
x-itad