Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-21
THE SAMOAN SETTLEMENT
Report Of Commissioner Trip to the Sec
retary,o State.
Exciting Events on the Islands De.
tai1ed-Their Importance in the
Commerce of the Future.

In accordance with a request from the
| Senate the President yesterday transmitted
| to that body the personal report of Bartlett
| Trip. the United States member of the
| Samoan commission, to the Secretary of
State. Mr.. Trips report is quite apart
/ from the joint report of the commits
| sion, and goes more into details on the
| exciting events in Samoa which the COM
mission dealt with
He says that when the commission ar
rived in Samoa seven warshipS were an
| chored in the quiet little harbor of Apia,
but mot a single vessel of commerce was
to be seen about those beautiful islands.
On land soldiers, white and native. were
patrolling everywhere. A thousand natives,
armed with British rifles, paraded past.
Outside the town thousands Of natives were
in arms. The commanders of the war YES
sells believed Mr.. Trip said, that but for
the enforced armistice under orders from
the great powers the troops of Malietoa,
with the assistance of British and American
marines, would have easily conquered the
forces of Mataafa. ended the contest and
established Malietoa firmly upon his throne.
Disarming the Natives.
He then recounts the disarming of the
| natives, and the upholdng by the commits
sion of the validity of Chief Justice Cham
bers decision favorable to Malietoa. In this
| ment is necessarily conclusive, though the
reasoning of the court by which 1t reaches
such conclusions be fallaciouS.
Elsewhere Mr.. Trip refers to Judge Cham
bers as good lawyer and an honest
man
He says the individual commissioners
We're free to express in their separate re-
ports the conduct of individuals growing
| out of the controversy on Judge Chambers
decision. but he does not go at length INTO
| the matter. He says that both the Ger
| mans-Marquardt and Hutuagei-who We're
| under arrest We're Immediately discharged
| by the commission. there being no compe-
| tent evidence agaist them. 1t might have
been in bad taste, he points out, for white
| men to have espoused the cause of either
| CO ndidate for native king, but no rule of
| law or ethics made it wrong.
Matanfa Choice of the Majority.
| Mataafa was the choice of an overwhelm-
| ing majority of the Samoans, but In Sa-
moa," Mr.. Trip says. the select few, and
| not the people, determine the election CT
| chiefs and kings
| As to the course of Admiral Kautz, it is
| maintained that the general instructions
| of the naval commanders sufficed TO au-
| thorize the putting down of an armed re-
bellion against the lawful government. and
| Mr. Trip is of opinion that the instructions
| We're not violated by obeying the orders
of a ma jority of the three consuls.
Mr. Trip then explains in detail the
abolition of the kingship and the new form
OF tripartite government proposed by the
commission, which, however, is no longer
pertinent since the partition Of Samoa. He
strongly urges the ''dissolvng of this part
nership of nations. which has no precedent
for its creation nor reason for its CONTINUE
ance.
Importance of Samoa.
The chief Importance of the Samoan is
lands Mr.. Trip points out lies in their
location in the great future pathway of
commerce. In particular he details the
strength and general availability of Pago
Page harbor, and says we should not look
with favor on any foreign effort to share
these advantages. Lists Of the CLAIMS flied
and much documentary evidence taken is
also submitted by Mr.. Trip,