Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-19
never been known to have expressed the

never been known to have expressed the
least dissatisfaction. E.ae.
Priorsto the terrible hurricane of March
Is and II, 1889, the condition between the
| powers had become so strained that it
would ave only required. a spark to
lave enkindled a conflagration. The
American ships were ready to exchange
broadsides with the German, and would
probably nave la the support, perhaps
| only moral, of the 'Calliope. The Ger
mans had profaned the 'FIleele sa," or
sacred soil, of the neutral Apia for war
like purposes. Blood had been spilled,
and Samoan villages had been bonn
barded by their ships. The Berlin act.
signed in the following June, guaranteed
the independence of Samoa and left the
Samoans the right to elect their king and
provide their own government.
ItsThe victory of Mataafa over the Ger
Isean bluejackets at Fangalii, in Deem
Der, 1888, and the subsequent hopeless
! condition of their great warships, which
had hitherto appeared wonderful and if
! Eesistible to the simple islanders, had a
| great moral effect on the natives. AnN-
iaus for a cessation of hostilities, the Sa-
moan We're pleased at their liberty be-
ling guaranteed them and 1attered at
| the independence of Samoa being decided
upon; and, very probably, had the pow
ers allowed Mataafa, the man of their
choice, to become ruler, everything might
have gone on smoothly.
90 Unfortunately the Germans were still
smarting from the punishment inflicted
on them by Mataafa, and they would not
agree to his being appointed Malietoa.
The Germans had put forward Tamasese,
sbut as he had no chance of being accept
ed by the Samoans as their king, the
British and Americans had to fall back
upon Laupepa. His reinstatement, in
opposition to the wishes of most of the
natives, who We're strong supporters of
| n , q e, tho ha,n Of tho NnI1G1n fioht
was directly opposed to the terms of
the Berlin act, which recognized the in
dependence of the Samoa government,
and the free right of the natives to elect
their chiefs or king and choose their own
form of government 1t is true that a
further clause declared that, lin view
of the difficulties surrounding an cleo
ton in the present disordered condition
of the government Malietoa Laupepa
shall be recognized as king, unless the
three powers shall by common accord
otherwise declare;;' but there is still an
other clause in the same act which says,
and his successor shall be duly elected
according to the laws and customs of
Samoa"
Laupepa had never been popular. Ma
taafa, on the other hand, held an unriVal-
ed position in the eyes of his countrymen,
and his exclusion was believed to be a
stroke of German vengeance. An ominous
cry for him began to be raised through
out the Islands,, and the natives COM
planned that the treaty was not being
carried out. The right to elect their king
had been granted to them. They were
dissatisfied with Laupepa, and claimed,
according to the laws and customs OF
Samoa" to appoint another. With the
assistance of the and the Eng
lish, Laupepae eventually succeeded in de-
feating Mataafa, who went on board the
British ship and surrendered himself.
This brave chief, together with some ~
of his principal supporters, were eventu-
ally exiled to the island of Saluit, in the
Marshall islands, where he has since re-
manned until he and his friends were am
nestled a few months ago. The natives
were then prevailed upon to accept Lau-
pepa as their ruler until Mataafa woulc
return.
A few months ago Laupepa died, re-
GREETED by no one. By his own people he
was despised; by the powers he had beer
5 only treated as their puppet. His So1
Tanu has been put forward by England
and the United States as his successor. 4
mere boy in years, he holds no position il
his country, and his selection will merel.
prolons the conflict with the majorit,
of the Samoans, who are in direct opposi
ton to his family.
n The m have no doubt obtained
certain measure of gratitude from tn
natives for returning to them their be
: loved hero, Mataafa, but bound as he i
& by promises made prior to his release
great disappointment is felt at his no
t taking at once an active part in the at
d fairs of his country. H..
Muliuf, nephew of Mataafa, and cousl
of the late Laupepa, is generally locke
upon in Samoa as Mataafa's successor
The Germans, no doubt, hope to fore
Mataafa's hand, and take advantage O
any act of his to give an excuse for thel
to take possession Of the island an
a divide the group among the three power
Such a suggestion, it appears, has al
ready been made by Col. Hay-viz.: tha
X Germany should take the island of Upoil
h with Apia and the most valuable islam
of the group-United States, Tutulls
& with the harbor of Pango Pango-the on
lie excellent harbor in the group-leaVing t
"a Great Britain the island of Savali, tn
largest, but the most worthless, Of tn
n three, having only a very moderate hal
Dor at Matautu on the north coast, an
only one small town, which is in the In
terror, and is called P~alapala, some 81
miles from the sea. Great Britain ca
not afford to let these islands pass er
tirely into the possession of any or
power. They occupy so important a pos
e tion-commercially and politically-in TIL
highway between America and AuStrali;
g that for Australia, as well as for Amerlc
"a and Europe, Samoa is undoubtedly
he burning question.