New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-31
MALIETOA'S ROYAL TOUCH.
THE HARDsHfPs OF THE SAMOAN KIN"
AND HIS sTRAITENED CIR
,-UMSTANCEs.
NOMINAL, 1xCoMr OF $50 MONTH AN
ACTUAL. ONE OF sis 60. NOT ENOUGH FOR
ROYAL NEEDs-wHAT RESULTED.

ROYAL. NEEDS-WHAT RESOLlhp'
Kings are good enough people when you ge' 10
know them: so queens. This appheS 10 10y
.lt,es that come in punches that YOU can stand pa,
- I'D Z, eouallv applies to monarchs Of flesh and
h,ood There was never a king Of less pretensions
than the late Malietoa Laupepa. who sat on 'ne
fiction Of Samoan throne and endured win "'
rufied patience the buets Of fortune and the inter
ference of consus. A simple minded person py
nature he had passed through hard lines ana
know, what II was to he uncertain Of the prospects
OF the next meal After such an experience ie"
nnonarchs could make any great success OF ,he
dignity Of which the hedging qualities nave oe
come proverbial SO far as such thing is possole
10 a South Sea Islander. King Laupepa was ihuc"
o. Dick Swiveller. both in nature and IN circum-
stances. mi,
There was no doubt whatever as to the orc'ai
ROYALTY Of the King OF Samoa. There had oeeh
native wars the title to the throne great ma
lions had been dragged almost over the brink OF
ha,,le on, there I'm Apia Harbor: the time and the
,boueht 81 American and European statesmen had
been bestowed upon the problem. out or all 'hls
disputaton one fact was dug ny oln' Oh n"'"
effort nd that the kingshp OF Mane'oa i-"u
nena for that was written In the Berlin treaty
which contains few such simple statements
rberein e., WAS provided that Laupepa was 'he
King and should so remain 10 the DAY OF MS
death few paragraphs further alohs III III"
same document appears a meant PIoNis''" a.
20 mo ROYAL wages a really important matter 10
ra,oA with the civil lists Of other realms the pro-
vision for the Samoan King seems decidedly puhy'
FOR it amounts 10 more than $l'o monthly' i"a'
however Is only the face value Of the sltuatoh anu
there Is a large discount before the salary peco7'
available for the purposes Of the monarch. Unoer
-ooo,tv current conditions in the Samoan King
dom the net value Of the royal wages was only
Sg60 no munihcent sum for poSluon u SUI"
high sounding grandeur
When Malietoa began 70 receive TINS phe-
lo11s fof
been coming before 70 savage royalty, he looked
mon himself as one Of the few kings OF whom y
might be said that mis- fortune was made Inc hhs
had marched considerably beyond the period OF
youth when this great goo3 fortune came his way
.rd Was on that account not at az likely TO make
a mad plunge into the hilariousness which mlsht
sooner have proved TO him the insufcieHcy OF S> %
,or tho practical purposes Of monarch. even II MS
tastes are simple and his habits more hehttlns 'he
pastor OF a church in some native village con-
muniiy Yet even in his simple fashloh OF con-
ducing the household affairs Of his modest palace
Maljetoa Laupepa found that his salary. "hie II
mich, he magnificent TO the eyes Of all Samoans
,ras nv no means sufficient 10 pay his way at the
sbons Of the white traders on the Apia Beach VINO
were perfectly willing 10 open an account with the
King for the cans Of corned beef and salmon when
are the nearest approach 10 the luXuries OF NE not
only for the King but for people who can
better afford such things. The traders were will
ing enough 10 accommodate the King Tor present
wants fancied or real and to take a mortgage on
the kingdom as security. such security being rea-
sonably good collateral for a few thousand doiars'
To the King such postponed actualtes as the fore
closure Of the mortgage were too far removed mo
q f,ture which was sure 10 have plenty Of troubles
Of its own and ne dropped the topic from his MIND.
THE KING SHUT OFF FROM MORTGAGlNG
Rut there were others TO whom the prospect was
by no means easily forgotten as by the King nor
so attractive as # was 10 the traders VINO sa"
their way tho eventual ownership or the Whoe
Kingdom These others were the consuls appointed
bv the greater nations for the express purpose OF
.eaing ~ II that the careless Samoans neither mis-
laid nor gave away their tiny kingdom. Ihs was
a contingency 10 be met by the Administrative ON
Gals and It was necessary 10 take such action as
would prevent the eventual transformation OF the
whole kingdom into limited liability concern, run
in the interest Of the principal creditors. law Of
the realm was hastily enacted TO deal with the
emergency and for the sake Of greater convenience
II was mado retroa ctiye. so as to cover all past
transactions Of tho enterprising business men.
Under the provisions OF this law 1t was decreed
that any person who gave credit to the King of
Samoa did II al his risk: that no such deot
should be recoverable in any way, shape or man.
ner and that none OF the property OF the King ana
none OF the public property Of the kingdom could De
taken in execution Of any unsatished Obligation
That enectually checked the threatening danger
tina, the realm would pass into private and ire
sponsible hands But II worked hardship on the
King the storekeepers refused 10 allow him to deal
except on the spot-cash basis Technically Malietoa
was the ruler Of the whole thing but practically the
King had 10 produce the money In good hard coin
before he could take away from the shop the house
hold supplies which the Queen had sent His Majesty
out TO get.
Then il was that the King Of Samoa made a
practical discovery in his own person Of tho in
suflciency of SIS % royal income. and how
much better 1t is not TO be king. with no credit
at the shops how much 10 b. preferred is pr-
Yates station. where one may buy all sorts OF
goods and pay for them with the promise OF copra
yet be cut from the cocoanuts scarcely yet
in flower Then royalty learned the painful count
Ing Of the days before the next payday. 1t was
really bad state OF affairs. The SamOans looked
upon their King in the enjoyment Of million
aires income and they expected him 10 loan them
such they chose 10 ask for. OF course
there was no sort Of compulsiOn in these loans but
Il was noticed that unsuccessful borrowers were
ant TO become prominent leaders among tho
rebels against the Kings most sacred majesty who
passed their time in threats Of what they would
do for the disruption Of the kingdom. This was
not the sum OF all the difficulty even those sa-
means whose rank not sufficiently high 10 en-
title them 20 touch the throne for small loan
were affected I'm another way. Since their King
was so magnihcently paid they neglected TO bring
him the customary supplies for the larder. thinking
him far above such humble affairs. To be sure.
they brought him all the finest and largest Of their
produce hut it did little appease the royal
hunger merely to learn that somewhere prize
pig was fattcning for him.
Let no one think that there is the slightest sar-
casm in these accounts of the inner life Of the
King not bit OF IT, This is all honestly stated
IN every essential particular. 10 the Samoan mind
such an income as SIS a month Is n royal allow
ance in both senses. and even anything at all a
month so long as II comes at regular intervals
and involves no necessity TO work for 1t. IS re-
garsed as enviabe afiuence. Few. indeed are the
bo hay he Of eNp 10
year on their personal needs or pleasures
NO CHAMPAGNE. NO CIGARS
Now all this was particularly annoying u
Malietoa Laupepa. who had ideas more than a
little above those II the ordinary Samoan chief He
had had advantages denied TO them: he had been