Evening star., 1899-03-25
The samoan Dimculty.

Germany's recent acts and utterances of
good will toward the United States do not
yet seem to carry 50 far as to warrant
entire friendIlness In the matter of Samoa.
That is unfortunate for the situation in
that group is such as to involve q dead
lock of a perhaps dangerous character un-
less Germany retires from her present
rather radical position in the premises.
Under the Berlin agreement the islands
are to be ruled under a joint protoctorate
maintained by the United States. Germany
ard Great Britain. Each power mas
share in the government. the United States
having the designation of the chief justice.
Germany and Great Britain have each a
resident representative at Apia and under
these three agents of the powers the ma
tiyes are permitted to govern themselves
by choosing king and certain subordinate
officers. As matter of fact Samoa is a
colony of three powers Jointly, the form of
self-government by the people being
mere farce. The United States has never
been welded to a policy of eventual control
over the entire group. while it has been
the palpable purpose of Germany to secure
such control if possible. Great Britain
stands ready, of course, to secure control
il in any way possible, in conformity with
her traditional line of colonial conduct. The
present dispute in the Islands between the
representatives Of the powers-not the first,
by any means-brinss out anew the un-
questioned fact that the tri-partite protec-
torate Is failure. In this disagreement
the German agent is opposed by those of
the other two powers, the three being re-
spectively upheld by their home govern
ments Meanwhile a state approaching
anarchy prevails in the islands trade is
demoralized and the nations are brought
Into controversy ut a most unfortunate
time. By the rule Of majorities it behooyes
Germany to accede to the position OF Great
Britain and the United States. withdraw
the offending agent, accept the acts Of the
American chief justice and establish on
the throne the claimant whom that official
has decided to be entitled to the position
An American admiral has reported that
from careful examination of the case the
chief justice acted with entire propriety
Germany has been angered somewhat by
certain expressions which The chief justice
used in letter 10 his brother in this coun-
try. which has been published. Being a
private communication it has absolutely no
official bearing on the case. The misfor-
tune of the affair is that If the Berlin
agreement is broken by the refusal of Ger
many to accept the position of the other
two parties the group is Immediately
thrown into the field of open contention
unless modus vivendi is arranged to ad-
just matters pending the formula ton of
new agreement. But even with new
treaty there is no guarantee that 1t will
not be similarly violated and abrogated at
any time. The cnly satisfactory solution
OF the problem. short of the acceptance of
all three powers of the rule of majority
decisions. is the entire abandonment Of the
tri-partite plan and the division &C the
group among the powers, according to sorle
plan based upon priority of claims ard
weight of interests. The group vii, lend
itself to such a division, and it might be
that in the future some way could be
found, by exchange or sale to unite the
entire group under a single contro,, which
would be most satisfactory. At all events
IT is not to be believed that so slight
cause will operate to weaken the new spirit
of friendship between the United States and
Germany, which sprang out of the graceful
act of the government at Berlin in placing
German interests in the Philippines under
the care of the American commanders.