The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-03-02
MATAAFA RULES IN SAMOA
PRESIDENT OF THE MUNICIPAL
COUNCILS VIEWS.
If the Treaty Powers Attempt to In
stall Malietoa, He Thinks 1t Would
Result in Anarchy.

DR.. John Raffel, late president of the
municipal council of Apia, was a pas
senger on the Alameda, returning to
Germany, he having resigned last Sep
tember
DR.. Raffel puts quite a different as
pect on affairs than is given by the re-
ports coming by way of Auckland.
Everything is perfectly quiet there
now" he said, cor was when l left. The
Mataafa government is recognized by
the representatives of the three treaty
powers as the provisional government,
and has the support of at least nine
tenths of the native population and a
majority of the foreign population
This status, there is every reason to
believe, will remain until the three
treaty powers examine into the matter
and come to a decision on it. There
has been no fighting nor disorder since
the 9Th and 18th of January.
THE footing and pillaging then was
confined to the persons and property
of natives. and was simply a part of
their ideas of war In fact Samoan
thinks of looting and pillaging as the
principal end and purpose of war But
except a stray bullet perhaps striking
the house of a white man, no injury
was done to either the persons or the
property of foreigners. In fact for
eigners went between and through the
lines of the contending forces with i'm
punty.
THE young Malietoa Tanu is still on
board the British man of war. About
1000 of his men who were captured un-
der arms have been banished to an
other island.
1.-The position of the German consul
both before and after the decision rem
dered by Chief Justice Chambers, has
been this: The treaty declares that
the three treaty powers will support
and enforce the decisions of the SUI
preme court made in accordance with
the treaty and the laws and customs
of Samoa. Now, the German consul
could not assume that this decision on
a question, which is vitality one of the
laws and customs of Samoa, would be
made in accordance with those laws
and customs, and cannot assume now
that it has been, until it has been eX-
amined into by the German govern
ment Pending that examination and
instructions to him he cannot seek to
enforce it particularly when it is OBJ
noxious to so large a portion of the
Samoan people.
THE first friction between the Ger
man consul and the British and Anne
ricon consuls arose December 26th,
when there was rumOr that the house
of the chief justice would be destroy
ed. The German consul declined to
raise the official German flag over the
chief Justices house because it was so
far inland that he could not protect 1t
from the German war vessel in the |
harbor, nor could the captain of that
German war vessel protect it. He |
did however send an unofficial German |
flag, such as is used on German mer |
chant marine, and an official note Of
fering the chief justice the protection |
of the German consulate which is near |
the beach and where it could be pro-
tected by the German war vessel, The
event proved the soundness of his judg-
ment. For though the British man of
war sent "a men to protect the Brit |
ish and American flags over the chief |
Justices house, they ewere oblig |
ed to withdraw later and the American |
and British flags We're hauled down. |
I'm other words it is useless to raise |
a flag where it cannot be protected.
"As to the report that the German |
consul led the attack of the Mataafa !
forces, that is untrue. American and |
British residents will testify to that |
as H. ]. Moors, a leading American |
citizen, has testified to it in commu-
nication to Washington.
THE reason the provisional govern !
ment closed the supreme court is this: |
The president of the municipal coun- |
ell under the treaty, not only has local |
jurisdiction in the municipal district, |
but is also treasurer adviser and exc |
cutive officer of the Samoan govern
Tnent. lie is SuCn TO the provisional !
government under the treaty. The pro- |
visional government held that it could |
not recognize a court to whose deci- |
sion it was in antagonsm. Afterwards |
it was decided that it would not de- |
clare the chief justiceship vacant But
the Samoans do not recognize the |
court and do not bring suits in it. The
whites, however, do.
MY own opinion is that if the trea-
ty powers attempt by force to install
the Malietoa government it will simp-
ly result in the Mataafa government
going into the bush and controlling ev-
erything outside of Apia. For allowing
the defections to the Malietoa govern
ment in case it is recognized, the Ma
taafa government will still have the
vast maiOritV of the DartiSanS"